It all begins  with fipronil Fipronil is the active ingredient in Termidor, and it works quite differently from other termicide active ingredients. It also manages termite colonies in 3 months or less (that's significantly faster than the best bait system). Here's why. Termites don't know it's there Many termicide are repellents. This means that they keep termites away from a treated area, rather than killing them.  But if there's a gap in the treatment - maybe someone digs up a flowerbed and breaks the line of defense - the repellent effect fails and the termites get through. It happens frequently, and your only recourse is to have your house re-treated. Termidor is non-repellent. Termites can't smell it, see it or feel it. Since they don't know it's there, they forage freely in a treated area. The '100% effective' results begin here. Kills individual termites two ways First, and like other leading liquid termicides, Termidor is lethal to termites when they ingest it (since they don't know it's there, they ingest it readily). Second, and unlike all other termicides, Termidor is lethal by contact. This means that termites don't even have to ingest it to die from its effects. Termites are social insects who live in large, underground colonies. They feed each other primarily by passing food from mouth to mouth. They groom each other. They contact each other as they forage for food.

Termidor takes advantage of this social behavior. As well as eating Termidor, a termite will also unknowingly pick it up and carry it back to the colony on its body. Thus, every other termite it contacts, feeds or grooms, will itself become a carrier, contacting and infecting others. But because the fipronil in Termidor is slow-acting and allows the termite to continue its normal routine, it remains active long enough to transfer the termicide to a large number of other termites in the colony before dying itself. This combination of ingestion, contact, and 'transfer effect' (which is unique, and puts Termidor in a category by itself) routinely provides 100% termite control. No exceptions. Termidor's unique 'transfer effect' manages termite colonies a lot faster than bait systems. Typically, a Termidor treatment will provide 100% control of termites in 3 months or less. Baits can take from many months to several years to control the colony. And remember: termite bait is not added to a monitoring station until termite activity is actually observed at that station (even when the bait active ingredient is added it's often a slow-acting insect growth regulator). As well as taking time this also leaves the possibility of termite damage to the structure being baited, even though no termite activity is seen at the outlying stations.

How the 'Transfer Effect' works Once a termite has ingested or contacted treated material with its body, it becomes a 'carrier'.  Every other termite it contacts will be infected which in turn infects every other termite it contacts. FAQ'S Termite Montitoring Program

Government and other tests in the U.S. and abroad have shown that in almost 6 years there has been no break or reduction in Termidor's effectiveness. These continuously monitored tests have involved all kinds of soil, widely varying climatic conditions (from New York to Hawaii), and several different species of subterranean termites. Bottom line, this means that you can count on at least 5 year's worth of 100% termite protection when you choose Termidor. And unlike a bait system, Termidor gives you 100% protection from Day 1. There's no long waiting period where termites are hopefully attracted to the bait, and the building to be protected is left entirely defenseless. With Termidor, termites are killed, dead. That's why there are NO EXCUSES. And a lot less waiting around.