MONITOR ONLY. Some companies also are providing termite monitoring services to their pest control clients. Stations below ground are provisioned with wood or other cellulose material and periodically checked for termites. The intent is to detect them before they enter the building so that control measures can be taken. Various station designs help make detection and servicing easier. Visual alert monitors such as Termiscope (633 Envisions, Covina, Calif.) and Green Eyes (Angel-Leigh Corp., Port Charlotte, Fla.) signal the presence of termites by releasing a green pop-up stem or gravity-receding ball from the top of the station. Dow AgroSciences also has a monitor-only product (Halo) that alerts when termites chew through a paper sensor with a conductive trace. A hand-held indicator is used to inspect unopened stations to determine if the circuit inside has been broken by termites.

Whether such devices are a "good idea" depends partly on one’s perspective. From an industry standpoint, termite monitoring can be an excellent source of recurring revenue. If termites are found, there’s a good chance the client will then purchase some form of treatment. For existing termite customers whose homes were treated with a liquid, in-ground monitoring can be offered as an additional value-added service. From the customer’s perspective, preventive monitoring can provide additional peace of mind that their home is protected. "It’s the known vs. the unknown," Paul Hardy, Orkin’s technical director in Atlanta, says about monitoring for termites. "Consumers don’t want to spend the money for a termite treatment but they’d like to have some idea of their termite threat level."