Aug 12, 2011 | Termite Control
When you live in multi-unit housing, such as an apartment, condo or town home, it is difficult to protect your home from termites when your neighbor does not have termite protection. That is why it is so important that your community’s HOA offers termite protection for you and your neighbors.
Termites come from underground which means that they can enter your neighbor’s home and travel into your home. Maintaining a blanket warranty in your community will protect each unit from the threat of termites ensuring peace of mind for the entire community.
A blanket termite warranty can be beneficial when a unit is being sold. It is difficult to obtain a repair warranty on an attached home when being sold. With a blanket termite warranty, the repair warranty can be transferred to the new buyer. This gives peace of mind knowing that just because your neighbor moved, the termite warranty is still valid and your home is still protected.
Blanket renewals save the home owners money on their termite warranties. The cost of a blanket renewal is usually half the cost of an individual repair warranty.
Termite Warranty Tips:
- All termite warranties are not created equal. Look around at the different termite warranties for what works best for your community.
- Always read the Terms and Conditions of your warranty and know what is covered.
- A repair warranty is not the same as a retreat warranty.
- Always verify the amount of coverage you have under your warranty.
- Is previous infestation covered if you change termite companies?
- Research the termite company that carries your warranty. How long have they been in business? Check their references. How do they rank in customer service?
Aug 10, 2011 | Termite Control
We’ve told you before that termites cause more damage in a year than earthquakes, tornadoes and fires put together. We’ve also talked about ways to prevent termite damage to your home once you are living in it but what about how to protect your home before you ever move in? Whether building your dream home or buying a new construction home, it is important to ask the builder how the home has been protected against termites. In most cases, the builder is the one who selects the termite company and termite treatment type.
Prevention is always a better and less expensive option than waiting until you have termite damage to take action. When pre-treating a home, the treatment area is easier to access and therefore requires less product than it would in an existing structure. Pretreatments aren’t just for new homes. They should be completed when any new structure is added to your home or property. If not, termites can surface and end up in the wood of the newly constructed area.
Termites cause over $5 billion in termite damage each year and is not covered by most home insurance policies. Some termite companies, such as Northwest Exterminating offer a damage repair warranty that will protect you and your home should you ever experience termite damage.
Northwest Exterminating offers 3 different pretreatment options:
• Sentricon
• Borate Wood Treatments
• Soil Treatment
To contact Northwest Exterminating’s New Construction team please call us at 888.466.7849 or click HERE
Aug 8, 2011 | Pest Control
Ticks and fleas are among the many pests that are out and about this summer. Here are some facts about our famous hitch-hiking friends!
- Fleas can live on any warm-blooded animal but prefer humans, cats, dogs, opossums, rats and other rodents.
- Fleas can live for about 100 days.
- Fleas can jump up to 8 inches high and 13 inches horizontally. This is 150 times its own height. In relation to a human, that would be would be 250 feet vertically and 450 feet horizontally.
- Adult fleas cannot survive or lay eggs without a blood meal.
- A pupa can live for 2-12 months without a blood meal.
- The female flea takes in 15 times her body weight in blood daily.
- Flea larvae live and feed on organic debris.
- Americans spend about $9 billion a year in their quest to control fleas
- There are more than 850 tick species. 200 of which live in the US.
- Females in some tick species will increase her weight by 100 times after she mates.
- Adult ticks can survive several years without eating.
- Adult ticks have 8 legs and two body segments which makes them an arachnid.
- Most often, ticks are found outdoors because of their fondness to humidity.
- There are 2 types of ticks: hard and soft.
- Ticks have barbs which is what they use to attach themselves to their host.
Aug 3, 2011 | Pest Control
An elderly Minnesota couple have been fighting bed bugs in their home for years. The home is so infested that the homeowners were being fed on and urinated on at night as they slept in their beds. After many attempts at self treating for bed bugs, a local pest control company, Adam’s Pest Control, came to their rescue. Adam’s believes that the bed bugs could have been active for more than two years in this home, stating that this particular case was the worst they had ever seen.
As we all know, bed bugs have made a comeback throughout the US. According to Adam’s Pest Control, every year they are seeing 30-100% more bed bug jobs than the previous year. Without proper treatment, cases such as this could become more common.
Click HERE to watch video of the infestation that has taken over this Minnesota home.
Aug 1, 2011 | Pest Control
In the recent August 2011 edition of Holmes magazine, our very own Jerry Hatch was featured in the “Ask the Pro” section. Read below on how Jerry responded to a reader regarding “War on Ants“.
I have carpenter ants crawling up my deck. Nothing seems to get rid of them. I have tried to find out what is attracting them, but can’t come up with anything. What can I do to combat them? I’m scared they’re eating away at something in the walls and that I can’t see the damage they are causing.
Anthony Laidler, Atlanta
This is the time of year we really see these ants. Carpenter ants do hollow out areas for nests, but they don’t actually consume the wood. What you are likely seeing are worker ants following the deck lines, trying to locate a food source for the colony. That means sweets, meat and anything in between. So it’s best to have a pest-management professional inspect for their hiding places. The colony will have a pretty high moisture requirement-it makes wood easier to hollow-so we often search the structure for any areas that have seen past water leaks. Often, ants find their way into attic spaces by the chimney areas or behind dishwasher.
Professional treatment involves inspecting the house for the nests, treating the areas and vacuuming exposed colonies. Most companies offer free inspection and charge for the treatment.
Things you can do around the house in the meantime include trimming back vegetation touching the structure (carpenter ants use this as a highway to get inside) and getting rid of lawn debris, such as mulch or leaves near the house, which they use as hideouts. Ants can fit in an opening the size of the tip of a pencil, so look out for entry holes that size, and repair leaks as quickly as possible.
Jerry Hatch, Northwest Exterminating, Marietta, GA
