Termite Trenches - Termite Removal & Control in Tinton Falls, NJ

Challenge

There is no insect that comes close to subterranean termites when it comes to the potential for property damage. Termites are often called the silent destroyers of homes, and for good reason. In the United States, termite damage is estimated to exceed over five billion dollars annually. Unlike wood-boring insects like carpenter ants or carpenter bees that damage wood by boring out holes, termites actually eat wood as food to build their colonies. Termite damage is especially insidious because termites eat wood from the inside out, turning a piece of wood into a hollow shell. Often, homeowners don’t even realize that there is a termite problem until there is already significant damage. Termites can infest homes either from the ground up, going directly into the wood or by traveling through mud tubes along a concrete foundation. A single colony can have millions of termites, spreading across half an acre.

Termite control is not a weekend DIY project for homeowners. Dealing with a termite infestation or preventing termite damage requires the expertise, equipment and applications that are available only to licensed pest control operators. Having a termite control product is not enough. For the product to be effective and actually work, it must be correctly applied. Otherwise, you have wasted your time and money.

Solution

To maximize the effectiveness of a termite treatment, experienced termite professionals must first properly prepare the exterior areas designated for treatment. The objective is to get full and even coverage of product around the perimeter of the home. With this particular termite treatment, we were faced with a home that had mulch and soil areas around the home. Before treatment, we prepared the area by digging trenches up against the foundation of the home. After the termiticide is applied in the trenches, the excavated dirt is put back in. As shown in the pictures, we are concerned with both aesthetics and functionality. We want the termite treatment to be the most effective, but we also want to ensure that the trenching is nice and neat. Whenever we do a termite job, we try to leave the home’s landscaping exactly as we found it, and sometimes even better. While we are there to kill termites, we understand the importance of making sure that the appearance of home is not affected by our work.

Termites are notoriously difficult to kill. Once they detect a poison in the midst, they will dig new tunnels around it and continue to eat any wood they can find. This is why we apply Termidor, a non-repellent termiticide solution that is undetectable to termites. As such, termites carry the product back to the nest, transferring it to other termites, eventually killing the entire colony. Dr. Michael Potter, an entomologist at the University of Kentucky, performed pioneering studies showing termites can be effectively managed with non-repellent liquid termiticides applied around a building’s exterior. This treatment, which he called “trenching,” involves digging a 4- to 6-inch trench along the home’s foundation and filling it with the non-repellent termiticide. Trenching ensures even coverage, secures the product against the home, and stops spill-over of product. We want the termiticide to stay where it is supposed to be. With proper trenching, each time a termite seeks to reach the home, it is forced to pass through this barrier of poison. The termite then unknowingly carries. The entire colony eventually dies.

Termiticides are used to kill active termite colonies. For prevention, Cowleys recommends the installation of the Sentricon termite colony elimination system around the home’s perimeter. With this one-two combination, any termite problems will be permanently, and homeowners will have the peace of mind that they will not have any future termite issues.