• Termites have been around since the Mesozoic era (i.e. since the time of the dinosaurs!!!) which quite literally means that they have a strong sense of survival and persistence explaining why erstwhile termite treatments are actually not quite effective.
• Termite colonies eat nonstop, 24 hours a day, seven days a week! This results in up to $ 2 billion in damage every year.
• More than 600,000 U.S. homes suffer termite damage totaling over $2 billion annually. That is more damage than is caused by all fires, storms and earthquakes combined. More than 2 million homes require termite treatment each year.

Lots of factors combine to allow termites to continuously feed. First, like many types of bees, termites are social. They cooperate to find food, raise young and build and defend nests. Second, they compensate for their weaknesses -- they keep their nests moist so their bodies don't dry out, and they build shelters to protect themselves from predators and the elements. Third, they do big things in small steps. They take tiny bites of the application to use as food, and they carry tiny particles of dirt and waste to build their homes. They get help from even smaller organisms, like fungi, bacteria and protozoa as well!

The aromatic odors of polymers, the bright colors & the texture of polymer products, the affinity for cellulose fibers that make up wood are all responsible for termites being attracted to plastic and wooden goods. All of these factors have contributed to consequent damage caused by termites which can be briefly summarized for the following broad sectors:

Conventional methods of treating termites have often been thwarted and their purpose belied because of the persistent nature of the termites and their tendency of living in colonies which are very difficult to treat. Moreover most of these treatments involve the use of toxic chemicals which are more often pryethroid based. There could be accidental ingestion by non target species as also human beings.

• Insecticides which are sprayed on agricultural crops may lead to accidental ingestion by non-target species- which could have been otherwise useful, pets and so on. This can prove extremely detrimental in agriculture where upon application of such insecticide there could be elimination of useful earthworms, honey bees and so on.
• Having high vapor pressure would mean that they would volatilize easily which would mean that their application in the wire and cable industry would remain limited. Toxic fumes resulting from these being in the vapor form are far more lethal than the insecticide being in the original state itself.
• Moreover most insecticide have a very fast release mechanism which means that they would leach out to the groundwater reserves as also degrade the soil condition.
• Accidental ingestion by human beings can also have unpleasant effects.