Termite problem resolved in Edison, NJ

Challenge

A few days ago, I was sent to a home in Edison, NJ to treat a termite infestation. The termite activity was in the wood siding in the front of the house. 

Solution

To treat this area, I dug a small trench to apply treatment to the soil next to the foundation. Termites were able to easily damaged the wood siding because the wood was in direct contact with the ground. In home building, direct wood-soil contact is a termite problem waiting to happen and should be avoided. Along the same lines, it’s always a good idea to remove stumps near the foundation. Here, I treated the soil under the stump as a preventative measure.

The back deck area also required some attention. The deck boards were covered with glued-down astro-turf carpeting. I used a hand drill to drill holes through the deck boards. Since there was concrete under the deck boards, I needed to use a concrete drill to reach the soil. Since termites are subterranean insects, it is critical to directly apply the product into the soil. I drilled the holes and then treated the soil under the deck. After treatment, I placed wood dowels into the drilled deck boards to seal the drill holes. The best termite treatments are those where you can’t tell that a permit specialist was even there in the first place!

It goes without saying that if you spot termite damage, a termite specialist should be called out at the first sign of trouble. Termite damage is often hidden so if you spot a problem, it may be the tip of the iceberg. These wood-devouring insects are capable of causing significant property damage that can cost thousands of dollars to repair. Early treatment can avoid these problems. Better yet, homeowners should consider a Sentricon preventative termite systems to protect their home investment.