TERMITES

Michael Holigan: One of the most expensive threats to your home is something you can't see and it can attack any type of foundation, but you can detect it and eliminate it before it eats you out of house and home. The damage to floors, walls and support beams can break your budget. Every year the cost to homeowners nationwide tops a billion dollars. What is it coming from? These little critters - termites, a threat you may not see until they cost you a bundle, but there is hope.

John Chapman: You can have a preventative treatment as opposed to waiting until you do have an infestation and having to do a corrective treatment.

MH: Termite experts recommend an annual inspection.

JC: Good morning.

Kristen Liftenhaur: Hi.

JC: I'm John Chapman from Terminix. I'm here to do your termite inspection.

KL: Great.

JC: Going to start on the outside. Would you like to join me?

KL: Sure. Let me grab my coat.

MH: Kristen Liftenhaur doesn't think she has a termite problem, but she doesn't really know.

JC: Your home is on a concrete slab foundation and subterranean termites would come up out of the ground and use the exterior to gain entry into the home.

MH: John Chapman, an entomologist, will look for telltale signs on the outside and inside of Kristen's home. The most common termites in the United States live in underground colonies. To survive they need water and cellulose found in the wood support system of your home. If they find a crack in the exterior or a pathway to wood inside your walls they will move in and set up housekeeping.

KL: So you're talking about these cracks in the bricks, are those something that I should be concerned about? Should I be filling those or watching those specifically?

JC: A crack as small as a 32nd of an inch is big enough for termites to enter.

MH: You don't want to fill in weepholes, of course, but you should repair cracks that could become pathways for termites. Remove water sources that are magnets and dirt or debris that covers the top of your foundation. If you have a wood fence, make sure it doesn't touch the exterior wall of your home. One of the few signs you may see of termites is a collection of wings that drop during swarming when they begin to mate. But experts can find them by listening for hollow areas that signal termites at work. They may also see mud tunnels like these that are passageways into the house. Indoors, bumpiness under wallpaper, especially around plumbing may be a bad sign. Kristen's home seems to be in good shape. But if termites are found or you want preventative treatment there are two primary options. With the older more conventional method technicians dig a shallow trench around the foundation. They filled it with termiticide that prevents the insects from traveling between your house and their nest. Technicians drill holes through concrete and inject termiticide to kill termites already inside. With the newer treatment, the technician installs termite-feeding stations around the outside of the house. He first fills them with wood to check for the presence of termites. John, what is it actually about the bait that kills the termites or gets rid of the termites?

JC: Well, the bait material is a food source, which is paper and has been treated with an insect growth regulator called hexaflumeron.

MH: Growth regulators prevents the termites from maturing. Termites that eat bait take it back to the next and infect the others. Indoors the same growth regulator is placed in areas where termites are already feeding. How long is it going to take the systems to work, to rid you of termites?

JC: Feeding will normally take anywhere from four to six months before we've controlled the colony.

MH: How do you recommend whether they go with the conventional system or the bait system?

JC: Well, in some situations, where there might be something of a sensitive environmental concern, like airducts below the slab, a well within the foundation, a nearby stream or pond, we may recommend only the baiting system. But in many situations you have the option of going with the traditional method or with the baiting.

MH: The baiting will not endanger the environment, pets or people. It is more expensive. For an average 1800 square foot home the trench treatment may cost between $900 and $1,400 and last approximately 15 years. The bait station, which must be monitored on a regular basis, could cost between $1,400 and $2,000. It may sound like a lot of money, but consider the alternative - being eaten out of house and home by a voracious pest that can cost you a small fortune in repairs.

Contacts:
Terminix

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Episode 68 1997 - 98 Season

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