Why We Use Termidor HE to Eliminate Subterranean Termites

 
SAN DIEGO - Sept. 24, 2015 - PRLog -- In San Diego, California where Best-Rate Termite (http://best-rate-termite.com/)operates, homeowners have to face two distinct types of termites: drywood termites and subterranean termites. Each type of termite requires its own unique extermination method. In this article, we’re going to focus on subterranean termites and the insecticide we use most often at Best-Rate Termite to get rid of them.

A Brief Introduction to Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites are terrible house guests. They don’t phone ahead before they arrive, always overstay their welcome, and have a nasty habit of trashing every place they live. It’s easy to get frustrated with these tiny home invaders, but just remember that subterranean termites are actually a crucial part of the planet’s ecosystem. Consider them earth’s natural recyclers. They love gobbling up cellulose – dead wood. If it weren’t for termites, dead trees would just hang around, taking up space and preventing new things from growing.

Unfortunately, subterranean termites can’t tell the difference between a dead tree stump (okay to eat) and the wood beams inside your walls (definitely not okay to eat). And eat they do! Subterranean termites are the most destructive type of termite in the United States. They can live in colonies up to two million strong. Each termite, though only 1/8th of an inch in length, is endowed with saw-toothed jaws that can shear off fragments of wood with every bite. Subterranean termites eat 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Subterranean termites are distinguished from drywood termites by the long tunnels they build to get to their food sources (called “mud tubes”). These sneaky little critters are almost impossible to find, because they rarely come up for air, instead, staying in their tunnels unless it is time for a swarm. The best way to find subterranean termites is to look for these tiny tunnels leading from your property into your home.

Getting Rid of Subterranean Termites

No matter how nicely you ask, subterranean termites won’t leave your home. That means you’ll need to use more persuasive measures. You may be familiar with termite fumigation, where a colorful, stripped tent is used to cover a home while a toxic gas is pumped through the home. Fumigation is highly effective on drywood termites, which form colonies inside a home. It doesn’t work with subterranean termites, which colonize underground and use tunnels to travel into the home to feed.

There are two primary ways to eliminate subterranean termites – baiting and creating a chemical barrier. At Best-Rate Termite, we often recommend the chemical barrier method, unless the infestation is very small. Baiting is less intrusive, but it can also be less effective against a large colony.

Creating a chemical barrier has a very good track record, especially with the right types of chemical. To create a chemical barrier around the house, a trained extermination team will need to create trenches around the home and fill them with a potent chemical that will turn the termites away. This often requires us to dig around the external perimeter of the home, drill through concrete flooring, and drill around pipes in order to create an unbreakable barrier that termites cannot tunnel under.

When the barrier is constructed correctly, it is like an impassable moat around the home. Subterranean termites on the outside won’t be able to cross and any termites in the home won’t be able to get back to the colony and will dehydrate. (The only time I’ve ever seen a chemical barrier not work is when the client had a leak in the home, giving the subterranean termites in the home an ample water source.)

Why I Recommend Termidor HE

A subterranean termite barrier is only as strong as the chemical used. There are plenty of different options on the market, but I prefer to use Termidor HE (http://www.termidorhome.com/Termidor-HE.asp). The “HE” stands for “high efficiency,” which means I don’t have to use nearly as much of the chemical to get the same great results as from a competitor. That means less invasive drilling and less chemical that goes into the ground around a client’s property.

One other benefit of Termidor HE that I especially appreciate as a resident of San Diego is that it requires about half the water to make as its competitors. In our consistently drought-stricken area, every drop of water saved is appreciated!

If you live in San Diego County and suspect that you might have termites, contact Best-Rate Termite (http://best-rate-termite.com/contact-us/)today to schedule a termite inspection.

For more information go to: www.best-rate-repair.com or www.best-rate-termite.com

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Jeff Mudd
***@best-rate-repair.com
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