No matter the year, termites are pesky
Is this year especially bad for termites? Exterminators disagree. Regardless, it never hurts to try to prevent them.
By WAVENEY ANN MOORE
Published August 28, 2005
LEALMAN - This summer, a four-block community that hosts missionaries and their families from around the world learned that it had some unwelcome guests; termites had invaded 14 of its 52 homes.
For D&D Missionary Homes at 4020 58th Ave. N, which depends on donations to house their wanted guests, the discovery was followed by an urgent request for financial help.
"The pest control companies say that our county is suffering the worst termite problem they have seen in years," it said in a memo.
The severity of the problem depends on who is talking. A manager for one company that has seen business increase surmised it might have been caused by people being more willing to spend money this year.
"It's not that they didn't have them before. They couldn't afford to do anything about it," said Leroy Maurer, general manager for St. Petersburg Termite and Pest Control.
"It's been really, really busy," he said. "Actually, we've had problems booking jobs."
Sam Frontera, Pinellas County branch manager for Terminix, said it's "pretty much the same as last year," but that earlier this year it appeared that infestation by drywood termites might be heavy. It was not, he said.
"We're always busy," he said.
For Rick McChesney of the Bug Man and a do-it-yourself business, Bug Man You Do It, it has been a bad year for termites and a good one for his business.
"There's been a lot more activity. I think it's weather related, warmer temperatures, more rain," he said.
"We're very busy. We've even had to hire another man. The people that do tents are booked up for months ahead of time."
According to the National Pest Management Association, termites "eat away at homes to the annual cost of $2.5-billion in treatments and damages" in the United States. "Termites are in every state except in Alaska," said Steve Good, a Terminix spokesman. "There is what is classified as a termite belt, and that is predominantly considered to be the Gulf Coast area, which includes Florida."
The state is a particular "hot bed" for termites, he said.
Jay Keating, Orkin's regional manager for North Florida, said the firm had not seen any significant spike in termite activity this year. Termites that infest homes can be divided into two types: subterranean, which live underground and invade homes by building small tunnels; and drywood termites, which enter mainly through cracks and unfinished wood.
"The first thing to remember is that termites are very hard to detect, and they work in a very hidden manner to do their damage," Keating said.
Homeowners should look for swarms of winged insects, he said.
"Sometimes they will find discarded insect wings on windowsills and doorways, and sometimes they'll see cracked or bubbling paint or wood that sounds hollow when tapped," said Keating. Subterranean termites leave mud tubes around a house's exterior, he said.
McChesney of the Bug Man said homeowners should look for swarmers around patio lights and computer screens, television sets and reading lamps.
"It's a good idea to use yellow bug lights for all your outside lighting," he said.
Bill Austin, general manager at D&D Missionary Homes, said the ministry is taking care of its problem gradually "because of money and partially because of the pest control people."
"They told us that they are booked," he said. "I guess we're not the only ones being invaded this year. "We're a faith-based ministry, and we survive off of what the Lord brings us," he said. "It kind of rips our budget in half. We only tent about one or two houses a year."
TERMITE PREVENTION TIPSLimit the supply of moisture to your house's foundation.
Keep gutters and downspouts clean.
Remove excessive plant cover and wood mulch.
Schedule an annual inspection with a licensed professional.
SIGNS OF TERMITESA temporary swarm of winged insects
Discarded wings from swarmers
Cracked or bubbling paint
Wood that sounds hollow when tapped
Mud tubes on exterior walls
Source: Orkin Inc.