CAN I DO MY OWN TERMITE WORK ?

Should I do my own termite treatment myself ?

We are going to break this question into two segments:

1. Existing Termite Infestations
   
2. Preventative Treatments

1. Existing Termite Infestations:

If you have an active termite infestation in your home, we feel that a combination of traditional liquid termiticides and termite baits is the best approach.

Applying liquid termite chemicals can be a complicated and difficult job, requiring lots of specialized equipment and training. Having the house treated by a professional pest control operator would be a prudent thing to do, particularly if you are on a slab or basement.

• Difficult situations in applying termite chemicals:

  A. Homes on slabs.,because of the drilling required.

  B. Homes that have a basement, because of the drilling required.

  C. If you need a clearance letter, or proof of termite treatment, this needs to be done by a licensed pest control operator. Mortgage companies won't accept proof of termite clearance other than from a certified company.
  

   

• Situations that are more accessible in applying your own termite chemicals:

  A. You can treat your fence posts, wooden sheds, mail boxes, etc. in the yard.

  B. If your home is a block type of construction, and you do have adequate crawl space clearance to apply the chemicals.

  C. If after the house has been treated, you could choose to install and maintain your own termite baiting system. At:  How to do your own termite baiting,the installation and maintenance is covered.

  D. If you feel that your house is treatable under difficult conditions or you have experience in termiticide applications, call us at 800-476-3368 , we will be glad to discuss the situation with you if you wish.

  2. Preventative Treatments:

  A preventative treatment would be forming a chemical barrier with a liquid termiticide as discussed at  Traditional treatments-controlling termites. It talks about trenching your soil with a diluted termite chemical, giving your the recommendations. If you leave the treated soil, undisturbed, this barrier will last about 5 years.

  The advent of termite baits to the market has made preventative treatments very easy to do.

• At:  How to do your own termite baiting, we go over step by step and give you the recommendations using the First Line^® Baiting in ground system.

  Termite baits have proven to be an effective means of dealing with termites. Remember though, that termite baits are not a barrier. They will reduce the population of termites in the area and thereby lessening the chances of termites finding their way into your house. The different bait treatments on the market are discussed at Termite Baiting Systems.
  

  * You must also remember that termite bait stations must be monitored at an appropriate interval for them to be effective. If you are not the type of person who will monitor them on a regular basis,then I would hire a professional service company to install and monitor the bait stations.