Termite Services

Did you know ...... Spring is typically when winged termites (swarmers) emerge. In nature, termites swarm to disperse and start new colonies. Triggered by warmer temperatures and rainfall, the winged termites emerge from the colony and fly into the air. The swarmers then drop to the ground, shed their wings, pair off with a mate, and attempt to begin a new colony in the soil. Few swarmers emerging outdoors survive to start new colonies. Termite swarmers emerging indoors are incapable of eating wood, seldom survive, and are best removed with a vacuum cleaner.

Termite Tunnels

Termite Wings tend to be equal in size, while ant wings are usually longer in the front and shorter in the back.

 

THE BITING TRUTH ABOUT TERMITES
Consumer-Friendly Facts and Tips to Protect Home and Family from Damaging Pests

	Recession-Proof Pests… Termites cause more than $5 billion in damage to U.S. homes each year- that’s more than fire, storms and earthquakes combined!
	A Deep-Wooded History… Termites have been around for more than 250 million years. In fact, in ancient Roman times, the termite was referred to as “termes,” meaning woodworm.
	Road Map for Disaster... Termites are found in 49 of the 50 states. In the U.S. alone, there are more than 40 different types of termite species; 2,000 worldwide.
	Chew on This… Worker termites will travel up to 250 feet away from the colony, eating through plaster, plastic and even asphalt, to get to a wood food source.
	There’s No Beating the Odds... Fifty billion termites infest about one million U.S. homes (one in every 30 U.S. homes) each year.
	These Critters Love to Carve Up the Nation’s Housing… A small colony of approximately 60,000 termites can eat a linear foot of a 2-by-4 in about five months.
	A Welcome Ray of Sunshine... Termites can actually die from exposure to open air and direct sunlight.
	Defying the Sandman… Termites never sleep; they work 24 hours a day. However, as silent invaders, termites may go undetected for years causing thousands of dollars in damage.
	Innumerable Ground Forces... Several termite colonies could be present in as little as one acre of land and contain more than one million termites.

How Will BugFree Treat My Termite Problem?
BugFree uses the latest in termite technology to protect your home. We use the most advanced and effective termiticide on the market today - Termidor termiticide/insecticide, a remarkable termite control product offering unprecedented results. Termidor is the only termiticide that combines a unique mode of action, unmatched termite control, a long residual, and the ability to manage colonies fast, all in a low-dose, low-odor formulation. A liquid chemical barrier treatment. This involves trenching the exterior around your foundation walls and placing a liquid chemical into the ground. Depending your situation and the product, it may also involve drilling into your front porch, garage, brick siding and other slab areas inside your home. Most homes require from 100-250 gallons of chemical to treat the home.

Termidor's Unique Advantages:

• America's #1 termite defense with over 2 million homes treated since 2000.
• Kills termites by ingestion, contact, and the "Transfer Effect", meaning affected insects can help spread Termidor throughout the colony before dying themselves.
• Manages colonies up to 6 times faster than bait systems.
• Most effective termiticide - over 10 years of test data prove most effective and fastest at eliminating termite populations.
• Responsible, low-dose, with no odor.
• Only trained, Termidor Certified professionals can apply the product.

Tips for the Homeowner...
Things you can do to help protect your home from termites:

	Trim all shrubs, bushes and other dense greenery away from the foundation of your home. Move mulch away from the foundation as well.
	Don't leave firewood near your home. It's a magnet for termites. If you do keep firewood outside your house during the winter, keep it raised off the ground.
	Remove all lumber, tree stumps and other kinds of loose wood from the perimeter of your home.
	Fix any leaky pipes and eliminate any standing water near your home. Termites cannot live on wood alone.
	Keep gutters and downspouts free of accumulated leaves and debris. Clogs and obstructions can attract termites.
	Seal all cracks and holes in your homes foundation, which may provide a handy access point for termites.
	Have a professional inspect your home annually for signs of termite infestation.

Termite pre-treatment to new structures is one of the things that everybody should do. It is so inexpensive compared to a post treatment, and very effective, you would be surprised as to how few building are actually pre-treated. Wise and savvy architects always specify pre-treatment, knowledgeable builders include it in every structure they erect, and prospective buyers should demand it for any new house they buy or build. With proper pre-treatment, the soil next to the foundation is treated with termiticide and is sealed in after the foundations are in place.

As shown in the following picture, treatment is applied during construction, at certain times, depending on the type of structure. Properly treated structures are sometimes able to resist termites for a much longer period of time, and termiticides applied during construction are generally applied to areas that are unavailable after construction is complete.

TERMITE PRE-TREATMENT IN EXISTING STRUCTURES

Don't for get additions. Additions to your home, especially, should be treated during construction. If you don't, the margin between the new and the old is certain to develop a termite problem even though the rest of the house has been treated. The price is reasonable, considering your spending all that money on the addition.

