Termites Treatment

16 years ago

I noticed about a dozen winged termites around the front door. Got a couple of pest control companies came over and confirmed they were indeed termites. One quoted $230 to treat the front brick side of the house, and the other quoted $1200 to treat all sides of the house. My house has brick front but concrete on other 3 sides. The first company says no need to treat these concrete foundation while the other insists to do all 4 sides. They will both drill holes and dig trenches to bury the chemical (termidor and AggresZor).

Should I just pay the $1200 and get all 4 sides treated to feel safer?

It is a 14 years old house with furnished basement. From what I can tell, foundation are all concrete. No other visible damage besides the termite swarming around the front door.

Featured Answer

maryland_irisman

16 years ago

This isn't politically correct and I'm not suggesting you do this..I may not even respond to the rebuttals....if you make a 2 inch wide and as deep as you care to go trough around the house and pour used motor oil into it, you'll never have to worry about termites entering. The oil will only penetrate so far. Oil floats on water so it will not absorb into deep, damp soil. When it hits the damp portion of soil, it'll stay there and be absorbed outward. The termites won't even go near it and will leave the area. It's not so much the oil as it is the odor of the soil. Chances of contaminating ground water or run off are nil and no more than the chemicals that will be squirted in there by multiple applications. I suspect the chemicals could be more ecologically upsetting since you need a license to handle them. The Amish use Kerosene around their barns, out buildings and homes for this reason. The problem can be, they also coat some of the exposed walls allowing for run off and fire hazard. Since they use candles and oil lamps and lanterns, that can be concerning.

This information was verbally given to me by a founder of one of large national Termite and Pest companies at a seminar I was attending. We were there for another reason and I asked him what is the best chemical to prevent termites. I had a barn built (N. Bal. Co. at Pa. Line)by Amish and I asked them how they protect theirs against termites. That's where I found out about the kerosene.

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Comments (10)

maryland_irisman
16 years ago
Just my opinion....since termites are confirmed at the house, I'd suggest all 4 sides be treated as a precaution. I would ask the first guy that even though he doesn't think all sides need the treatment, what would he charge to do it. His price seemed quite reasonable.
skywalker168
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Irisman (I'm in Maryland too :-) ). Their price per foot is actually very close. First guy will treat only the front minus the garage door section, about 30 feet (chemical AggresZor, generic version of Premise). The second guy will treat the entire 150 feet around the house (chemical Termidor). Both turn out to be around $8/foot.
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skywalker168
Original Author
16 years ago
Interesting idea. Thanks for the information!
izzie
16 years ago
My FIL lived in Arkansas. One year they had a bunch of termites in some landscaping timbers and called one of those termite places. We ended up going to a coop. They sold those termite bait things that you have to dig a hole and can re-fill them as needed for about $120, which was one every 3-4 feet around most of his home. Their home was 3/4 brick. They worry is them making a tunnel/tube and getting up into your walls, not the outside brick/concrete.
drewguy
16 years ago
I'm not sure which is worse for resale value--termite infestation or soil contaminated with oil.

I would get an appropriate treatment, but definitely shop around.
FatHen
16 years ago
Pouring oil on the ground isn't just politically incorrect, it's illegal. I've read a number of EPA documents saying this. It does get into the ground water and because so many people do it, thinking just a little won't hurt, it is a big problem. Selling a house that you have contaminated by pouring oil on the ground could come back to bite you. Get proper termite treatment as the oil shortcut could cost you a lot more in the end.
FatHen
16 years ago
Oil also gets into the storm drains...same result, polluted waterways.
yeptx
16 years ago
I had the same problem couple of months ago. I did a lot of research and decided to treat the whole house. It seemed logical to me to treat only the entry point and later regularly inspect the foundation for the trails. However I was going to sell the house and I don't think it would have passed the inspection if only spot treated. Another reason to treat the whole house is that it is never 100% where the entry point is. They could come in from inside through the sewer and water line openings. So it is important to treat all the entry points inside the house as well. I went with a big local company, it was much cheaper than two nationwide companies.
toxcrusadr
12 years ago
I have a 20x30 frame outbuilding with termites. I did some research at "do my own pest control . com", was very pleased with their technical support (they will answer your questions by email). I used Fipronil, which is not detectable by the termites but will be carried back to the colony, wiping it out. Superior to many of the more accessible products that just kill on contact. I could not find it locally. It does require digging a shallow trench, then you dilute and pour the stuff in. It will cost me $150 to treat my building.

I have no affiliation with the company, just thought they did a good job. Also bought some products specifically for carpenter ants that were tunneling into a foam-core garage door, worked like a charm. That's why I went back for the termite stuff.