Last month we had our house treated for termites with termidor. Basically, a man came and injected the termidor poison 4ft down into the soil all around the perimeter of our home. This stuff does not repel termites... it chemically bonds to the soil, and the termites bore right through it. By doing this, they spread the poison to their base colony, and they all die. The poison stays active in the ground for 5-7 years or longer. The company claims that the treatment is safe, even with small amounts of contact with the chemical, for humans, dogs, cats, and other mammals.
But it says nothing about birds.
My concern is not that the chickens will scratch around and eat pieces of the termidor that splashed onto the surface (they say that this could happen during injection) since they are in a run in the yard; my concern is that the termidor will affect other insects on my property and that the chickens will eat the infected insects. (On a side note, I'm also worried that it will kill off beneficial insects that might have hung out in my garden.)
So far no mysterious deaths, but I have little ones in the brooder and now I'm reluctant to let them free range in the yard. We do have pasture that's a little further from the house, but out there I worry more about predators.
Have any of you chicken keepers done this kind of termite treatment?
Any ill effects, or has everything been okay?
But it says nothing about birds.
My concern is not that the chickens will scratch around and eat pieces of the termidor that splashed onto the surface (they say that this could happen during injection) since they are in a run in the yard; my concern is that the termidor will affect other insects on my property and that the chickens will eat the infected insects. (On a side note, I'm also worried that it will kill off beneficial insects that might have hung out in my garden.)
So far no mysterious deaths, but I have little ones in the brooder and now I'm reluctant to let them free range in the yard. We do have pasture that's a little further from the house, but out there I worry more about predators.
Have any of you chicken keepers done this kind of termite treatment?
Any ill effects, or has everything been okay?