Are Termite Renewals Worth It?

The question is, are termite renewals worth the money? I like to think of it this way. Most termite jobs are expensive, many times invasive, and involves moving items and a mess. A termite renewal is an insurance policy or a yearly warranty, for lack of a better word. Usually you pay ten to fifteen percent of the job on a yearly renewal basis. This guarantees that if termites return, the company will come out and treat the area of concern. Liquid termite jobs are not a sure fire treatment, even though the termite technician may have done an overly thorough job. The problem is, you can't see what is going on under the slab. The liquid termite juice may be splitting at a rock or other obstacle under ground, leaving the perfect non treated area for termites to re-infest. Same goes for termite bait. It may take some adjusting of placements, etc. So I would argue that termite renewals are worth the money. At least for a few years so that you are relatively sure the treatment has worked. If you don't pay the renewal, the company can charge you the full price again. Yikes!

Wings in my living room

Have you ever left for work only to come home to a mess of wings all over your carpet or kitchen floor? Maybe you came home to live flying ants that are taking over your house. If you experience this kind of phenomenon in the months of March, April or May, the chances are you have a swarm of termites. This is a pretty sure sign that the termites that do damage to your wood are near. The first thing I would do is to identify if you actually had a termite swarm or an ant swarm. The differences are made clear online. This will educate you and could possibly save you money. There is a big difference in price for an ant job as opposed to a termite job. Next thing to do is call for three or four estimates. Ask questions about the product they use for their termite control and if they use baits or not. Once you get your quotes then ask around for any other companies that friends or family may have used in the past and had a good relationship with, then get some prices from them. Some things not to do is panic or rush into it. Take your time, do your home work, and all should be fine.

Termite defense

This article will help you sort out all the products that are available for the control of termites. There are so many techniques and products to choose from it can be intimidating to the novice. So what do you choose or what do you ask your pest control provider to treat your home with? There are termite baits like Advance Termite Baiting System, there are granules like Bayer Advance Termite Killer Granules, there are liquid treatments like Termidor, there are physical barriers like mesh screens, it's mind boggling. IF you are faced with a termite problem at your home I would recommend simply leaving it up to your professional. DO a little research as to what chemical you want, then ask. I still am a strong believer in Termidor as a full treatment and then maybe using a bait as a back up. The history and research behind Termidor is so strong that it is hard to not chose it. The baits have some good history as well, but if the termite doesn't find the bait then it is useless. The granules should be used as an add on, never to do a full treatment.

Orkin or Western Pest Services?

Who is the best in termite control these days? The fact is that many of the pest control companies out there use the same chemicals and control measures in some form or another. So how is a person to know if they are getting a fair shake? I am a big advocate of doing your homework. Ask neighbors and friends who may have had the same problem who they used and what they thought of their service. Researching on the web is also a great idea. Companies like Orkin have great websites with a wealth of information and knowledge about the company and what they offer. Google the companies to see if there is any opinions written about them in the world wide web. As always, your best bet is to get three estimates from a large company like Western Pest Services or Orkin, a mid sized company that is located in your area, and maybe a neighborhood guy. Quite frankly, the neighborhood guy may offer the best service and price. You may get a pie in the sky warranty with the bigger firms, but when it comes right down to it, if you call the neighborhood guy with a re infestation I would say that nine times out of ten he will be there that day to retreat for you free of charge. The decision is entirely up to you, but one thing you should not do is rush into it. The termite are not going to eat your home in a day like you see in the cartoons. Research and homework.

Termite Inspections

We are coming into the termite season soon and in no time people will be calling their pest control technicians about flying ants that has blanketed certain areas of the home. This is a common complaint, but consumer beware, you have to make sure you have termites and not flying ants. The difference is about eight hundred bucks. You can look at the differences in my article, Termites or Flying Ants, where the physical characteristics are discussed.
If you do have a termite swarm do not fear.These visible termite are not dangerous to you or your wood furniture. You best bet is to simply vacuum them up and then ask for a free estimate from you pest control person. Get a couple of estimates, then decide. Make sure the termite inspector lets you go with him during the inspection and make sure he or she points out what he finds.

