All You Need to Know About Termite Extermination
Termites cause major structural damage to any home they infest. There's no such thing as a small termite problem. You may catch them early and before they do much damage, but without exception termites must be dealt with swiftly. Here's all you need to know about termite extermination so you can protect your home.
Don't Do-it-Yourself
Should you attempt to exterminate termites yourself? No. While you will find websites that tell you how to get rid of termites yourself, the type of solution and the kind of equipment you'll need to effectively treat your home is not easily available to a homeowner.
Finding a Professional
While an online search or the phone book can bring you a variety of termite exterminators, the best place to start is by asking neighbors, relatives or friends. Try to get several quotes before deciding on one company, and be sure to check references. Be sure to ask about guarantees and follow up treatments. Ask how they determine whether or not you have termites. They should follow up their work to ensure that your problem has truly been taken care of. You might consider contacting the agency in your state government that regulates termite control. Termite exterminators need special licenses to use pesticides.
When the exterminator comes to your home, they should verify that termites are the cause of the damage you see. There are other wood boring insects, such as carpenter ants, that can damage wood as well. Water damage often looks like termite damage.
The exterminator will use a variety of methods to determine what kind of problem you have. These will include probes, heat and sound sensors, drills, and even infrared cameras. Termites are a serious problem and you want your exterminator to use all the tools available to them. Some of the more obvious signs an exterminator will look for are wood trails leading up your foundation to the wood portions of your house.
If it turns out you do have termites, don't panic. Termites work very slowly. Unless the problem has been neglected for a very long time, you should be able to effectively eliminate the termites.
Types of Treatments
Exterminators have a variety of tools at their disposal for treating termites. The may use baits made of wood or cardboard that are soaked in pesticide. The termites consume the cellulose in the bait and carry it back to their nest. This poisons the rest of the colony. The exterminator may also use a repellent that keeps termites from entering other parts of your home. This then isolates the area to be treated. They may also use pesticides called termaticides to kill the termites. This can involve pumping as much as 200 to 300 gallons of the solution into termite nests.
Don't be surprised if the exterminator drills inside your house. This is sometimes a necessary part of getting rid of all the colonies.
The cost of termite treatment varies depending on the area you love and the size of your house, but you can expect to pay anywhere from $500 to $2,000. The larger the house and the worse the infestation, the more it will cost.
