Spring brings with it blooming flowers, extended daylight, the promise of summer and all its rewards. Think of fresh tomatoes, because the last thing anyone wants to think about is termites. Yet spring is when termites swarm, when they, literally, take wing. The reproductive pests sprout wings and flutter off to new locations to form nests and begin new colonies. It's nature's highly efficient way of distributing these insects.

The problem is that they may decide to colonize your yard and eventually your house. Hence the need to take pre-emptive measures.

If you live in a neighborhood where you know of recent termite infestations or if you have seen termites anywhere in the vicinity of your house, then you might want to consider a preventative termite control system such as the one made by Spectracide, called Terminate. Now to be clear about this, no one -- not even its manufacturer -- claims that this is the complete answer to termite control. If you find termites in your house, you should call an insect-control company immediately.

Really, it's pretty simple. The system consists of small tubes, or stakes, you insert in the soil. In them are cellulose laced with sufuramid, a chemical that has been used for years by pest-control professionals. Foraging termites eat the poison and also carry some of it back to the nest. Because the stakes are buried in the ground they are out of harm's way.

The stakes are spaced at 8- to 10-foot intervals around the outside of the house. The manufacturer also provides additional installation information and other termite-control tools, such as insecticide foam. We're not experts on this topic, but as far as do-it-yourself control measures are concerned, it looks like Spectracide has things figured out.

A 20-count box of the stakes costs $47 to $50 while a 40-count box is $97 to $100. For more information, visit the company's Web site: www.spectracideterminate.com.