7B Ch3 Cheat Sheet: Equipment & Methods

🎯 Top 5 Traps

1

ASSE 1011 backflow preventers do NOT stop high back pressure. They protect against back-siphonage only. ASSE Standard 1012 (continuous-pressure in-line) is required when back pressure exceeds the water system — like a hose connected to a pump's discharge side.

2

The smallest opening sets the actual delivery rate, not the hose size. A 1/2-inch hose with 1/4-inch couplings delivers like a 1/4-inch hose. Match hose ID to coupling ID to get the rated flow.

3

Faulty well seals — not abandoned cisterns — are the most-reported pesticide contamination source. Per NPMA, faults in the sealing of operating wells permit surface water (and termiticide) to enter along the supply pipe.

4

Soil treatment supplements good construction — never substitutes for it. Sanitation + structural correctness + barriers come first. Treating bad construction with more chemical is a wrong answer.

5

IGR baits = slowest acting, greatest colony impact. Ingested toxicants = quickest, localized only. Easily flipped. Biotermiticides sit between, dependent on temperature, moisture, and early detection.

🔢 Numbers You Must Know

Number

What It Represents

100 gallons

Typical termite-control sprayer tank capacity (one-truck rig)

10 gpm

Typical pump output for a one-truck termite rig (Table 3.1)

25 to 50 psi

Recommended operating pressure at the nozzle for termite operations

3/8 or 1/2 inch

Inside diameter of hose used in termite operations

600 psi

Working pressure quality PVC power-sprayer hoses must withstand

150 to 300 ft

Recommended hose length for most termite control operations

3 to 6 ft

Length of rods used to apply termiticide into soil next to foundation walls

1/32 inch

Foundation crack width subterranean termites can enter through

6 inches

Minimum clearance, top of soil to top of foundation; also concrete-base height for wooden steps

2 inches

Minimum separation between porch supports and the building

10 to 20 ft

Spacing between belowground bait monitoring stations around perimeter

2 ft

Distance from foundation to belowground bait stations

ASSE 1011

Hose-connection vacuum breaker standard — back-siphonage only, NOT high back pressure

ASSE 1012

Continuous-pressure in-line backflow preventer — stops backflow even at high back pressure

🔀 Easily Confused

Pair / Group

Distinguishing Feature

ASSE 1011 vs ASSE 1012

1011 = hose-connection vacuum breaker (back-siphonage only). 1012 = continuous-pressure in-line (also stops high back pressure; permanent install).

Pyrethroids vs OPs/Carbamates

Pyrethroids: synthetic, repellent, low mammalian toxicity, broken down by liver. OPs/Carbamates: nervous-system poisons, all routes of absorption, broken down by liver hydrolysis (rates vary).

IGR vs Biotermiticide

IGR: synthetic chemical mimicking insect hormones; interferes with molting. Biotermiticide: living organism (fungus, nematode, bacterium) like Metarhizium anisopliae.

Belowground monitoring vs Interceptive baiting

Belowground: stations placed in soil 10–20 ft apart, 2 ft from foundation; establish a feeding site first. Interceptive: aboveground baits placed directly in mud tubes / damaged wood — eliminates colony quicker.

Sounding vs Probing

Sounding = tapping wood and listening for hollow sound. Probing = pushing a screwdriver, awl, or pocketknife into wood to find cavities.

Liquid termiticide vs Bait

Liquid: fast, requires drilling/trenching, repellent barrier. Bait: slow (months to a year), no slab drilling, environmentally friendlier; supplements liquid, doesn't replace it.

Pressure impregnation vs Brush/spray/soak

Pressure impregnation with preservative = maximum protection. Brushing, spraying, or soaking = limited protection only — common wrong answer.

🔧 Pump Selection Quick Reference

Pump Type

Volume / Pressure

Key Features

Roller

8 to 30 gpm at 10 to 300 psi

Cheapest, most widely used; 5 to 8 rollers (more rollers = more power); easily repaired; smaller models common in termite control.

Piston

2 to 25 gpm at 20 to 600 psi

Most durable, most expensive; handles wettable powders; pulsates — needs surge tank in discharge line; carry a spare (fails rapidly when it fails).

Diaphragm

1.4 to 10 gpm at 10 to 100 psi

Low-volume, low-pressure; abrasion-resistant for wettable powders (mix doesn't contact moving parts except valves); some solvents damage rubber/neoprene; common in portable crawl-space/attic systems.

💊 Termiticide Class Quick Reference

Class

Examples

Key Feature / Mode of Action

Pyrethroids

bifenthrin, cyfluthrin, cypermethrin, deltamethrin, permethrin

Synthetic, similar to natural pyrethrins; highly repellent to termites; low mammalian toxicity. Cyano-group types (cypermethrin, fenvalerate, fluvalinate) cause paresthesia.

Borates

disodium octaborate tetrahydrate

Boron + oxygen compounds; diffusible chemicals — penetrate unseasoned wood by diffusion. Treats refractory wood species pressure can't reach.

Organophosphates & Carbamates

chlorpyrifos, diazinon (OPs); carbaryl (carbamate)

Nervous-system poisons; absorbed by inhalation, ingestion, skin. Replaced chlorinated hydrocarbons (chlordane, aldrin, heptachlor). Broken down chiefly by liver hydrolysis.

Insect Growth Regulators (IGR)

hexaflumuron, diflubenzuron, pyriproxyfen, methoprene

Synthetic chemicals mimicking insect hormones; interfere with molting / pupal emergence / body wall formation. Slow action lets workers spread it via trophallaxis. Low mammalian toxicity.

Biotermiticides

Metarhizium anisopliae; nematodes; bacteria

Living organisms injected into galleries, infested walls, mud tubes. Need temperature/moisture, early detection; still developmental.

Foaming Agents

liquid termiticide + air; borate foams for wall voids

Delivers termiticide where liquids can't reach — under slabs, hard-to-reach voids. Supplements (does NOT replace) soil applications. Foam delays bubble collapse so chemical reaches target.

💡 Memory Hooks

ASSE numbers: "1011 = ONE protection (siphon only). 1012 = TWO protections (siphon + back pressure)." The higher number adds the second protection.

Bait speed: "Stomach poisons sprint, biotermiticides jog, IGRs marathon." Speed is inversely related to colony impact — slower acts wider.

Smallest opening: "Skinniest opening sets the pace." A wide hose throttled by narrow couplings delivers at the narrow rate.

Soil treatment role: "Supplement, never substitute." Soil chemical never fixes faulty construction — it adds to good construction.

Bait must-haves: "Slow + non-repellent = colony falls." Dead termites repel others, so the bait can't kill at the station — it has to ride home with the workers.