Sentricon AlwaysActive continues to stand the test of time, and in 2025 celebrates its 10th year on the Australian market.
When it comes to termite baiting, Sentricon leads the way; first to market with the traditional monitor and bait system and first to market with the AlwaysActive type system. In fact, the original Sentricon system has just hit its 30-year anniversary and this year, Sentricon AlwaysActive has been on the market in Australia for ten years. There’s a reason that Sentricon leads the way – Corteva invests significantly in innovation and only brings products to market after lengthy and robust testing in the field. The result: proven products that have stood the test of time, protecting countless buildings from termites, in multiple countries around the world.
Although Sentricon AlwaysActive may have been on the market for ten years, it still leads the way in terms of product design, palatability and durability, with its patented termiticide rod system.
When designing a system where the bait remains in the ground, 24/7, 365 days a year, it needs to stay palatable and retain its integrity no matter the weather, soil conditions and rainfall levels. The last thing you want is for the bait to fall apart after significant rainfall and in waterlogged soils. Not only does this immediately impact performance but there is a significant cost in replacing ruined baits. With Sentricon AlwaysActive it’s not an issue – the bait retains its integrity even after waterlogging. In fact, palatability even increases with ageing.
Ongoing analysis of AlwaysActive rods placed in ageing sites in southern states in the US have shown that although the rods do slowly degrade from the outside in over time, they retain their integrity and most importantly, the active level is maintained. This slow degradation of the cellulose rod appears to actually improve palatability. Over a five-year ageing trial “termites usually consumed more aged durable bait than fresh durable bait and the differences were frequently significant.”1 Internal Corteva studies have shown similar data over an eight-year period in tropical Malaysia.
This is significant for pest managers when considering the overall cost of the system. It makes it easier to budget and there are no surprise costs for the pest manager or homeowner, as there can be for other systems which don’t have the same durability. If the site experiences heavy rainfall or flooding, AlwaysActive will keep on working. The only recommendation is for pest managers to replace the termiticide rods when more than 50% has been eaten by termites. Although a full system audit is recommended every five years, this is primarily to ensure there have been no site changes that could compromise the installation. There’s no need to change the bait if it hasn’t been eaten, just leave it in place.
Brock Pearson from Pearson Pest in Tamworth, NSW, has built his business around Sentricon and has been with AlwaysActive from the beginning.
“AlwaysActive is very palatable, but durability for us is a big thing,” he said. “We’ve got sites with stations we’ve put in place back in 2016, with the bait rods from the original installation, that are still getting hit today. They’re still doing their job.
“Actually, we service the nearby Corteva agricultural site and I’ve had a look at some of the original rods from a pre-launch installation that are still in the ground, and they’re over ten years old. And that’s a site that gets flooded regularly.
“They do go a bit ‘manky’ and all that, but it hasn’t stopped the termites eating them. When you look at the high-density rod, you wouldn’t think termites would eat it, but jeez they love it!”
Mr Pearson believes that the robustness of the Sentricon AlwaysActive system will become increasingly important in the coming years.
“With the changing weather patterns, east coast lows, increased rainfall and flooding, with conventional soil treatments, well we’re going to have problems.”
So, when you’re considering termite protection, AlwaysActive is a proven, robust system that keeps on working no matter the weather or soil conditions – it provides protection from day one for years to come.
1 Eger, J.E et al. (2014). Durability of a Novel Durable Bait for Control of Subterranean Termites (Isoptera: Rhinotermitidae): Results of Five-Year Field Aging Studies. Journal of Economic Entomology, Volume 107, Issue 3, 1 June 2014, Pages 1201–1205, https://doi.org/10.1603/EC13382.
