Is Your Exterminator Ripping You Off?

Feb. 7, 2010 - PRLog -- Some months ago, a local news station did a report on termite treatments. The consumer interviewed was frustrated by the lack of results of the termite treatment she had purchased. To those in the industry it was apparent that the reporter was likewise frustrated in her attempt to uncover clear and helpful answers. The conclusion of the report was to get two or three quotes from companies that were licensed, certified, insured and members of trade associations. These are standard answers, but not helpful answers. All termite treatment companies are required by law to be licensed, certified and insured. Most companies are also members of a trade association, but the only requirement here is to pay your dues. There are no standards that must be met. Getting two or three quotes is a good idea, but it often leaves the consumer more confused than informed. I wish that I could say that I was proud of the termite industry, but over the years I have observed a variety of questionable practices–some fraudulent, some unethical and some just misinformed or unwise.  

http://www.assassinexterminating.com/aboutus

Less than 3 months ago, I was called to the house of an elderly couple to give a third opinion. The pest control technician who serviced her house on a monthly basis had informed her that she had termites and that he would treat it the following afternoon for $500. Even though they were using this company for the last year, something didn’t sound right so they wanted a second opinion. What we found unfortunately is all too common in this industry. Absolutely no sign of termites, but they sure did have a problem with flying ants. Although alarming by their sheer numbers, this is only a nuisance pest and usually die out in 6-8 hours requiring no treatment. We were never able to confirm whether or not this was just a simple mistake or done purposely, the homeowner decided to cancel her service just to be safe.

http://www.assassinexterminating.com/termites

When a house is treated in the conventional way for termites, holes are drilled in the foundation, the floor of the basement and through any concrete that borders the outside of the foundation. A termiticide barrier is applied to surround and protect the structure. These holes are then patched or plugged and are usually visible. From time to time, termite treatment salesmen go door to door informing people that there are termites in the neighborhood and offering to do a free termite inspection. If they find termite damage, they give the homeowner a quote and pressure them to treat their house. If the house has already been treated, there is no reason to retreat the house unless live termites are found or there is reason to believe the termiticide barrier has been broken. There have been times when I was called to give a second opinion and found that the homeowner was being pressured to treat his house when it had already been treated and did not need to be retreated. This is easy money for an unscrupulous inspector and probably a waste of money for the homeowner.

As with almost all home purchases that you make, the lowest bid you receive isn’t usually the best to accept. A common practice in the Pest Control Industry is to offer a quote below the cost of a legitimate treatment and then not apply the correct amount of Termiticide needed for a full home treatment. A company can still make a profit doing this by only performing a partial or spot treatment. A warranty may be offered, for an additional cost, which will pay for any further treatments that may be necessary. The average home will need between 100 – 250 gallons of diluted Termiticide for a complete barrier to be applied to the exterior. Some disadvantages to this approach are that you may only end up pushing termites to a different section of the home. Another downside is that you will always pay more money for 4 separate treatments then if you just treated the whole structure the first time.

Before 1988, the top selling Termiticide in the world was Chlordane. Most homes were treated with this product and received control for no less than 40 years. Unfortunately, it also lasted in the water system for the same amount of time. At the end of 1987 however, EPA canceled the registration for this product. Suddenly, the termite industry was thrown into confusion. Manufacturers paraded a series of termiticides before the industry with the claim that a highly repellent termiticide was the best option to choose and for some years it was the only option available. Unfortunately, neither the termite control industry nor the homeowner found these products satisfactory. By the mid to late 1990s the industry was searching desperately for a better alternative. Termite baits were the first alternative to be offered. Typically 20 to 25 stations, or blocks or wood, were placed in the ground and monitored over a period of time. When the termites found the blocks of wood, they were replaced with termite bait. The worker termites feed on this bait and take it back to the nest to feed the nest. In time, control or possibly elimination, of the nest is achieved. This method has the advantage of far less termiticide placed in the environment, but the disadvantage of the time required to achieve control and a cost that is usually higher than conventional treatments. Furthermore, not all termite baits are equally
effective.

http://www.assassinexterminating.com/residentialpestcontr...

The second alternative to finally reach the market were non-repellent termiticides. Tests conducted by the USDA have shown some of these products to be very promising although their longevity in the ground is yet to be proven. These new non-repellent termiticides work both on contact, but also like the termite baits. Since the active ingredient is slow acting, the termite has time to return to the nest and pass on a toxic dose to others in the nest. With these and a conventional method of treatment the odds of termites contacting the barrier is far greater than with a baiting system. This results in faster protection of the property and a reduction of the termite population in the area.
The choice between conventional termiticides and termite baits is a choice informed consumers must make depending on their own unique situation and desires. It should be clarified, however, that if the consumer chooses a conventional treatment, repellent termiticides, which some companies still use, can cost as little as half the price of non-repellents. This is a savings that often costs the consumer more in the long run.

# # #

Assassin Exterminating has over 14 years experience in the pest management industry. We're a Family Owned & Operated company specializing in medium to large scale commercial pest management program design. Find out today why America's largest fortune 500 companies use our company for their pest control needs.