# Termite Treatment Chemicals



## gkdiamond (Aug 29, 2008)

Hello,

I just came to this site today looking for some information on unsoldering copper fittings and happen to see your post. WOW, $785 just for spot treating! Maybe that's the going rate in California but that sure seems awfully expensive to me. I'm in Phoenix, AZ and had my home's (1822 sq. ft. 2-story) perimeter treated a few years ago for $700 which included unlimited spot (or full perimeter if necessary) treatment for one year afterwards. And that price included drilling the inside perimeter of my 3 car garage.

I was in real estate for 10 years and had to have quite a few homes treated. The price for a full treatment usually ranged between $650 and $850 for homes up to 2,000 square feet. I even had two companies start a competitive bidding war, the winning company did the home (1600 sq. ft.) for $400! The other guy said he should go lower just because of the principal but that he wouldn't make any money. I don't understand how they can charge almost $800 to spot treat one area. I hope you called several companies and got several quotes. I actually spot treat my house with concentrate that I buy from Home Depot (just did it yesterday).

Anyway, if you are financing your home the lender will required that the home gets a full treatment. That's because no termite company that didn't do the original full treatment will signoff on it. I would tend to agree with a full perimeter treatment, especially if the house hasn't been treated in quite a while because then the spot treatment would be the one that's a waste of money because the termites will just move to another location. I would also make sure, through another trusted company, that you really need a "tent" treatment. I have never seen a home out here that needed tenting but then again we don't have drywood termites. 

As far as the chemicals, I have talked to several termite guys as well as home inspectors and there is a unanimous agreement that Premise is the best chemical treatment, at least here in Phoenix for subterranian termites. None of them are really that good and you may see termites in less than a year but the treatment will usually last at least two or three years if the barrier is not broken or disturbed. Also be aware of constant watering next to the house including the condensation drain line from your AC and dripping faucets. Termites love moisture and the constantly wet ground will provide them with plenty and definetely attract them. NOTHING is as good as DDT or last as long (20 or 30 years or more!) but it was outlawed many many years ago and for good reason.


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## TBear (Aug 28, 2008)

Thanks for your reply. 

I am seriously considering doing the subterranan treatment myself. My general plan is to dig a 6 inch trench around the house perimeter both on the inside and outside of the raised foundation and drill half inch holes every 18 inches across the driveway and a cement patio. Then purchase and mix Premise according to the instructions and pour along the trenches and into the holes. However, I ran across this website http://www.ext.vt.edu/pubs/entomology/444-503/444-503.html that posted the following in response to the question if a homeowner can do subterranan treatment him/herself.

"Please consider that termite treatment is very labor intensive and complicated. Therefore, it should only be performed by professionals with the proper training and application equipment. Treatment is expensive but the costs should be considered relative to the consequences of failing to protect your most valuable investment. Subterranean termites cause millions of dollars in damage each year. So it is in the best interest of your home to call a professional when you experience a subterranean termite infestation." 

None of the procedure I described seemed all that complicated to me (perhaps a little labor intensive). Am I missing something?


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## gkdiamond (Aug 29, 2008)

I have watched them many times and I agree that it's not that difficult but I only do "spot" treatments which includes trenching. I don't have the masonary drill they use to drill the concrete nor the large tank of pesticide and pressure sprayer. They do use quiet a bit of pesticide. I don't think that you can get enough pesticide into the holes and the ground below to make it useful. Unless you are going to rent the equipment it might be best to have it done professionally the first time. My house is actually a tri-level so half of my house is raised about two feet higher than the other half. One company drilled only the concrete areas (front porch and back patio) and trenched the rest and the last one drilled the concrete areas (including inside garage because I had termites in there) and drilled horizontally into the stem walls which I was later told is the correct way to do it.


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## 4just1don (Jun 13, 2008)

IF the walls are concrete bock,,,with holes in the middle of them you HAVE to drill EVERY hole,,,IF you miss one,,,thats where they will come up and spread thruout the house. My aunt had there house treated,,,several years later they noticed the pictures on the wall were getting harder and harder to see,pics were dimming,,,found the mighty mites had come up thru an untreated LITTLE area of the concrete porch and had the WHOLE front wall hollowed out to the point of IF you had leaned against the wall you would have fell outside. They had tunneled from the wall to the pictures and was eating the paper off the back!!!

Those guys you see on home improvement show on tv with block walls and they just trench each side,,,cause its EASY!!,,,are just kidding themselves,,,and getting taken to the cleaners.


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## gkdiamond (Aug 29, 2008)

My walls are poured concrete so they only have to drill every 18 inches. Other than the orginal treatment when the house was built I've had it treated by two different companies (and many spot treatments). The first company trenched around the perimeter, the second company drilled horizontally through the stem wall everywhere they could except the front and back patios and the garage and those areas they drilled every 18 inches straight down through the concrete. From now on I will not hire a company that doesn't drill horizontally through the stem wall. Termites can come up through cracks that develope over the years in the foundation but I haven't had that problem. Your Aunt is lucky her treatment lasted several years, mine never seems to last longer than a 1 1/2 to 2 years before I start seeing a tube on the outside wall and have to have a spot treatment or do it myself. A couple of months ago I even found a termite mud tube coming out of an old treatment drill hole in my garage that was filled with mortor but apparently not completely sealed. Even though it had been 8 years since the treatment in that hole you would think that since it was under a concrete slab in a garage undisturbed that it would last for 20 years.


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## Bugzilla (Aug 2, 2008)

*termite treatment*

Termidor is the best liquid termiticide on the market, and Advance Termite Baiting System is the best in its genre. If the drywood termite infestation is local vs. widespread, you can use Bora-Care to spot treat. You can find these products at youdoitpestcontrol.com


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