Robert and Kenneth Ciardullo, owners of R&K Pest Control in New Rochelle, N.Y., often employ core drilling for the Sentricon^® System.

“Core drilling works really well in a city setting with buildings surrounded by concrete sidewalks, courtyards and alleyways,” Robert says.

Earlier last year, he was presented with a unique situation that involved core drilling and using Recruit^® AG stations — a popular method in France and Japan.

A homeowner had active termites and noticeable termite damage in his Brooklyn brownstone, which dated back to the 1800s. The sidewalk in front of his home had just been replaced, so they wanted to avoid drilling into the concrete.

“He also wanted a green treatment, no liquid chemicals,” Robert explains.

The solution: Using a liquid termiticide bit, they drilled a 3/8-inch hole into the cement at an expansion joint to a depth of 18 inches in early May 2012. They inserted a 1/4-inch diameter wood dowel of equal length and surrounded it with soil to the surface. After that, they mounted a Recruit AG station above the hole with the wood dowel extended above the surface into the bait station and pierced the bait bag with the dowel to connect the two.

“It resembles a tree root,” Robert says. “Termites follow tree roots into structures, so we were hoping this method would have a similar response.”

In less than 60 days, there were active termites in the Recruit AG station, and almost one-third of the bait was consumed. The Ciardullos came back again in September 2012 and discovered that feeding had ceased.

“The termites used the wooden dowel as a conduit to the station,” Robert says. “There was no feeding on the dowel. Instead, they went straight to the bait in the Recruit AG station.”

Green space behind the property and a tree well along the side of the structure also allowed Robert and his crew to install 15 in-ground Sentricon stations with Always Active^™ technology. An additional three Recruit AG stations were installed in the basement of the structure.

“We were very happy with the results, especially since there were some initial concerns about drilling and installation,” Robert explains. “We also had some environmental conditions that gave us more opportunities for feeding. We’d definitely use this method again.”