Take it from someone who had had to have their old house tented once before we moved, it’s not fun at all. Nevermind the price of tenting the prep alone to tent is worth the price prevention. Besides the fact that any piece of wood in your house could have termite larva in it and it takes up to 5 years to for hem to come out. A once of prevention is worth a pound of cure!!!! Needless to say we got the whole package from Massey.

I don't trust Bait system
 

I considered termite protection, but I don't see any flying insects and honestly am concerned about laying traps or baiting to attract termites if I don't already have them on my premises. Why would you invite this "unwanted guest" by laying bait ?

You will never see subterranean termites, except maybe once per year in the Spring when they mate and some of them swarm and fly away to find another house. Basically, there are two methods to treat a house for subterranean termites, the bait system and the perimeter soil poison method. I think that most people opt for the perimeter system, where they drill under the house and inject a chemical every 16 inches around the house. If done correctly, this will create a perimeter of poisoned soil around the house that will prevent the termites from invading the house. Personally, I wouldn't use the bait system, but it will not cause termites to invade a house.

They don't "Tent" for subterranean termites and dry wood termites are very rare in TV.

I have the bait system from Massey. It was installed a few years ago when we purchased. With all the overgrown landscaping around the house I believe the underground system cannot be injected as efficiently. When I recently had landscape upgrades done, Massey came out and relocated the traps at no charge and replaced the damaged ones that the landscaper broke when removing.

The problem with the bait system is that, if you don't do the regular monitoring and treatments, the house will not be protected. With the perimeter injection system, you have long term protection, even if you let the contract lapse. When Massey came to my house to renew the initial 5-year new house contract about 2 years ago, they told me that they no longer sell the bait system. They treated the entire house, and I now have a 10-year retreatment and damage contract, with no additional treatment needed.

We do have a termite protection policy through Florida Pest Control. Bought it our first month here, along with a comprehensive weed and bug prevention plan from them. So far I’m happy. Whether or not the termite policy was necessary was open to debate: some said yes, some said no. But it is not that expensive and as it is transferable to the next owners, should they so elect, I think it would be a pretty good selling point should we ever decide to move elsewhere.

Thinking back though, termites were only one of the various nasties we were told about just before and for about two months after moving here. Allligators—heat—snakes—floods—poor medical care—you name it. One biggie was hurricanes. We had scarcely been here a week when a sales guy from some home-protection company called. His pitch was all about the danger that hurricanes posed to homeowners who did NOT protect their windows. His company peddled an every-window-in-the-house product that in the event of a hurricane, automatically rolled down exterior blinds that were apparently hurricane-proof. Price: $2,500.00. I said that that didn’t sound bad for the house. He clarified “no—that is per window”. I politely declined. He was not happy.

How much of that kind of stuff do we buy that we don’t really need? People coming from way north don’t really know much other than what they hear, and it seems as if TV has more than it’s share of people who try to cash in on that.

I have the Arrow guy come out every couple months on schedule for the bait traps in the garage and around the house. Massey does my overall termite renewal plus my sprinkler system checks.

Here is what the Florida Department of Agriculture said about the product:

This is Derek Yan with the FL Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). We just spoke about your questions concerning licensed pest control companies and general use products to control termite activity. Specifically, the termite granules by Bio-Advanced which I will link their label here: 501421781a 190319V1 f Termite Killer GRAN 9lb (salsify.com)

Just to reiterate, FDACS does not endorse any specific brand name or product. Also, this discussion was specifically on subterranean termites. We discussed why licensed professionals are used to treat termite products: They are trained professionals and have access to more effective pesticides that are restricted to the public because of safety reasons. And trained professionals can inspect the structure for any evidence/conducive conditions that they are trained to identify. This is not to say that the granules would not work, but I would not recommend it without other preventative treatments in place. Bio-Advanced's label does state to find a licensed professional if problems persist. The label for Bio-Advanced's "Termite Killer" instructs to place granules over the soil and water it in to treat the upper layer 6 inches out. Licensed professionals do what is called a "trench and treat" where they dig a trench 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep, applying 4 gallons of liquid termiticide every 10 feet (according to product label). This comparison is to show the differences in application. Also, important to remember is that the company's have a contract that can state that termite damage that occurs due to misapplication would be covered.

Homeowners should have a licensed company apply subterranean termite preventative treatments under a contract where the technicians can inspect for other wood destroying organisms (WDO) and evidence. The two most common types of prevention that are proven to work are in-ground bait stations and liquid termiticide in the soil. Homeowners don't have to choose just one if the company provides both services. The bait stations do not attract termites to the home, instead it uses cellulose material treated with a pesticide that is spread through the colony and targets their ability to shed their exoskeleton. The liquid termiticide is placed into the soil where it adheres to the dirt and is effective up to 10 years, according to research. Here is more information on protecting your home: https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/do...n_Termites.pdf

We had also discussed why many people in the area are canceling their contracts due to no termite activity. Whereas in South Georgia, you saw that everyone had a contract with professional companies. I'm not too versed in Georgia's rules yet, but in FL builders require a termite preventative treatment. You were aware of it when you mentioned how a liquid treatment was included for new homeowners for 5 years before they would have the option to continue treatments. Because of this rule, termite activity may not be apparent initially. Plus, the termite colonies are very cryptic and hidden. The evidence of subterranean termite activity could be hard to spot for homeowners. Especially if they moved in from somewhere without these concerns.


Remember, your home is one of your major investments. You want to mitigate any risk of damage to your property. A licensed pest company would be the best option to do so. If you are unsatisfied with any current company's services you can shop around. Also, important to note is that if one wants to apply their own pesticides while having a company provide their own service be sure to contact them in case the products conflict, dilute, or reduce the efficacy of each other.

Here is more information on subterranean termites: Subterranean Termites / Termites / Protect Your Home from Pests / Health and Safety / Consumer Resources / Home - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (fdacs.gov)

I hope our talk answered your question. If you have any other questions, feel free to contact me with the information attached in my email signature below.



Thank you,
Derek Yan
Environmental Consultant
Entomology & Pest Control Section
Division of Agricultural Environmental Services
Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

(850) 528-5396 - Cell
Derek.Yan@FDACS.gov