I completely agree—on birth points—YES to Dean’s, NO to Massey!

We have had Deans for 15 years and very happy with them

Orkin to the Rescue
 

We discovered that we had siigns of drywood termites and called Massey and Dean. Orkin Pest Control had the best logical explanation, price, and technicians. Others tried to oversell us using scare tactics. It seems that the best termites to invite into your home are these. Usually come in with furniture (in our case --- a Murphy Bed purchased 8 years ago). These critters move very slowly unlike the subterrain ones that can eat you out of your home very quickly. Nevertheless Orkin recommended and treated our problem with a safe foam chemical that was injected around each door and window in the house as well as in potential wet spots (like the drain of a bath tub). They installed an access panel in a closet for the bathtub drain. The above was for the drywood termites.

There were no signs of the deadly subterranean breed. Nevertheless, they treated that as a preventative measure because we do have a large oak tree which can attract these critters. For this, they inserted and injected a chemical every 12" around the perimeter of the foundation. In addition, they installed Sentricon bait traps outside the house every 10 feet around the perimeter and three feet out. they also sprayed exposed wood in the attic.

$1,600 for everything just described . Could not be happier.

Am not connected with Orkin in any way whatsoever; don't want or get any kind of referral fee; simply want to share our good experience with others here in the community.

The Service Supervisor was excellent and patient as he educated us to the options. His contact info follows:

Jeff Lightfoot
352-431-5675 is his cell

Leesburg Office is 352-787-1357

Is this home new, or is it a resale. If resale, I would stick with whoever the contract is with currently; otherwise, new company , if you ever have a problem, can always say that the problem started prior to them taking over the contract, and refuse to make the repairs.

Termites
 

Massy was my first bug guy. He put traps around my house. At renewal he wasq

Spare. Termite treatment
 

I heard that people here were using a DIY approach by using granular termite treatment that they get at Sparr. Can anyone provide more information about this?

Yes, ask Massey. Question: "Massey what percentage of houses in the Villages have had termite problems?" Answer: "The Villages is a wonderful place to live. Lots of golf, pickelball, swimming, restaurants and entertainment. What time should we come over?" Yep, spray yourself.

There are those who contend that termite protection is not needed in The Villages; however, I feel that it is a worthwhile investment since when you go to sell the house, you will be asked if you have had termite protection and a negative response could mean that you might lose the sale. In my opinion, it is relatively cheap insurance. What you are buying is really just an insurance policy that will cover you in the event there is termite damage. That being said, I have felt that the Dean's termite program is better than Massey's termite program and I have found that Dean's was more reasonably priced. In the end, you should compare coverage vs. cost and make your decision. If you look inside your electrical panel with the irrigation system and cables, you will find out who installed the original termite protection. Chances are that that company will be cheaper for continuing service.

I will pass on a tip I received fro a commercial pest control vendor who sells all types of insecticides to termite control companies etc...
He said if you buy some wood 2 x 2 boards, cut them into two foot lengths and make a point at one end. Then soak them in Terminex for 24 hours. Drive them in the ground around the perimeter of your house about 2-3 feet apart (Yes it will be quite a few) that will repel any subterranean termites which is what the bait traps are for. I did that at my other house and it worked for the twenty years I was there. The flying termites are another story and you have to inspect (preferably annually) for those.

No, a CAT scan.
 

No, a CAT scan would be best.

baits are a waste of money IMHO....all that means is that termites are in your immediate area

spend the money and have someone annually treat your home....it's short money
and they are on the hook if you get termites

DIYS and you own everything

we had termites twice in Ft Lauderdale before moving up here....
whether there are 2 or 3 kinds of termites makes little difference in my eyes (but I am not the bug master)

hey...FL has termites...ya just gotta deal with it