TermiSensor is the new innovation in termite management delivering remote and accurate monitoring of in-ground bait stations, alerting you to the arrival of termites in the bait stations. Which means there is no need for regular monitoring station inspections and baiting can start as soon as termites are detected.
The ability to monitor activities has been creeping into our everyday lives more and more. Whoever expected our wristwatch to remind us to have a break and go for a walk, or check our glucose level? With technology entering our lives at every turn, it’s perhaps no surprise that monitoring is becoming established in the field of pest management.
Enter TermiSensor – the award-winning, patented digital monitoring system poised to revolutionise the termite industry. Installed in traditional in-ground stations with timber monitors, TermiSensor detects termite activity in real-time. Whilst a big leap forward in terms of termite monitoring technology, the idea itself was simple: tell pest managers when termites have arrived at their customer’s property and identify the perfect time to bait them.
However it took a while for the team at Pesense to get the fundamentals sorted. While it might seem that products almost seem to arrive on the market overnight, product development is always a long story, with many concepts and testing, until the product is ready to be on the shelf.
Firstly there was the challenge of the sensor itself. While termites do their job relentlessly, a lot of other critters do like to ‘check into’ termite monitors – so it is critical that a sensor knows the difference between an ant and a termite.
Secondly, with Australia being the land of weather extremes, a termite sensor also had to be able to work under the harshest of conditions. Testing is better when performed in real time, under real weather variables, to push the sensors to their limits, to redesign and test again.
Lastly, once the sensor had been developed, robust field testing was needed. North Queensland was a great place to put TermiSensors under pressure, as not only is it hot nearly all year round – interrupted by occasional flood – but Coptotermes mounds are easy to find. Not only is Coptotermes a key pest genus, but placing bait stations near a mound would ensure high termite pressure. The core intent was to assess and evaluate the durability and reliability of TermiSensors.
Coptotermes mounds of similar size were chosen for the trial, with a minimum distance between mounds. Monitors were installed in a radial pattern 3 meters out, with 1-metre spacing between each monitor. Approximately 24 monitors were installed per mound. Each monitor was numbered, then the even-numbered monitors were fitted with a TermiSensor.
Inspections of the site every two months included a physical review of every monitor. The condition of the monitor was determined by the answers to the following three questions: Has the monitor detected termite activity? If fitted with a TermiSensor, was activity detected correctly? If not fitted with a TermiSensor, were live termites in the monitor? Once the condition of every monitor was recorded, they were reset to their original condition. No bait was added to the stations – the trial was all about termite detection and assessing the performance of the sensor.
Over the period of a year, TermiSensors checked the monitors for termites over 8.8 million times. So what did the field trials show?
- When monitors were fitted with a TermiSensor, activity was detected correctly 100% of the time, and TermiSensor was able to determine the type of invader, escalating termite activity to an alert
- The TermiSensor picked up termite activity in the bait stations up to five weeks earlier (compared to a two-month standard inspection routine)
- Termites didn’t show a preference for monitors with or without an TermiSensor
- Throughout the hot and cold extremes, and occasional flooding, TermiSensors maintained reporting.
The key performance benefit here is that monitors fitted with a TermiSensor identified active termites up to five weeks earlier compared to carrying out a standard inspection every two months. Which means baiting could happen weeks earlier, ensuring the protection of the property. Compared to inspections every three months, the performance benefit of TermiSensors is even bigger.
In a Northern Territory trial, the team were even lucky enough to see Mastotermes in action, with TermiSensor identifying termite activity days after the initial installation. On the next site visit, that monitor was empty of wood… with no termites to treat. Although IGR (insect growth regulator) baits may not be recommended for Mastotermes, monitoring stations can still have value, especially if fitted with a TermiSensor.
Field testing showed that TermiSensor delivered on its goal of reliably identifying termite activity, so it was time to take the product to market.
So why should pest managers use sensors on their monitors?
“When TermiSensors are installed on termite monitoring stations, the sensors, rather than the pest manager, are doing the hard lifting,” explains Tony Flint, director of Pesense Pty Ltd. “They are checking for termites 24/7, and when termite activity occurs, an alert is sent to the pest manager. TermiSensor allows the pest manager to know as soon as termites are present in a bait station, which ensures there is no delay before baiting commences, delivering optimal performance.
“This means the regular bait inspections are no longer required, reducing the labour and travel costs associated with traditional monitoring methods. Importantly, as well as increasing profitability, it also enhances revenue by redirecting time saved to other income-producing jobs.
“The TermiSensors also make standard monitoring systems more efficient and profitable than the newer pre-baited systems, which waste a lot of bait and still require regular inspections. With the drive to minimise insecticide use, TermiSensors are the smart IPM option.”
Of course, this 24/7 monitoring is very reassuring for the homeowner as well!
