How To Select a Termite Treatment Firm

Do not panic! In most cases, significant termite damage will not occur in a short period of time. But do not delay your decision indefinitely; damage has already started and termites will continue to damage the structure.

Verify that the firm you select is a member of your state pest control association and the National Pest Control Association.

Compare written proposals, seek value, and avoid making decisions based only on price. For example, a firm which does a careful survey and can (will) show you the pest, location, and extent of damage before they quote a price is more apt to do an effective job than another, even if the second firm's price is 1/3 - 1/2 lower. You usually get what you pay for.

Ask friends and neighbors to recommend a firm that they have been satisfied with in the past. Check with the Better Business Bureau for company performance records (complaints).

Termite Trivia

The total weight of all termites on earth is estimated to be much greater than the total weight of all humans on earth.

Several species of "higher" termites (e.g. Macrotermes bellicosus) raise their own fungi, inside their nest, as a food source.

Termites communicate mainly via chemicals called pheromones, but many (most) species also strike their heads against the sides of their nests, tunnel walls, or even their own thorax. Variations in frequency and patter of such "tapping" seem to constitute "messages" which seem to be understood by (at least elicit responses by) other colony members.

One species of termites in Australia, Amitermes meridionalis Frogg, builds large flat mounds up to 4 m. tall, called "compass mounds" which are always oriented with narrow ends pointed north and south and the large flat sides facing east and west