Termite Control, Termite Inspections in Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Orange County
(Except short sales and Escrows)
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When it comes to termite control, Orange County has a few options, but they’re not all the same — not by a longshot. Over the next two posts, we’re going to talk about what makes a GREAT termite control company.
The Inspection
This is a short one. To be blunt, there is no way to accurately assess the actual extent of a termite hive — to much of it is below ground or inside the wooden structure of your home. To that end, it’s enough to say that a professional inspector won’t walk around jotting notes on the back of a business card — they’ll spend a few hours depending on the size of the home, and they’ll take copious notes. If your termite inspection — Orange County or otherwise — doesn’t put at least that much effort into it, get a new inspector immediately.
The Termiticides
There are a lot of ways to kill termites. Organic or ‘green’ termite control options include Orange oil, Boracare, and Timbor; more effective chemical termiticides include Vikane, Termidor, Premise, and Dragnet. Be careful to ask, however, that your green termite control company is using a solution with a natural base as well — some will do silly things like put orange oil in a base of 90% benzol, which is highly toxic and not at all organic.
By law, Orange County residents will receive a “wood destroying organism report” before any fumigation or other termite control can be performed. Part of that report tells you exactly what termiticide is going to be used on your property. (If it doesn’t, your termite control company is breaking the law and you should find a new one.) Once you get that information off of the report, you can investigate it on the EPA website.
So-called ‘chemical free’ termite control companies claim that electrocution, heat treatment, freezing, or microwaves can be as effective as chemical agents. That is simply untrue, and some of them can have negative side effects as well. In particular, heat treatments and microwaves have been known to damage items around the house as well. At the moment, nothing beats chemical agents.
In Part II, we’ll talk about how to recognize the business practices of a great termite control company.