All posts in “slabs”

Concrete walls

Concrete walls

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Concrete walls

 

Concrete walls, can be a termite walkway right into the house. Termites are amazing and they can show up in places I can only imagine. How they find holes in concrete and then pop up is just a amazing fact of these little girls? We service a set of building at Frank Lloyd Wright and the walls are made of Coquina rock and there are spaces throughout. The termites are very crafty and they will find any crack in the rock or concrete. Typically when homes are built these days, there is a gap as to where the stucco is so that helps a lot. Not so long ago the stucco went right into the dirt and you might not see the termites until they were in the house. So what do you look for with termites or even water damage:

  1. Mud tubes.
  2. Any signs of baseboard cracking, it looks like your fingers are bunched together.
  3. Signs of tunes hanging down from ceiling or mud tubes on the wall.
  4. Any wood damage – check for the presence of mud/dirt = sure sign of termites.
  5. In Arizona we have grass eating termites.
  6. Sheds should be on concrete or raised and sometimes that isn’t enough. So check those out buildings as well.
  7. And if there is any questions – call ProBest 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176

If you have pictures you can send them to us, just call and we will give you the number. or send them to [email protected]

Thank you for your business past and future.

Cricket Poo

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Cricket Poo can be mistaken for termite activity. Cricket mess under a hand lens appear to have sharp jagged edges. Often black in color while termites use soil and water which when mixed in their poo, used to build tunnels and tubes. I see this kind of activity inside garages on the foundation step up and along foundations outside homes. Termites construct their tunnels over surfaces such as slabs and drywall or 2x4s in homes.

People mistake lots of things as termites, I get calls on Mud dauber soil nest, They build these almost ball looking things which they then pack with incapacitated spiders and then lay their eggs inside. When the egg hatches the little baby larva eats the paralyzed spiders. Termites build little tunnels or tubes about the size of pencils and the little girls make their way throughout these tubes to contain moisture. The arch enemies of termites are ants and they fight if they interact. But you really don’t need either of these two on your property.

If you run into something and you don’t know what it is, call us 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176 or send us a picture at [email protected]

Carpet & termites

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You return home from vacation and there it is Carpet & termites. Now what do you do, call ProBest Pest Management of course 602-249-7378. This is a result of a crack in the foundation and the termites found their way into the home and through the carpet.

Easy fix for a termite company, take up the carpet and treat the crack in the slab. Termiticide does fail and once that crack begins to expand it moves the barrier treatment. So don’t just look around the foundation edge of the house or the ceiling, if you spot something like this connect immediately so we can assess the root cause.

If you ever decide to take up carpet and replace with tile or wood and you find cracks in the slab, call us. It is easier to fix the problem before the time is in place, never looks the same.

Corner checks for termites

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Foundation corner may contain surprises

Corner and indents may hide termite activity and the jtrim may also have huge openings. It is important to check your slab and house at least monthly for unwanted pests activity. This may help to avert any potential long lasting problems. If you don’t check often you might allow a bee colony to take over. That can bee a sticky problem down the road.

I find that most people stack stuff against garage walls and this allows a termite issue to go on a very long time. For some reason I think the garage is the most overlooked and usually the last to be treated by termite companies. Don’t place wood or cellulose items on the garage expansion joint. I’ve found books, posters and antiques full of termite activity and ruined forever.

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Tiny Termite House project

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Tiny Termite House – coming soon March 2018

Tiny Termite House – The Professional Pest Management Alliance (PPMA) commissioned a third-party group.  Their plan is to research and build a real tiny version of a typical house. They hope to see how termites deal with structures and hopefully see it in real life.

The group is set to dump 500,000 Formosan termites into a custom, built-to-scale, miniature dream home and capture them at work utilizing a mix of high-definition video footage and photography. “This project is a really exciting one for our industry because we will be using sophisticated equipment to obtain never-before-seen footage of termites and glean more insight into the important roles that termite castes play in eating their way through homes,” said Cindy Mannes, executive director of PPMA. “The consumer education aspect of this project is huge. Our goal is to physically demonstrate the hidden dangers that these wood-destroying insects pose to consumers’ biggest investments, and hit home the importance of regular prevention and professional inspection.”

Stay tuned for Termite Awareness Week – March 11-17, 2018

[embedyt] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=76ZjQM6lAKU[/embedyt]

Tiny Termite House

 

 

 

Tubes, tubes more tubes

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Tubes, yes Termite activity.

Tubes – those amazing termites in Arizona can build some unique are artful looking down tubes. OK maybe not your cup of tea but isn’t artistic, that is without all the damage they do. I have seen them in a garage that was over 5 feet in length, been there for some time. These little gals work 24/7/365, looking for wood and ready to chomp through the house.

Look for these telltale clues, tunnels on the foundation slab, marks that look like dirt tubes on the wall and those that hang down from the ceiling. Don’t Panic and yes it is time to call a Pest Management Professional. Most houses will eventually get them and if you see drill mark or previous treatment signs it usually doesn’t means that it’s a bad thing. I personally think it’s a good thing, the  issue was found and handled. I would worry more about the house that was never treated and continued to be eaten away by termites.

By the way, in my opinion not a DIY (Do It Yourself) job. You need a true Professional, remember it’s not always about the equipment it’s about the KNOWLEDGE. You need an expert who has the knowledge, equipment and expertise to do a Professional job.

I suggest a monthly check of your home especially if you live in the southern U.S. Never hurts to check for termites, honeybees or anything that might later cause problems or issues.

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Access granted, into your home.

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Your home is your castle

Access into your home is your decision and seems to be in your court, right? Every home has penetrations from either the slab or flooring, I can’t think of a single exception. So if you have an example let me know about it. Every time a pipe comes through your slab or flooring there is a chance that termites might exploit the opportunity.

On top of this, there are often issues at the time of the pretreat. Construction proceeds and after we do that pretreat we never know what happens to that hole where the pipe comes up. Often times there is soil piled up and sometimes it is removed and guess where the termiticide is? Gone and there is no protection. So those are the areas where we all need to be vigilant and pay attention to walls and other fixtures.

 

Boy o boy when it rains in Arizona, it really rains.

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This was just a shot of a parking lot of a church which couldn’t handle all that rain. All this rains triggers the subterranean termites to become a little more active, so what signs should you be looking for?

  1. Mud tube or tunnels on the foundation stem wall of your home.
  2. Small pin sized holes with dirt/mud around the opening and maybe the presence of little white or maybe black swarmers.
  3. Mud tube or tunnel inside the home.
  4. Sometimes and not very often in Arizona, swarmers.

Don’t drill here.

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We have mentioned before about these post tension slabs, but I wanted to show a different picture than the one posted awhile back.

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So before doing any major work at your home, investigate and use caution. I think it is important to know your property, monthly checks are crucial to understanding and preventing any big problems.

Are your plants too close too your home?

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Plants that are planted too close too your home create issues down the road, what are those issues you ask?

  • Roots may damage or cause problems to the foundation.
  • Watering those plants may cause additional problems with any wood siding or the foundation.
  • Plants may cause issues with the termite treatment.
  • Termite treatments may not be done correctly with plants in the way.
  • If it is a tree, bush or cactus it will grow and possibly damage the home or overhang.
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