In-ground monitoring and bait stations around the house, a fit for some lots where patios and landscaping crowd the slab.
Fastest: call (855) 974-4733. Or send this and we call you back.
A termite bait system places stations in the soil around a house to intercept foraging subterranean termites and deliver a slow-acting bait that the colony shares. In Plano, Plano Pest Control connects you with a local technician serving Collin County, who explains whether baiting suits your lot and what it costs before work begins.
Baiting takes a different approach from a liquid barrier. Instead of treating the soil in a continuous band, the technician installs stations at intervals around the house and checks them over time. Foraging termites find the stations, feed on the material inside and carry it back, and the technician replaces monitoring wood with bait once termites are present.
On a typical Plano lot, the slab is often ringed by flower beds, a patio, a walkway, an air conditioner pad and a garage apron, and an irrigation system waters the beds. Those features can make trenching along the foundation slow or incomplete, and that is one reason some owners ask about stations. Neither method is right for every house, and the technician explains why one fits your lot better than the other. Call (855) 974-4733 and Plano Pest Control will connect you.
Do not open stations, handle bait or move them yourself. Keep children and pets away from station lids, and tell the technician if a lid is cracked or missing.
Stations hold untreated wood at first. When termites find it, the technician swaps in bait. This approach suits houses with no known activity as well as those with it, and it keeps the stations ready if termites arrive later.
When a colony is already feeding in or near the house, stations can be placed near the activity and loaded with bait promptly. It can take weeks or months for the bait to affect the colony, and the technician should say what to expect.
Some houses get both: a localized liquid treatment where the foundation is exposed, and stations where patios or beds block access. Ask why a combination is suggested and what each part does. See also termite control.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent termite bait systems, send the form and we'll call you back.
Stations are installed around the house and hold wood or cellulose that termites find while foraging. When termites are present, the technician installs a slow-acting bait. Workers carry it back to the colony and share it, which can reduce or eliminate the colony over time.
The idea is to work with the way termites feed. They share food with other colony members, so bait taken in by a few workers can spread. That also means baiting is gradual, and the technician checks the stations at intervals, not once.
A station that shows no termites is not proof the house is free of them. It means no termites have found that particular station yet.
Station design varies by product. Some use a wood monitor first and swap in bait only when termites arrive, while others are loaded with bait from the start. Ask the technician which design is planned and why.
Neither is better for every house. A liquid barrier can work well where the soil along the foundation is open, while stations are often considered where patios, walkways and landscaping make continuous treatment hard. A technician who has inspected the lot should explain which fits and why.
Ask how each method deals with the particular features of your house: the attached garage, the plumbing slab penetrations, the air conditioner pad and any wet areas where sprinklers hit the wall.
Ask also about the follow-up. A liquid treatment is applied at one time, while a bait system includes monitoring visits. The difference affects both the price and the work you may need to do in the yard.
The technician may also recommend a localized liquid treatment at a single spot, such as a plumbing penetration where activity was found, while stations cover the rest of the perimeter. That is a common way to deal with a particular entry point.
The price depends on the length of the slab perimeter, the number of stations, how much monitoring is included, and whether activity is already present. A technician explains the figure and the follow-up terms before installation, and you approve them before anything is placed.
No price figures are published on this page. Pricing varies, and the sources available for this site do not give a reliable number for Plano.
Questions worth asking: how many stations are planned, how often they will be checked, whether the checks are part of the price, what happens if termites are found in a station, and what the company does if activity returns.
Irrigated beds keep soil moist, which termites like, and sprinklers, mulch and mowing can disturb stations. Stations must be placed away from irrigation lines, kept accessible and left in place, so landscaping habits and HOA rules around beds are part of the plan.
Sprinkler heads that spray the wall keep the foundation edge damp, which can attract termites and flood stations. It is worth adjusting spray patterns even if you never see a termite.
If your HOA controls what can go in front beds, mention it when you call. Stations are small, but a technician should know where they can and cannot be placed. The HOA, sprinklers and pests guide discusses these trade-offs.
Leave the stations in place, keep them visible and accessible, and do not pour products over them. Tell the technician before changing landscaping, and call if you see mud tubes, swarmers or damage between visits.
The technician inspects for activity and conditions, then maps the slab perimeter, noting hard surfaces, irrigation lines, utilities and wet areas that affect where stations can go.
You are told whether baiting, a liquid treatment or a combination is suggested and why. The price, including any monitoring visits, is explained, and nothing is installed until you agree.
Stations are placed in the ground around the house at intervals, usually in soil or mulch beds. Locations are noted so the technician can find them again, and utility lines are avoided.
The technician returns to check stations. Where termites are found, bait is installed, and the stations are checked again until activity stops.
You are told where stations are and what to avoid, such as covering or removing lids, mowing hard over them or piling mulch on them. Ask for a written station map.
Many Plano houses are slab homes with landscaping and hardscape pressed up against the foundation. When the slab perimeter is covered by patios, walks and planting beds, baiting is one way to get protection around the house without cutting through every surface.
Blackland Prairie clay swells when wet and shrinks when dry, and soil beside a slab can pull back in a dry summer and fill again after rain. Station locations are chosen with soil conditions in mind, and the technician may adjust them over time as the ground shifts.
Formosan termites have been found in a Wylie neighborhood in Collin County. Whether baiting or another method is chosen, the technician should be able to say whether the plan fits what is found, and you can ask what changes if a different termite is identified.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Subterranean termite treatment for slab homes in Plano and Collin County, with the method and price explained before work starts.
A look at slab edges, plumbing gaps, garages and wood near soil to see whether termites are present, before they are a surprise.
Soil treatment applied before concrete is poured on new homes, townhomes and additions in Plano and surrounding Collin County cities.
A wood-destroying insect report for sellers, buyers and lenders in Plano, with findings explained in plain language.
Much of the Plano area sits on Blackland Prairie clay that swells when wet and shrinks when dry.
A wood-destroying insect (WDI) report is a written inspection that records visible evidence of termites and other wood-destroying insects, plus conditions that invite them.
Formosan subterranean termites have been found in several homes clustered in one Wylie neighborhood in Collin County, and the species is confirmed in about 30 eastern Texas counties, including Collin and Dallas.
It varies. Termites must find the station, feed and carry bait to the colony, and effects can take weeks or months. The technician should give you a realistic expectation for your house and cannot guarantee a timeframe.
Stations generally stay in place as long as the monitoring plan continues. Ask what the plan includes, how long it runs and what happens when it ends.
Yes, with care. Ask for a station map, mark the locations, and keep string trimmers and edgers from striking the lids.
Baiting targets the colony outside, and some active infestations may also need a localized treatment or repair. The technician should explain what each step does.
Stations go in the ground, so drilling is usually not needed for baiting alone. A combined plan may involve a localized liquid treatment where drilling is suggested.
Tell the technician. A damaged station may need replacement, and a note in your records helps explain any gap in monitoring.
Stations are placed to intercept termites that are already foraging in the soil nearby. They are not meant to draw them in from far away, and the technician can explain how the plan is designed to work.