Termites
Licensed Termite Control Professionals in Columbus, GA
When it comes to termite control, All Star Pest Control gives you the most value for your money. We provide termite treatments with a Damage Warranty that includes periodic inspections of your home for the best protection from termite damage.
There are many ways termites can attack your home, and most termite infestations are hidden from plain view. Many times termites are only discovered after thousands of dollars of damage has been done to your home. Call us today to schedule an inspection!
Our Thorough Termite Inspections
- We will ask questions about your home and look at anything you have observed.
- A graph of the structure will then be drawn so that we can accurately record any findings.
- The inspection will start inside the structure by looking and sounding all accessible areas.
- Outside areas of the structure will be inspected in the same manner to determine if an infestation is present.
- Structures with a crawl space will receive an inspection from underneath.
- Any and all findings will then be recorded on the graph.
- A treatment strategy will be developed if an infestation is found.
The inspection of an average 3-bedroom house takes about an hour.
What Termites Look Like and Where They Live
Termites only need a 1/32″ space to build their tunnels through a crack in the cement foundation or expansion joints in the structure of your home to find cellulose. Those termites must return to the ground every 24 hours for moisture and to deliver cellulose back to the colony for its food supply. The Worker and the Nymphs gather the food for the rest of the termite colony. The other cast members of the colony are the Queen along with many soldiers and many secondary reproducers.
Colonies can have a population of over 1 million. In Georgia and Alabama, there are 6 to 13 termite colonies per acre of land.
Termites Cause $2 Billion in Home Damage Each Year
Termites are an important part of nature. They “eat” the dead trees and other wood debris in the forest and help keep the forest “clean.”
However, termites do not know the difference between your home and the forest. Serious termite damage does not occur overnight. Damage accumulates much like a snowball rolling down a hill.
A few termites will find a “food “source in your home. The worker and nymph termites return to the colony about 24 hours later and “deposit” the food to feed other members of the colony. Each time the workers and nymphs return to “eat” the wood in your home they bring more termites with them. The number of termites attacking your home continues to increase as time goes by.
The initial attack on your home will probably only be a few hundred termites. An attack will quickly become a few thousand and then even hundreds of thousands and this is when serious damage will occur.
A Termite Treatment with a Damage Warranty that includes periodic inspections of your home is your best protection from Termite Damage.
Environmental and Toxicity Concerns
Many companies still only use liquid treatments to control termites.
There are state regulations that specify the exact amount of chemical that has to be applied. Companies are fined large amounts of money if they do not follow the regulations.
The average 3 bedroom home can require several hundred gallons of termiticide to treat for termites. These type of treatments need to be repeated every 5 to 10 years to maintain protection from termites.
There is a better way!
The use of termite baits can control termites with no more toxicity than table salt. Baits are only placed when termites are present. This certainly is better for our environment!
How We Stop Termites
The method that has been used for many years is the chemical barrier. When applied properly, a chemical barrier can stop an infestation of termites almost immediately. However, chemical barriers must be replaced in several years or any protection will simply fade away and re-infestation of termites almost certainly will occur.
Most chemical treatments require drilling into the foundation walls every 12 inches, pumping large amounts of chemical into these holes as well as digging trenches around the structure and filling them with chemical also. Cement driveways, patios, porches, and other attachments to the structure must also be drilled at 12″ intervals and be filled with the chemical. Many structures require several hundred gallons to treat to state specifications.
The more environmentally friendly termite baiting system has proven to be very effective in the control of subterranean termites. A baiting system is placed around the perimeter of your home. As termites forage for food, the bait system intercepts them. Bait is placed in the stations where the termites have been intercepted. The termites take the bait back to the colony where the growth of the colony is stopped. Termites have to molt several times a year to survive. The bait stops the ability of the termites to molt with no more toxicity than table salt.
The use of the correct methods: The Combination Treatment
- Our treatment strategy often involves both methods. We use the termite baiting system as our main treatment method. However, there are times when some liquid treatment is necessary to stop an active infestation.
- It is very seldom that more than 20 to 30 linear feet of a structure would need to be treated with liquid. In most cases, only 20 to 30 gallons of liquid chemical is needed.
- The Combination Treatment strategy allows all of the described results to be accomplished with the least amount of impact on the environment as possible.
- This treatment also comes with a renewable lifetime warranty that includes a damage guarantee.
Two Choices for Homeowners About Termites
Choice 1: The Choice of Certainty
Have your home treated for termites with a treatment program that includes a damage guarantee. You now can be certain that termites will not be a problem that you have to deal with.
Choice 2: The Choice to Gamble
You can gamble that termites will pass you by. This choice could cost you thousands of dollars if termites attack your unprotected home. Our experience has taught us that untreated homes either already have termites or they will get termites.
It is not a matter of “IF” termites will attack only “WHEN” termites attack your home.
Termite Tips for Purchasing a New Home
For purchasing a new home:
- Maintain the Termite Warranty that was offered to you when you purchased your new home.
- Make sure that your warranty includes a damage guarantee. Not all warranties include a damage guarantee.
For purchasing a previously owned home, assume the Termite Warranty from the previous owner if possible. A home with a termite protection plan is probably a good indication that the previous owner took pride in their home (this is sometimes called a clearance letter or termite letter).
Too many real estate firms have stopped requesting this report when they sell a home. We strongly recommend having an inspection done BEFORE you purchase your home and that you hire someone that you trust to do the inspection.
Why would you want the opinion of the person that the seller has hired? Not having this report could cost you thousands of dollars when a hidden termite infestation is found months or even years later.
TIP: Negotiate a treatment of your future before you purchase it unless it has a warranty that you can assume. Make sure the treatment or warranty includes a damage guarantee.
The Official Wood Infestation Inspection Report only covers a 90-day period. It is not a guarantee or damage warranty. Only companies licensed by the Department of Agriculture can legally issue these reports.
