Real Estate Agents & Home Owners
Reference Letters
Apartment Association of Orange County (AAOC)
Professional Community Management (PCM)
Coldwell Banker Irvine, CA Residential Brokerage
Merit Property Management
Turtle Rock Pointe Homeowners Association Irvine, CA
PREVENTION
Prevention Before Problems Occur
Celulose materials, newspapers, papers, bags and cardboard boxes
(in contact with the soil or cement), will attract subterrenean termites.
Keep Them Homeless
* Seal cracks and crevices where termites can get into your home.
* Get rid of stacks of newspaper, papers, bags, and cardboard boxes that make good homes for termites.
Keep Them Hungry
Trash cans, crumbs, food and dirty dishes will attract ants, roaches, and other non-wood
destroying pests, but have no effect on WDO (Wood Destroying Pests & Organisims). Water leaks,
unsealed wood, and wood-in-contact with the soil will attract termites and lead to fungus
infestations resulting in damage.
Professional Treatment
Rid your home of any existing termite infestations and fungus infections.
Eliminate wood piles. Have one of our licensed termite control professionals
inspect your home and perform an initial treatment to rid your home of any existing termites.
You can expect an initial service to include a thorough inspection to identify
immediate problems, and seek out possible danger spots in your foundation, kitchen,
bathroom, basement, garage, woodpile, window frames, and any other commonly infested
areas. Discuss with your specialist about possible treatment options.
Ongoing Maintenance
Season after season, your home will be exposed to different types of attacks -
dry wood termites or subterranean termites will all be trying to make a home
in yours or underground. To make sure the termites you've so carefully eliminated
don't return, you can contract for continuing regular termite control services.
TERMITE FACTS:
A typical homeowner's insurance policy does not cover destruction caused by
termites, even though they cause over 1 billion dollars in damage to homes
throughout the United States each year. It's important that homeowners
understand the threat of termites, and take the necessary steps to protect their homes.
Why should you worry?
Southhern California was once covered with Orange groves and many other trees.
When trees were cut during development however, the stumps remained or were buried
creating a perfect habitat for subterranean termites. Subterranean termites are
extremely destructive. First they build tunnels to wooden structures, and then they
burrow into those structures to obtain food. Any wood or cellulose-containing
material constitutes termite food, and given time to do so, they'll eat until nothing
is left but a shell.
How do you know you have a termite problem?
Drywood termites swarm once per year (around September or October). Subterranean
termites swarm several times per year when conditions are just right (like after
rain with a light wind). You can't assume your home is termite-free just because
you've never seen them, and you might miss the occasional swarm!
Signs
Small debris such as discarded wings, Larve, Wood Dust, or Swarms. You're much more
likely to discover you have a termite problem by discovering the evidence they leave
behind. If you encounter any of these signs, there's a good chance termites are
invading your home right now:
* Mud tubes built for traveling above ground
* Damaged or hollow-sounding wood
* Pinholes in drywall or wallpaper
* Small piles of sawdust
* Piles of small wings
Of course, it is possible you'll miss every one of these signs as well. Termites avoid
light and air, so they build their colonies where you're not likely to stumble upon them.
The very best way to be sure you don't have termites is to contact a licensed professional
to conduct a thorough inspection of your home.
How can I get rid of them?
* Subterranean Termites - Conventional Soil Treatment
* Drywood Termites - Fumigation or Chemical Treatment
* Fungus - State Registered Fungicide
With normal household pests, you can spray insecticides on them, poison their
food, or buy a cat to scare them off. None of these methods work with termites.
You need to have a trained professional put down a chemical soil treatment that
works as a barrier. Fortunately, it's a fairly inexpensive treatment. It is
certainly much less expensive than letting the termites eat your home!
Treatment Methods/Chemical Choices:
* Conventional soil treatment - Subterranean Termites
* Registered Chemicals - Drywood Termites
* Borates - Fungus and Termite Prevention
* Fumigations - Drywood Termites