Owning your home is often one of your greatest satisfactions and investments. Your home is not just a physical structure but a place where your family’s memories are created and your treasures are stored. Protecting and maintaining your home is important. Many issues and responsibilities arise with homeownership including renovation of bathrooms, replacements of kitchen appliances, and termites prevention. Termites make the list of challenges of homeownership because every year homeowners in the United States spend more than $2 billion to protect their home from these wood eating and destroying insects. Termites attack various parts of homes including foundations, framing, and flooring. They are also known for eating paper. In fact, in 1997 in Windermere, Florida subterranean termites began attacking a town library.
It is important to remember that termites do not bite or harm humans. However, termite treatment must be done in a controlled environment. The treatment protects your home from infestations and safeguards the construction of your home against the attack of termites. Termites are unique in that your home may have an infestation for several months without showing any signs of their presence. Often homeowners discover termites after the home has been under attack for several months.
As you consider termite treatment in Fort Lauderdale we recommend that you compile all your options. These options include the cost of termite treatment, tent termite treatment, and no-tent termite treatment.
How you do know if you have termites?
Termite swarms are highly active throughout the month of April. You can easily identify termites visually as they resemble ants with wings. Winged termites do not do damage to your home but are simple signs that show termites are present. Damage-causing termites live in the ground and tunnel their way into your home to feed on the wood.
Some more obvious physical signs include chipped wood, sawdust-like remains, and hollow wood that was previously solid.
Why should I use a professional for my termite treatment?
Most recommended and effective treatments for pest control in Ft. Lauderdale require heavy duty equipment. Avoid undertaking the task independently as the investment in termite treatment equipment is sizeable and usually does not allow homeowners to break even. Termite treatment typically involves handling chemicals and thus hiring a professional pest control specialists is always recommended. There are several types of termite treatments and a professional is best-suited to help you determine which treatment is right for your home in Ft. Lauderdale.
Types of Termite Treatment
Spot Termite Treatment
In larger buildings it’s typically more cost effective to treat only the affected areas. The process requires that the technician drill holes and pump in termiticide treatment to kill the termite colony.
Bait or Barrier Termite Treatment
This process involves strategically placing bait and barriers to concentrate termites in a select area. Stations are made in spots around the house and termiticide is pumped to a depth of at least 4 feet underground. It is also pumped directly into the walls themselves.
Tent or Fumigation Treatment
This termite treatment involves covering the entire structure with a tent and using a gas that is poisonous to termites to kill and destroy the insect colonies. Tenting for termites allows the gas to penetrate wood and kill termites on site.
Typically the technician sets up the tent over the entire structure of your home then attaches a fan and hose to the tent to pump the gas into the house. A tenting for termites can take up to 48 hours. The gas used dissipates quickly once the tent is removed and leaves no residue behind. In most cases additional adjustments must be made including removing any house plants, trimming trees that may interfering with the tenting, and removing uncanned foods.
No Tent Termite Treatment
No tent treatment is convenient and does not require your having to leave your home for an extended period of time. For example, you do not have to move out temporarily, remove plants, uncanned food, or cosmetics and medication, nor worry about remodeling or roof damage, taking down satellites or antennas, or trimming nearby trees. No tent termite treatment is known for tackling the problem without much disruption and returns your home to its natural functionality quickly.
The downside of no tent termite treatment is that it can possibly miss crucial spots of infestation which leaves termites with opportunities to multiply and return.
Cost of Termite Treatment
Termite tent treatment costs vary based on locations, infestation, and other factors. A chemical treatment for a home that is approximately 1250 square feet home is $1,350-$2,500 while a larger home of approximately 2500 square feet can cost between $1,700-$3,200.
The cost of termite treatment for your home in Ft. Lauderdale varies based on your needs and requirements. Meeting with a pest control specialist at your home is the best way to gain a realistic estimate as well as determine if more than one termite treatment is necessary.
As a rule of thumb spot treatments are recurring and tend to cost the most once all treatments are calculated for a time. Tent treatments require a large lump sum payment, however, typically kills and dissipated most termite colonies with just one treatment.
