Termite Protection

Termites cause somewhere between 5 and 10 billion dollars in damage to structures annually. Memphis lies in the part of the country where most of this damage occurs, an area which is considered to be a very high pressure area with a lot of termite activity in comparison to other parts of the country. This is because we have a warm and temperate climate-we get on average over 50 inches of rain per year-and before anyone moved here in the early 1800s, this area was covered with forests. For millions of years, termites thrived here because of these conditions and an abundance of wood from the native trees.

When you invest in termite protection for your home, you are investing in the protection of the most expensive thing you will ever purchase in your life. You are also investing in the company that will protect your home, so you should strive to pick a company that is going to be around for years to come and can back up your warranty. Brown Exterminating has been relieving Memphis of termite damage since 1972 and are the pest control company you can trust to get the job done!

Also keep in mind that what a pest control company does to protect your home from termites is for the most part intangible, which means that it is possible for you to get a proposal for treatment which will not be complete or thorough enough to give you complete protection, and you may not really know the difference. After all, a warranty is only as good as the intentions of the person who writes it.

Every product used for termite removal has a label which is the EPA-approved document that gives instructions for using the chemical to protect a structure from termites. It has instructions for treating methods, chemical mixing instructions, and the volume of chemical that is to be used to do an effective treatment. In Tennessee and Mississippi, the label is the law, which means that when a pest company does a treatment, they are to follow these instructions to the letter when treating. To do less than what the label says is not only dishonest and deceitful, it is a violation of state law.

Brown Exterminating uses Termidor for termite protection. It is the only product on the market that has been 100 percent effective in all the USDA test sites. When treating for termites, we use the Termidor perimeter plus label. It instructs us to "drill slabs no farther apart than 12 inches," which means any porch, patio, or garage wall that is drilled is drilled at this interval and injected with Termidor. It also says to "dig a trench next to the foundation 6 inches deep by 6 inches wide and inject using a soil injection rod" The chemical is to be applied at a rate of 4 gallons per 10 linear feet per foot of depth to the footer. Brown uses the Termidor perimeter plus label, which does not require the drilling and injecting of brick veneer. Before Termidor was registered and brought to the market, the manufacturer treated over 5000 houses with termite infestations using the perimeter plus label instructions with 100 percent success.

Some of the less honest companies will cut corners to offer a cheap job that the consumer sometimes is deceived into thinking is a better deal. There are several ways this is done.

1. They drill the holes at 18 to 24 inches, even though the label say "no farther apart than 12 inches." This will leave gaps in the chemically treated zone where there is no chemical, and termites can bypass the treatment through these gaps.
2. They do not dig a trench and inject the soil. They may just drill and inject the brick veneer. This is actually about 25 percent as much work as doing the job the way the manufacturer suggests it should be done to give an effective treatment. They may just spray the outside, but this does not work because the termites live in and come from underneath the soil to attack your house. Chemical that is sprayed on the surface will not come into contact with the termites and will degrade in a couple of months if it is not protected from the elements by being incorporated in the soil.
3. They do not apply chemical at the label rate. There are companies that will reduce the volume of chemical that is needed to give a complete and uninterrupted treated zone around the house, as well as mix the chemical at a weaker rate than you are supposed to. Making the chemical mix weak will affect how long it will last.
4. Use older, much less effective (but cheaper) chemistry. There are some products on the market which are much cheaper than Termidor, however they do not control termites 100% of the time. Some pyrethroid class chemicals with the active ingredients permethrin or cypermethrin actually fail to control termites as often as 25 percent of the time. Termidor is the only product that has been 100 percent effective, with no exceptions, however it is as much as 5 to 6 times more costly. Doesn't it make sense to use the most effective product on the market when protecting your home from damage?

Note: It has come to our attention that there are actually some companies that are not even registered to use Termidor, and use pyrethroid chemistry. They may tell the customer that they are using Termidor, because that is the product most people choose for protection.

Brown Exterminating follows the Termidor label directions exactly to insure that the protection is complete and effective. To do any less would be dishonest, unethical, and illegal as well. If someone is going to do a treatment in a way they know will not be effective, what do you think they are going to do when you have a warranty issue after the treatment?