A termite company will actually use a hammer drill to make 1/2" holes spaced a foot or so apart in all the patio & driveway areas, to "rod" in the liquid. They insert a long metal tip and pump in the termiticide. A homeowner would use a funnel, but it won't be as effective to force the liquid
through the soil. Then you use a concrete patch or plastic plugs made specifically for this.
If you didn't want to go that route, I doubt it would be that much less effective to go around the patio, as long as a continuous barrier is created. Of course, you can't go around the driveway, and without doing it, you don't have a complete barrier. And where the driveway meets the garage house is by far the most common site to find termites. Where they pour patios and driveways, they often leave the wood forms underground (termite food). But creating a barrier around 80% of the house is better than none. I sold commercial pest control in the '90's, and had to get certified like a technician would. Made a lot of money selling, and actually doing the termite jobs for apartment buildings several times, but doing the inspections was nasty, claustrophobia inducing work (think crawl spaces under a 50 year old apartment building), and doing the termite jobs no fun.
I didn't know they'd changed the labeling on Fipronil. Might have to treat my own home now.