Termite or flying ant

Flying ants will be making their appearances very soon as will their close swarming brother, the termite swarm. It is during this time of year when folks come home to a house full of what look to be flying ants, only to find that they are in fact a swarming termite. It is critical for you to determine which it is, your wallet will thank you for it. A termite job can cost from seven hundred dollars to well over a grand or two where as an ant treatment can run a hundred bucks or less. See my point. Educate yourself and don't take the word of your local pest control salesman who comes out to give you a quote as he will surely be looking to make a buck.

Termites and wood consumption

How much wood does a termite eat?

I got an email question about the amount of wood a termite eats and how fast they can damage a house. Bad news is if you already have termite activity in the wood members of your home then you have to get it treated. Good news is that they don't go through your house like you see in a cartoon where one minute your house is there and the next minute it's gone. Termites in the northeast called subterranean termites will eat about 13 lbs of wood per average colony. Formosan will eat almost double that. So when your termite sales person comes out and slaps you with an estimate for two thousand dollars to get your home treated you don't have to feel pressured to sign on the dotted line in fear of your home falling down. Having said that you do need to understand that if the damage has been going on unchecked for years and years and there is extensive structural damage then you should act as quickly as possible to get the damage fixed and the termite infestation treated.

Termite Monitor

I was recently asked a question about termite monitoring. There are products on the market that allows the consumer to monitor the outside of their home for termites via an in ground station. Pest control companies also have entire programs that you can purchase that will monitor the ground around your house and when termites are found in the monitors then they replace the monitor with an active ingredient to start to kill the termite colony. These products go by the name of Firstline Smart Discs or Advance Termite Baiting System to name a few. The products offered to the consumer by places like Home Depot or Lowe's work along the same concepts. The difference is that the pest control people have experience in knowing if a monitoring station is full of termites or termite "mud" or just plain old mud. I think that if you just want to monitor the outside of your home then plain old wooden stakes will do you just fine. If you think you might have termites and you want to go ahead and do an actual baiting program then I'd hire a professional company. Anything to do with termites, in my opinion, should be handled by a pro.

Termite renewal!

Is it worth it to renew my termite contract?

I was sent this question and have to answer with an emphatic YES! Termite control is not an exact science, although the technology and chemistry has improved a great deal over the years with the introduction of non-repellent chemicals and baits, there is still the possibility of the termites finding a way back to your home. If the liquid being pumped in the ground hits a rock and splits leaving a small, untreated area, then you have a highway for the termites to return. This is no fault of the pest control company, it's just the nature of the treatment. So let's say the treatment kills 98 percent of the termite population and the other 2 percent get through, then you can have a problem. Now let's fast forward a few years later and you get a swarm, if you are not covered by your termite renewal then you would have to pay that whole thousand or so dollars again to have the home treated. If you paid the yearly renewal fee then it would cost you nothing but the fee. Now be warmed that if you get a swarm within the year then the partial treatment of the area should be free and covered under the one year warranty that most companies give.

Termite inspections for real estate sale.

WDIR=Wood Destroying Insect Report

I recently had a question in regards to a house that was being sold and the termite inspector failed the property because of old damage and shelter or "mud tubes" on some wood joists. Now there was no activity to be seen and no live termites and the house was treated before. SO why did it fail?

In many cases a house will fail if there is shelter tubes because that is an indication that the termites may have returned after the treatment. After a treatment is done the termite technician is supposed to scrape down any visible shelter tubes. This helps to monitor the recurrence of the termite problems when the follow up or yearly inspection is done. So that is most likely why the inspector failed the property.

Termites are here

The word on the street here in the Northeast is that the termite swarms are here. This is the time between the months of March and June when the termites will swarm most easily and chances are you may come home to find a bunch of dead what look to be flying ants covering your floor. These are most likely swarming termites. So what do you do? Don't panic...the flying swarms are harmless other than being annoying. It is an indication that you have termites and they will need to be treated. What you should do is save a few of the swarming termites and save them to show the inspector or pest control guy who comes out so he or she can verify that they are in fact swarming termites and not swarming ants. If you want you can go online and check the differences your self to be on the safe side. Next thing to do is get some prices from several pest control companies. Go with a few local companies and then call some large national ones. Check the better business bureau to see that the company has no real bad complaints against them and then do the word of mouth thing. Ask your neighbors and friends who they used and why they decided to hire them. Feel comfortable with your decision because the job will be expensive and you will want to get a good job done by the company.