Call us prior to the workman showing up at the job. Then, after the footings are poured and in place, and just before any concrete slabs are poured. the exterminator comes in to do his thing. It only takes a few minutes, but it is the absolute best way.

Does my termite treatment come with a warranty?
Not only does your termite treatment come with a warranty that covers pre-treatment to your home if necessary, the warranty also includes a yearly inspection preformed by one of our Certified Inspectors as well. Your warranty is also transferable to any homeowner should your home be sold during the warranty period.

Wood Destroying Insect Inspections for Real Estate Transactions:

BugFree has performed thousands of these inspections, which are sometimes required before a home or building is sold or refinanced. Commonly called a "Termite Inspection", its purpose is to inspect for any signs of visibly accessible evidence of termites, carpenter ants, wood infesting beetles, or carpenter bees that may be present in and around the structure. BugFree's inspections are performed by a Certified Wood Destroying inspector in all cases. Both seller and buyer should be aware that a WDI Report covers only what an inspector concludes from what is visible on the date of the inspection only.

Carpenter Ants

While people worry about termites structurally damaging their home, recent statistics show that Carpenter Ants are far more likely to invade, and possible cause damage to your home.

What conditions attract Carpenter Ants?

Almost every structure is a potential home for carpenter ants, since what they need most are moisture, a food source, and a home. First, and foremost, the trees surrounding your property are most likely the original source of your Carpenter Ant infestation. Carpenter Ants can travel up to 300 yards from their colony to start a new or "satellite" colony. Cracks in the foundation, plumbing and roofing leaks, broken or ineffective downspouts and gutters, firewood, railroad ties, trees overhanging your home, or landscaping timbers in contact with the soil all can encourage Carpenter Ant Colonization.

Inspection and Evaluation is the Key

More than likely, the original "nest" is located somewhere outside of the home and the satellite nest(s) have invaded your home. After an extremely thorough inspection of the interior and exterior of your home and surrounding areas, BugFree will customize a treatment plan tailored to your situation - your homes construction, where it is situated, and the degree of the Carpenter Ant Infestation.

Treatment and Solutions

BugFree utilizes a variety of treatment methodologies to conquer your Carpenter Ant Infestation. First, we might offer recommendations to your home that may include structural modifications, alterations to the surrounding structure, and cutting back overhanging trees. Should interior treatment be necessary some drilling may be required for the purpose of treating wall voids. In most cases, BugFree will focus on a full exterior treatment to the perimeter of your home and key harborage areas with activity present. We utilize both Non-Repellant Insecticides. Your Carpenter Ant treatment is guaranteed for one year and renewable as a treatment/warranty on a yearly basis. Should re-infestation occur any treatments during the warranty period will be at no additional charge.

Carpenter Bees

• Carpenter Bees are not social insects and do not live in nests or colonies.

• They get their names from their habit of boring into wood where they nurture their young.

Habits

• During cold months, the adults hibernate in abandoned nest tunnels and then in spring, those that survived emerge to feed and mate.

• The mated female will either reuse an old gallery by lengthening it or bore an entire new one straight into the wood.

• Each gallery is then sealed off with a chewed wood-pulp, creating a safe nesting environment for the egg.

Signs of Infestation

• In the spring, male carpenter bees hover extremely close to buildings as they await the emergence of the females from the galleries so they can mate. Galleries average 4-6" but may extend up to 10 feet and also indicate signs of carpenter bee infestation.

Powderpost Beetles

• Powderpost beetles attack both natural lumber and manufactured products such as hardwoods.

• The females lay their eggs in the poor of wood, making hardwoods likely to be infected.

• Once the larvae hatch they bore into the wood and leave behind a fine powder like dust.

Habits

• Adults are extremely active at night, fly, and are attracted to light.

Signs of Infestation

• Powderpost Beetles have round exit holes with piles of very fine powder like dust, called frass, which can be found inside the holes or on the wood.

• The dust is not compact but rather falls easily from the holes.

Old House Borer Beetles

• The most common structural pest in the beetle family and contrary to their name;

• They are actually more common in new homes.

Habits

• The females infest softwoods in order to lay their eggs.

• The larvae emerge during the winter months and penetrate the wood to feed.

• They live in the wood for about 5 years until they become adults.

Signs of Infestation

• During the first few years of feeding, the larvae cannot be heard.

• Once they are adults you can hear them chewing During the spring and summer months.

• When they exit the structure, the adults cut oval holes through the wood about 1/4 inch in diameter.

By calling BugFree Termite and Pest you can be assured of a professional recommendation and program for dealing with any wood destroying infestation.

SCHEDULE A FREE INSPECTION TODAY

Free Termite Inspections!
BugFree provides termite control starting at $195.00.
Our quotes are never changed once a customer decides to choose BugFree.