The bait contains a substance that stops the molting process so termites can't grow. In time, all the termites in the colony will be affected by the bait and die. Subterranean termites, the most damaging kind, live in colonies in the soil. Each colony is built around a king and queen, whose sole job is reproduction. Most of the colony is made up of worker termites that cause the damage to your home.
Worker termites forage among food sources and share their finds with others in the colony.
They work 24 hours a day, destroying your home from inside the wood. Chances are, you'll see no evidence of their work until something gives way. To make matters worse, there may be more than one colony threatening your home at a time. Nationwide, subterranean termite damage approaches a billion dollars a year. The damage may not be as sudden or as violent as damage from fire or storms, but it's much more likely to occur - nearly one and a half million homes are damaged by termites annually.