Termite Baiting vs. Liquid Termite Treatment

The debate goes on about the effectiveness of termite baits versus getting your house treated with liquid termiticide. Let's look at both techniques. In baiting the termite company would place termite bait stations around the outside of your home with an attractant in them every so many feet. When one of those attractants showed signs of termite activity then the attractant would be replaced with active bait and thus destroy the colony. Liquid treatments consist of drilling into the ground both outside and inside. Sometimes the treatment company will have to pull back rugs to get to the slab underneath, sometimes they will need to drill into cinder block walls also. The drilling will be every foot inside and out and where there is no cement slab then they will rod into or trench the soil.
Liquid termiticides are very effective these days...especially the non-repellent chemicals such as Termidor and Premise. You know that the liquid is in the ground and that the termites will eventually come in contact with it and die. The drawbacks are lots of moving of furniture...drilling into your slabs...it's very invasive. The baits can be just as effective if they are placed properly and you get activity. Some companies will use a combination of the two.
It boils down to you the customer. Do you want hammer drills and hoses being drug through your home or do you like the more reserved approach. Either one in time can do the job in most cases.

Termites

TERMITES

With March right around the corner and spring only 29 days away it's time to start thinking about termites and termite swarms. This time of year, in the months of March, April, and May, is known as the termite season. It is during this time of year that the conditions are perfect for swarming and often times the termites do just that. On a warm day after a good rain, with the sun beating down, is when you can be pretty sure to come home to a thousand or so flying insects that look like flying ants.

People are often shocked to come home to these swarms covering entire living room floors and furniture or piled up on the window sill. Sometimes all people will find are the wings of these insects scattered on the kitchen floor. Whatever the case may be it is advised that you save some of them and show a pest control professional.

Some characteristics to look for is if the antennae are straight and the body is not pinched in the center then it is most likely a termite swarm...an ant swarm will have elbowed antennae and a pinched body.

HIGH MOISTURE MEANS HIGH INSECT POPULATIONS!

With all the rain the eastern United Sates has been experiencing, it's safe to say that there is going to be a increase in the moisture loving bugs that invade the home. Some to watch out for are earwigs, sow bugs or pill bugs, millipedes, centipedes and public enemy number one, the mosquito. Other than the Mosquito, these creep crawlys will sneak into the home becoming a nuisance and becoming unwanted very quickly. Some things you can do would be to keep the grass trimmed around your property, prune back any branches that are touching your house and cut back any bushes that might be close to or touching the home. Also, you can hire a pest control professional to do an outside perimeter spray to help keep the population down and if you have mulch around the outside perimeter be sure to rake it back some so the exterminator can treat it thoroughly. These moisture loving bugs love mulch. Check to make sure that your rain gutters are clear and not overflowing down your walls to the perimeter of your home saturating the solid around your house. Make sure your rain spouts are draining properly taking the water away from the house. Take a walk around your house and make sure there is no standing water that mosquito's can breed in, all they need is a small amount of water, a tiny puddle to breed. Doing these things should help you to keep these buggers at bay!

TERMITES

This is a tricky issue to deal with especially if you live in certain areas of the country or world. In my neck of the woods we deal with subterranean Termites. They swarm around this time of year and resemble flying ants. People panic because they leave for work in the morning and come home to a lebensraum full of these dead or semi-living bugs all over the place. Termites can swarm anywhere and if you get a swarm anywhere inside your home it is pretty good indication that you have a problem. Unfortunately it is tough to say where that problem is because of the nature of the insect. They eat wood and can be in the joists or the studs behind wall or ceilings. They can cause a lot of damage and should be dealt with as soon as possible. Good thing is they don't eat your house overnight like you see in cartoons. Bad thing is you can't always see then so you don't know how extensive the damage is already. Good thing is they can be treated today with great chemical that are very effective. Bad thing is the treatment is often expensive. My advice would be to hire a professional. Get 3 or 4 estimates, don't let the salesperson push you into anything or try to scare you into buying, if they do then cross them off your list. Just use your instinct and go with who you think is giving you a good deal. To identify the swarmer you can google the word termite to get a picture of them and this will give you a better idea if you have the real deal or if you lucked out with it being just an ant swarmer. Good luck and feel free to post a question on the comment section and I will answer.