Termite Inspection Using Infrared Technology - A Modern Approach To Detect These Insects By Abhishek Agarwal

In the cutting edge of pest control innovations is using infrared technology for the inspection of termites. Infrared technology is based on the principle of heat detection in confined spaces and is ideal for termite inspection as the user can easily pinpoint the exact location of termite colonies which are usually massed together and after identification it is easy for the operator to completely eradicate the termites in a single stroke.

Although finding termites is a difficult task, knowledge of their location and distribution is vital in determining the type of eradication program to be used. Traditional methods involved tapping the wood with the back end of a screwdriver, or to drill hole in the walls and at times even pulling the whole wall apart. Infrared technology offers a sophisticated, new high-tech termite detection system which apart from being effective and quick does no damage to the structure.

Infrared technology is finding increasing use in the detection of termites as it can easily detect termites and is simple to use as it only involves using a catheterized camera inserted into the wall which needs to be remotely moved around to detect the termite colonies. As termites are highly social and cannot survive alone, if you find one, you can find all of them. This is the main reason why termite inspection and Infrared technology fit like glove on a hand.

Thermal imaging or Infrared technology involves the detection of heat patterns. The presence of termites in the structure, changes the heat signature of the floor, roof, walls and the whole structure as a whole. The thermal imaging camera can detect these changes in the heat patterns and this is used to find the location of the colonies. Hot regions are displayed as yellow or red while cold regions are denoted by purple and blue colors in the optical display device and using the variation of these colors, termites can be detected. What this means is that using Infrared technology in the detection of termites could be a lot more effective than other traditional methods.

This brings up the question, how do termites, which are cold blooded creatures and have the same temperature as their environment, generate heat? This is because termites have bacteria in their guts which help them digest the cellulose in the wood they consume. During the digestion of the cellulose, chemical reactions take place and this produces heat. This heat makes it easy to detect termites using Infrared technology and once their location is confirmed, their eradication also becomes easier. You can be sure that any company controlling pests which uses such modern technologies is made to serve consumers.