Termites cause substantial damage to residential and commercial buildings in the United States. It has been estimated that the annual cost for controlling termites and repairing their damage in the United States exceeds $1.7 billion. Subterranean termites, the most destructive of all termites, account for 95 percent of this damage. Because subterranean termites are soil-inhabiting social insects living in complex colonies, the conventional control method is to establish an insecticide barrier between the termite colony (usually in soil) and wood in a building. Currently, Pest Control Operators (PCOs) who specialize in termite treatments have access to more than 11 insecticides (termiticides) for subsoil application. However, due to differences in soil characteristics, and physical and chemical properties of termiticides, PCOs and the general public often question how the soil and termiticide will interact. How long will the insecticide be effective in the soil? Is the degradation rate the same in different soils? Will the termiticide leach through the soil and contaminate nearby water sources? It is important to examine some of the soil factors and chemical properties of termiticides that affect the behavior of these compounds to better understand these issues.