Weird Stuff & FAQ

Well, if it is cellulose based, they can eat it. We have seen termites inside pictures hanging on walls and under the vinyl layer of linoleum floors. It is not uncommon for termites to enter into stored boxes in garages and closets to eat a wide variety of contents. Clients have unfortunately lost family pictures, books, baseball cards, comic books and other important documents. On the other side of the coin, we have had people ask us about “concrete” eating termites. Well, those do not exist. We assure you, termites only eat cellulose based materials. Yes, they can tunnel through cracks in concrete and they can mine through gypsum and Styrofoam, but they find no nutrition in these things.

We can hear them too. We’re not crazy. Actually, audible noise from termites is not uncommon. Subterranean termite soldiers are known to rapidly vibrate their heads as an alert to their colony mates. It sounds like a slight buzz. This is very common in new infestations as well as during swarm season. In these cases, extra soldiers are at the front of the exploration or at the entrance to swarm release tunnels. This happens to defend against predation by ants. By buzzing they are sending an audible alert down to the colony to prepare for battle.

Our success for termite control is 99% on the first attempt and 100% including all efforts. Sometimes it is hard to solve a termite issue, but if we follow all of the basic principles of scientific termite management it is an easy win.

We know that you know this is puffery. We recommend that you do some research on your own to find out how long the materials last in a test mode. Click http://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/20307 to check out US Forest Service test results.

On a very serious note, please get that in writing along with a performance bond from that company. This is a tactic used by immature, desperate operators who typically will not stand behind this statement. Odds are they will be out of business when you want to execute on that warranty.

Most companies will offer a materials and workmanship warranty for a period of one to five years. The variance here is the company policy on maintaining a relationship with you and an eye on your home. The question you should ask about the longer warranty period is whether there is an annual inspection prior to the five year expiration. This too should be in writing. In essence a warranty is only as good as the character of the company offering the warranty.

First, good job on getting several work estimates. Here are a few tips on making a VALUE decision in hiring a termite control company. Granted this is on our website, but the advice below is what you will receive from university sites, regulatory bodies and consumer awareness sites.

1. Did they come on referral from someone that you trust? If you don’t have any friends who have had to deal with termites, ask your current pest control provider or a pest provider that a friend is satisfied with.

2. During the estimate, did the inspector do a thorough inspection? Did he/she create a diagram of your home and indicate what would take place? Did they fully educate you and clearly answer the questions that you had? Did they leave you feeling confident in their abilities? Did they answer any follow up questions that you may have asked via phone or email?

3. Hopefully they all left you a service agreement with price, warranty and conditions. If so, you should clearly understand all aspects of this agreement.

4. If choice of product is important to you, make sure you understand the benefit and mode of action of the chosen material.

5. Once you have looked at all of the above information, you can “weed out” the amateurs from the pros. At that point, you can probably compare prices and make your choice from there.

According to sound scientific knowledge, termites are cryptic. This means that they work within hidden areas. It is very typical to observe termite damage and mud tubes on a structure while the termite are hidden deeper in the walls. Even when walls are opened, termites are nowhere to be found because they have retreated into the earth during all of the commotion.

According to the instructions for completing form NPMA-33, any evidence of subterranean termites that has not been previously treated shall include a recommendation for treatment.

This issue can go several ways. Sorry this is complicated, but it involves several related issues.

1. If there is a documented treatment within the past 5 years and the damage is consistent with the treatment records, then no treatment is required.

– a.If the warranty is expired, the buyer should be mindful that they have no legal indemnification. In such a case a negotiation should take place that is satisfactory to the desires of all the parties involved. PREVENTIVE PEST CONTROL has parameters to adopt expired termite warranties.

2. If the treatment is over 5 year old and the damage is consistent with the prior records, it would be important to understand the expected life of the materials used as well as the status of any warranty.

– a. If a warranty is in place and it may be renewed then treatment may possibly be deferred under the protection of the warranty.

– b. If no warranty is in place, then a re-treatment might be in order.

3. If there is a record of treatment and it is inconsistent with these records, regardless of the date of treatment, then at least re-treatment of the afflicted spot is in order.

– a. If there is a warranty in place, the warranting company should be contacted to make application. This should be added to the treatment records. The home should still be under full warranty.

– b. If there is no warranty, then a treatment company must be hired to at least spot treat the area. Some companies will be willing to make this spot treatment. The question is whether this company will warranty the entire home. Some companies will adopt the old treatment and take over the warranty. Other companies will feel the need to retreat the entire home to offer a warranty. We handle these on a case by case basis here at PREVENTIVE PEST CONTROL. We will gladly adopt a documented treatment if we feel the job was done competently with a good material.

4. If there is no record of treatment and the only evidence is in the form of memory or drill marks on concrete, then it is most likely that a full treatment will be in order.

The moral of the story here is to hang on to your termite treatment records and keep your warranty up to date.

First, good job on getting several work estimates. Here are a few tips on making a VALUE decision in hiring a termite control company. Granted this is on our website, but the advice below is what you will receive from university sites, regulatory bodies and consumer awareness sites.

1. Did they come on referral from someone that you trust? If you don’t have any friends who have had to deal with termites, ask your current pest control provider or a pest provider that a friend is satisfied with.

2. During the estimate, did the inspector do a thorough inspection? Did he/she create a diagram of your home and indicate what would take place? Did they fully educate you and clearly answer the questions that you had? Did they leave you feeling confident in their abilities? Did they answer any follow up questions that you may have asked via phone or email?

3. Hopefully they all left you a service agreement with price, warranty and conditions. If so, you should clearly understand all aspects of this agreement.

4. If choice of product is important to you, make sure you understand the benefit and mode of action of the chosen material.

5. Once you have looked at all of the above information, you can “weed out” the amateurs from the pros. At that point, you can probably compare prices and make your choice from there.

There will always be standard limitations on inspections that are listed as obstructions on every inspection. If these would exist if the house were totally empty, then you cannot improve upon these items. What you can improve on are blocked and inaccessible areas. If you believe that a significant portion of the home was unavailable for inspection then you should confer with the inspector to see what needs to be done to improve access. Once these modifications have been made, please re-inspect.

At Preventive Pest Control we always include a full site diagram so that you can see what we had access to and what was blocked.

This is a tough question based upon time. Even if an inspection was conducted only two weeks ago, things may have unfortunately changed. With that said however, the best course of action is to calmly and politely ask the inspector to visit your home for another inspection of the area of concern. Most inspectors do a good job and are merely the victims of bad timing.

Many companies will want to work with you to achieve the best relationship. They may accept responsibility and make a gratis treatment, they may split the costs with you or they may reject your claim entirely. Remember, the results of any inspection are based upon the condition of the home presented to the inspector on the date of inspection. In our experience, the calmer and nicer you are to us, the more likely we are to act benevolently on your behalf.