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    pastor1189's Avatar
    pastor1189 Posts: 1,538, Reputation: 3
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    #1

    Mar 11, 2013, 12:49 PM
    Termite Control:
    Lady down the block had a termite contract. She pays faithfully every month. But when the termites reappeared . They did not tent the house again. They Just injected a certain area.
    Also there is a company called Hulett who does not tent the house. But they have score of complaints online. What are your views on termite control. Maybe past experiences
    Catsmine's Avatar
    Catsmine Posts: 3,826, Reputation: 739
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    #2

    Mar 11, 2013, 02:22 PM
    Termite control techniques vary, primarily because of the different species of termites. There are four species in North America. The most common species are the Subterranean termites (Eastern, Western, and Formosan). If your neighbor's house was tented and fumigated the first time but not for the re-treatment, two scenarios come to mind. Either 1)she had a severe infestation that had developed secondary colonies inside the structure where moisture was high enough that were killed by the fumigation and the re-infestation was simply coming from the primary subterranean colony or 2) she initially had infestations of 2 different species or a termite and powderpost beetle infestation (which are also treated by fumigation) at the same time.

    For your second observation, regarding the company that does not fumigate, location and species determine treatment techniques. As for online complaints, let me recommend that you check for resolutions rather than complaints filed. The Better Business Bureau rates companies by how many complaints are resolved, not how many are filed.
    pastor1189's Avatar
    pastor1189 Posts: 1,538, Reputation: 3
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    #3

    Mar 11, 2013, 02:33 PM
    Thanks a million. She has dry wood termites.. I remember back in 1970 a friend of mine
    Had his house tented three times, the termites kept coming back. The preponderance of complaints are negative rather than positive. Thanks again
    The Pastor
    joypulv's Avatar
    joypulv Posts: 21,591, Reputation: 2941
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    #4

    Mar 11, 2013, 03:19 PM
    I'm not a termite expert. From seeing what damage they do, however, I'm hoping she had the damage repaired and also removed or repaired the reason for termites, such as a wet foundation, wood, plants, debris against the house, and untreated wood against concrete, among many other things.
    Maybe she did?
    Given how toxic the chemicals are too, I would be happier with a spot treatment than a whole house treatment, if not needed.
    Catsmine's Avatar
    Catsmine Posts: 3,826, Reputation: 739
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    #5

    Mar 11, 2013, 03:58 PM
    Quote Originally Posted by pastor1189 View Post
    Thanks a million. She has dry wood termites.. I remember back in 1970 a friend of mine
    had his house tented three times, the termites kept coming back. The preponderance of complaints are negative rather than positive. Thanks again
    The Pastor
    Drywood termites are more often treated these days with a termiticide foam injected into the wall voids. Some success has been achieved with bait gels injected into the galleries in the wood. Other methods have been tried with varying degrees of success. Fumigation is effective but most companies are trying to get away from fumigation because of the expense to the consumer and danger to non-targeted organisms (like birds in the eaves or burglars).

    The "Old Skool" methods were listed awhile ago by the University of Florida: Drywood Termites .

    Let me repeat, complaints filed, or worse posted online, are only worthy of noting if they say the same thing happened to different people. Many many many people suffer "buyer's remorse" once a service has been performed. Research how and how fast complaints were resolved to get a better picture of whether the company is worth your hire. State regulatory agencies are good places to start that research.
    pastor1189's Avatar
    pastor1189 Posts: 1,538, Reputation: 3
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    #6

    Mar 11, 2013, 05:03 PM
    Very interesting information
    Locrian_44's Avatar
    Locrian_44 Posts: 44, Reputation: 14
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    #7

    Mar 16, 2013, 07:39 PM
    When did the second detection of termites occur? Was an actual nest found? Was there just frass leaking from behind the walls or were reproductives found on the walls?

    Fumigations are a whole house treatment. Whole house treatments are more likely to kill the hidden, unfound infestation. If the termites appeared too soon after the fumigation, you have to wonder whether the fumigation failed.

    A fumigation does not prevent termites from re-infesting. This second infestation could be a new nest of termites. An injection might be appropriate, as the nest should be small, since the previous larger infestation should have been killed by the original fumigation.

    Injections of insecticides are spot treatments. Since termite infestations can be hard to find, you have to consider whether a spot treatment is good enough to eliminate your infestation. A company that is using spot treatments only, could be getting complaints because spot treatments can miss infestations. Consider the nature of the complaint.

    This website discusses termite species: Termites101.org
    This website discusses fumigation vs spot treatments: UCIPM Drywood Termites
    This website discusses termite IPM:UCIPM Termites
    pastor1189's Avatar
    pastor1189 Posts: 1,538, Reputation: 3
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    #8

    Mar 17, 2013, 04:35 AM
    Very Good Information



    Quote Originally Posted by Locrian_44 View Post
    When did the second detection of termites occur? Was an actual nest found? Was there just frass leaking from behind the walls or were reproductives found on the walls?

    Fumigations are a whole house treatment. Whole house treatments are more likely to kill the hidden, unfound infestation. If the termites appeared too soon after the fumigation, you have to wonder whether the fumigation failed.

    A fumigation does not prevent termites from re-infesting. This second infestation could be a new nest of termites. An injection might be appropriate, as the nest should be small, since the previous larger infestation should have been killed by the original fumigation.

    Injections of insecticides are spot treatments. Since termite infestations can be hard to find, you have to consider whether a spot treatment is good enough to eliminate your infestation. A company that is using spot treatments only, could be getting complaints because spot treatments can miss infestations. Consider the nature of the complaint.

    This website discusses termite species: Termites101.org
    This website discusses fumigation vs spot treatments: UCIPM Drywood Termites
    This website discusses termite IPM:UCIPM Termites

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