Stations Around a House Perimeter: Termite Interception Probability as a Function of Spacing
Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Bait stations for subterranean termites work only if a colony's galleries intersect a station, so the design variable is spacing around the building. This study models a 44 m house perimeter in which each station watches 1.5 m of line, a watched segment has a 0.55 probability of gallery intersection within 90 days, and stations cost USD 22. At 3 m spacing, 15 stations costing USD 330 give an interception probability of 0.993 within 90 days. At 6 m spacing the probability falls to 0.728, at 8 m to 0.511 — no better than chance — and at 11 m to 0.268, despite the layout still placing four stations around the house. Denser than 3 m buys little: 2 m spacing reaches 1.000 at USD 484, a gain of 0.007 for USD 154. The originated rule is to space perimeter stations at about 3 m, never beyond 4 m, and to treat a station layout wider than 6 m as monitoring theatre rather than protection. This study is simulated, not measured. SIMULATED, NOT MEASURED.
Author: Aldred, William Alexander
Language: English
Subfield: Insect Science
Domain: Life Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225701284
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