Pre-construction termite treatment for new builds

For slab construction, after grading, plumbing rough-in and forming are done but before the vapor barrier and concrete go down. Timing matters because the treated soil has to be undisturbed when the slab is poured, so the builder schedules it with the pour.

Usually, yes. A new slab beside an older house is exactly where subterranean termites find a fresh path in, and treating soil before the pour costs far less than drilling through finished concrete later.

Framing can be treated with borate products before walls are closed, giving the wood itself resistance to drywood and subterranean termites. It pairs well with a soil pretreat.

Yes. You receive a record of what was treated, where and when, for the builder, the inspector, the lender and future buyers.

No treatment lasts forever. Soil treatments break down over time and drywood swarmers can still land on exposed wood, so annual inspections continue after the house is built.

Heavy rain on freshly treated soil can wash treatment away from where it needs to be, so the application is timed close to the pour and, if a storm hits in between, the soil is checked and re-treated where needed before the vapor barrier goes down. Keeping the builder and the treatment on the same schedule is the simplest way to avoid paying for it twice. The same goes for any later trenching for utilities, which can cut through a treated zone and should be flagged so it gets touched up.