[sweetthang]

The Formosa termites are a great concern in New Orleans. I don't know if they are prevalent in Florida. We moved from Louisiana and have known people who had to deal with the Formosa termites; they are a scourge. My husband's uncle had them and they put a tent to cover the house after the treatment and there is no guarantee they won't return. Best of luck.

[784caroline]

BTW..how old is the house and I assume its a frame home?

[grayesun]

Originally Posted by 784caroline

BTW..how old is the house and I assume its a frame home?

House is 12 years old, yes frame construction with vinyl siding. No new developments to report; have contacted TV realtor we worked with (via e-mail 2 days ago), no response yet. Will arrange another termite inspection today, any suggestions for reputable companies that will do a reliable job would be much appreciated.

Thanks folks.

[grayesun]

For stepping up, getting out to our home this afternoon and taking care of termite problem. No infestation into our house was found, termite swarm boundary ended at lanai wall...thank goodness. Termite sniffing by the impressive beagle Edie (sp) and full treatment completed. What a major relief. Thanks also to our outstanding TV realtor (Greg) who got the ball rolling with Dean's. Great job all around by all concerned; we couldn't be more impressed.

[villages07]

gray,

Glad to hear all turned out well and that Dean's did the right thing. Probably did not hurt that you discussed this topic on such a widely read forum. That could make the stakeholders a little more responsive.

[gego3650]

I have been un sin Cory for 9 years and he one of the best. Both pests and termites. Most of the people in my neighborhood ues them and have since we moved in ( 2002 ) 245-4522

[784caroline]

2 issues here are

1) a termite inspection when buying a house may not have any guarante with it, BUT it is for the inspectors benefit to find termites if they are there. If the inspector finds them then either the buyer or seller...most likely the seller...will pay to get rid of them in order to get the necessary paperwork to satisfy the bank.

2) How do you know the termites were present at the time of the inspection?? Up north, we had Swarming termites and by themselves are NOT dangerous but are a good indication they are in the area and you need treatment. They would come out of the ground in late April/may when the weather started to turn warm. The birds would have a field day. Termites that you find in wood or in the ground (tunnels) are normaly white in color and have no waist...these are the bad guys!

[batman911]

The house inspection should have found the soil up over the foundation level as a problem. Soil should never be higher than 8 inches from the bottom of the home siding. I have lived in a termite zone forever and would not recommend planting any plant that requires watering within 4 feet of the foundation. Constant watering near the foundation will break down the chemical barrier around the foundation (also a good reason to have gutters installed). All my gutter down spouts drain to large underground PVC pipes that dump onto the street or sidewalk. Keep the area around your house foudation dry to discourage termites and keep all wood preserved and dry.

[784caroline]

If I read the OP post correctly, the termite inspection was done in Nov 2009 and he just found the problem...hard to say a termite problem was at the house 1 1/2 years ago and that an inspector would have found it. If termites were there for that long of period, you would start seeing some damage and I believe OP stated there was no damage.