All posts in “Chandler termite control”

Why is a termite pretreatment important?

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Before you build that new home, the builder generally works a deal with a Termite Company to treat the soil beneath the slab is poured. There are lots of things that can go wrong and lets talk about a few.

  1. Scheduling conflicts and nobody shows up for pretreatment, you may or may not know this happens but it does.
  2. The builder uses the cheapest termiticide.
  3. After the builder does all the work and just after the termite company shows up and treats the soil, somebody decides that there are several pipes in the wrong place. Nobody calls the termite company with an update.
  4. After the termite technician treats soil, the building folks or plumbers walk over the product. I can’t tell you how many times this happened to me, I go crazy and they look at me like – who cares.
  5. The concrete people don’t remove all the form boards.
  6. The termite technician measures or calculates the square footage incorrectly.
  7. It was raining or rained very soon thereafter.

I run into various slabs or foundations that bewilder me on why there are termites so quickly into the houses life. Hire a reputable company and don’t fall for scams that sell pretreats for 3 or 4 cents per foot. Use or insist on a quality termiticide, if you use a quality product and company a pretreat should last. I was going to give a approximate number of years but I’m hesitant because of factors including soil, location of US and rainfall or water table heights. In Arizona I would think that a well performed with a quality termiticide  under the slab should last 15 years, the outside maybe, maybe 5  – 7 years. (my opinion)

Photo by PPMA

Photo by PPMA

Termites are different in Arizona.

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The termites in Arizona act a bit different than the East Coast relatives, typically the Eastern Subterranean termites do damage without becoming visible. With that being said, nothing is certain and always simple, termites are termites and will often do what they want to do, not according to the book. The damage eventually becomes noticeable and then that is where it becomes a horror story.  The Western Subterranean termites will make mud tubes over the foundation or make little tubes in the drywood or make little exit type holes. The Eastern Sub’s  will make exit holes but in relation to swarming.

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The Western Sub’s also make down tubes quite often, as the picture below shows. I have actually seen tubes over 5 foot long stretching almost back to the garage floor.

 

termite-tube-1

If you find signs, just call a Pest Management Professional and do some checking with the BBB or a referral  from a friend (Kudzu).

A stain is just a stain, right?

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During a wood destroying insect/termite inspection you find a termite mud stain, what is it? Termites build shelter tubes and if someone knocks them down all that may appear is this stain. Some people will go so far as to wipe it away and pretend that everything will be OK.

A few facts:

  • Termites don’t generally go away on their own.
  • In many places you must disclose that to a new buyer.
  • If their are no drill holes – then no termite was performed – refer to #1.
  • It must be noted on the inspection form.

If you find something like this it is important to find a Professional Termite Company to lend you a hand.

Have you inspected your home for termites?

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In Arizona these little mud trails can pop up just about anywhere within your home. The termites make there way up from the soil and make these tubes or tunnels to protect themselves from ants or the heat. Once inside they will soon be munching away on your wall or ceiling studs.

So if you notice something like this I think its time to call a Termite Professional.

R U Seeing Signs of Termites?

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No matter where you you live, OK maybe not Alaska but you probably will encounter termites. In Florida and the east Coast chances are that you might find them in the early Spring – sometime near March and April depending on temperatures and weather. In Louisiana it might be different depending on the type of termite and in Arizona our main push of termites is usually after monsoon and the rains,  August – November give or take.

This picture above is typical of our Western Subterranean termites, they will find their way up into a wall and then sometimes make a little hole and mud it up or they will make down tubes. But anyway you look at it, this is what you are looking for.

My recommendations for your home and a termite inspection:

  1. You can look yourself, since you’re on my home seal – type in termites to see what it looks like.
  2. Normally you can get a free inspection, unless it’s for a sale of a home or business.
  3. When your doing housework, glance around for anything you haven’t noticed before.
  4. Looks for mud tubes on the foundation of your home, garages are an excellent place for termites – look at expansion joint.
  5. You can always call ProBest for our opinion, you can send photo’s to [email protected]

Did you know that bugs have evolution on their side?

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Today I was listening to NPR and Diane Rehm’s show on antibiotics “New efforts to curb the overuse of antibiotics in animals and people” and also ran into this article Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria on the Rise. It got me to thinking about how bugs have been around for a very long time probably older than 250 million years and their use of antibiotics. “Termites develop their own antibiotics”.

“Termites cause $40 billion in damage every year, worldwide, and researchers say the insects have developed an ingenious defense against pesticide: They make antibacterial nests out of their own poo.”

The article above goes into length about Formosan termites, located in Louisiana and surrounding areas with plenty of water. This abundance of water allows termites a greater chance to do damage and survive and puts the East Coast of the US in that very heavy chance of termites and damage. In Arizona this lack of water helps to keep the termites in check and limit extensive damage (I have seen some pretty bad damage but in general not often). This is the reason why Arizona is in that heavy infestation and also why the termite activity gains momentum during monsoon.

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Freaky nature show in New Orleans

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[embedplusvideo height=”281″ width=”450″ standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/qDTdNBIt158?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=qDTdNBIt158&width=450&height=281&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep9418″ /]
I have spent many days and many hours in New Orleans, LA working on and studing termites. Termite swarms occur at different times of the day generally on the east coast of the U.S. Subterranean termites generally swarm in eary afternoon, drywood termites usually in late afternoon and Formosan termites in the evening. As an avid bug guy, I have to say that I love swarms. Whether its a Harvestor ant swarm or honeybees, I love them all. It is kind of funny, but many years ago when some of the termite baits came to the market and then Termidor came – many people thought that the termites would just go away. Never happened and probably never will. As great as those products are – the bugs continue to win.
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