SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES are the most common termites in our region. They can do tremendous amounts of damage to your home.
There are two types of treatment pre-construction treatment or "PRETREAT" as it is called in the indusrty. This treatment is done during the construction phase of a new home. Chemical is applied just before the concrete slab is poured. This teatment may take hundreds of gallons of chemical for the job to be done properly. Once the slab is poured a final band of chemical is placed around the outside of the home for a "pretreat" to be complete and done properly. This final stage should be done once the final grade is established around the home and the dirt will not be moved around anymore. PRICES MAY VARY GREATLY FOR THIS TREATMENT......DO NOT USE THE CHEAPEST COMPANY......BECAUSE YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR, AND YOU ARE TRYING TO PROTECT YOUR GREATEST INVESTMENT....YOUR HOME
ASK YOUR TERMITE COMPANY THE NAME OF THE CHEMICAL AND HOW LONG IT HAS LASTED IN FLORIDA IN USDA TESTING....IF IT IS ONLY FIVE OR SIX YEARS...IT IS THE CHEAP STUFF...STAY AWAY FROM IT. GOOD REPUTABLE CHEMICALS ARE TERMIDOR, BIFENTHRIN, AND PREMISE.
The other type of treatment is for existing homes. This is known as post treatment....meaning after the home is completed. This type of treatment will require trenching around the foundation area of your home possibly drilling the concreted areas to put a continuous barrier of treatment all the way around your home. All holes should be patched once the job is complete. This type of treatment can also take hundreds of gallons of chemical depending on the size of your home. But normally is does not require as much a "pretreat". The chemicals listed above are all good choices with TERMIDOR being my favorite.
Two other types of treatment are known as "Borate Treatment" which is a pretreatemt method were a Borate chemical is applied to the wood framing when the home is being constructed, ususally one foot to 18 inches from the floor inclding the sill plate, studs and sheeting. This chemical penetrates the wood and protects it from termite infestation. This can be used as a stand alone treatment but I would rather use it in conjuction with a liquid treatment to give the home added protection.
The other treatment falls in the post treatment category. It is a termite baiting system. A baiting station is placed every 10 to 20 feet around the home. It is usually placed about 30 inches from the base of the house. The one I like is the ADVANCE TERMITE BAITING SYSTEM. I has two stages of baiting as where most system start out with only one. Once termites are found present in the station...what we call a "hit" a bait cartrige is placed in the station which the termites feed on and take the active ingredient back to the colony and kill the entire colony. Again I like the ADVANCE SYSTEM because it has the largest feeding catrigde in the industry.
TERMITE SWARM!
This is a photo of a termite swarm. When a termite colony reaches maturity, usually at 3 to 4 years, it begins to swarm annually. The purpose of this is to enlarge their colony. The swarms occur from late January through June each year and sometimes in the Fall.
The swarms can consist of just a few termites up to several thousand.
If you have a termite swarm it is an early warning that termites are present in the structure. You should have an inspection done immediately to assess the severity of the infestation and to develop a treatment strategy.
IF I CAN ANSWER ANY QUESTION CONCERNING ANY TYPE OF TERMITE TREATMENTS FEEL FREE TO GIVE ME A CALL AT 591-1522
