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| http://unexco.com/popups/inmyyard.html | |
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| My Comment: No. Subterranean termite come from the ground. However, drywood termites can enter your home through an open window and can infest wood that is not in contact with the ground. |
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http://www.unexco.com/Termite.html I have found your site very informative, and suprisingly entertaining. I have lived in my house for 9 years and had swarming termites outside my house and not close to the structure. I am pretty sure they are subterranian (sp?. I have never seen them before. We are currently reconstructing a new front porch, the former one was made of wood and a stair broke so my husband tore the whole thing down. Which lead to the tearing out of the railroad tie retaining wall. Now this wall was well eaten away, despite my dads claims that the termites can't eat it because of the stuff on it. This same wall has been a long time home of lots and lots of ants. We moved the railroad ties to the other side of the driveway which is pretty weeded, not a lot of moisture, and former home to many ant nests. I am wondering one, if I need be worried about infestion into our house? Two, if the swarm was brought on by the disruption of the colony? Three, I went on an ant killing spree for approximately the last 10 months, could I have screwed up the ecosystem in the front yard and now the termites are taking over because I have all but illiminated their enemies? I had already called truce with the ants before the swarm. I still like to flood them out and watch them reorganize. Amazing little creatures. And as a side note, we also relocated dirt from the front yard to the other side of the drive way. My girlfriends dog was sniffing around in the dirt and uncovered an ants nest or at least a larger population of ants. But after reading your site, I think she was actually sniffing out the termites and the ants were just there for lunch. Wait till I tell my friend her dog has this talent! Thanks for your hard work, all the info on this site has been very helpful. When I do call an exterminator, I will know just what to look for. By the way, do they have carpenter ants in CA? Thanks again, Melissa, in California (email address omitted). |
| My Comment: Yes, they have CAs in California... But as long as you don't see the ants (or termites) on the inside, I wouldn't worry about it. And why are you going on such a killing spree outside? Are they bothering you? As long as they aren't hurting you or yours, don't do anything. |
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http://unexco.com/termite/tform.mv very confusing -- you ask a yes or no question and then for the answer you give a box to check or not check. What does the check mean? What does not checking the box mean? |
| My Comment: Hmmmmm. I don't have a combination "Yes/No" question on the estimate form. I do allow you to leave check marks off the estimate. It means that you can choose to not answer the question, if, perhaps, you do not have that architectural feature. Or if you have a combination of features. Homes in different areas are built differently, and over the years, added to in various ways. It's hard to allow for every eventuality, this is just an "estimate," but I have built it in such a way that I'm confident I can guarantee you a price at just that figure. |
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http://www.unexco.com/Termite.html#antsvstermites this is by far the most informative site on termites anywhere! you have answered ALL of our questions,especially differentiating between swarming ants and termites(thats actually why we came to the site). I do however have a question after seeing a true tube. I have a line that looks similiar on more than a few of the planks in our fence. we hired a cheap laborer to install a fence in a home we were leasing out, he did the job while we were on vacation, my husband did a quick check and since the overall appearance was good didnt notice the "lines". however, we have since moved into this home a year and a half later (the fence was never pretreated or sealed)and i noticed them. could these be termites or just cracks? they're about1/4" wide, look sort of crumbly inside but not loose and are the same color as the rest of the wood, maybe even a little yellowy. im worried they could spred to our home that is only bricked on the face of the home and 3/4 around the base, the rest is wood siding. what do you think? thanks so much. sincerly, angel caylao |
| My Comment: Angel, don't worry about "fences." They are not permanent structures, and just because your fence might have termites, doesn't mean you house is in "danger" either. If you are concerned about a fence, have it constructed of pressure treated wood. |
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http://www.unexco.com/Termite.html Thanks for the article on the web. Just last night I was watching the news in our finished basement and saw a few creatures flying around the ceiling lights. Thinking they were lady bugs I ignored them until one of them landed on me. Thinking they were termites I panicked and looked around finding hundreds around the base board. I jumped in my vehicle speeding to the walmart to get some bug spray. I did and sprayed the baseboard killing all I saw. I them got on the web and saw your article. Reading and seeing the photos confirmed they were citronella ants so I tried reviving all of them that I could. Had I not read your article I would have panicked and chances are someone would have made a buldle treating our 7000 sq ft house. I was persent when the house was built and I continued to pull out the scrap paper and wood from the foundation and eventually filled the trench which was approx 4' wide and 5' deep with gravel to drain the foundation. I had the pretreatment done at the beginning. The studding in the basement is pressuretreated and all the walls were sprayed with 3/4" of foam and then insulated, Was the foam a bad idea? Anyway, your article saved me a bundle. Thanks, Ted M |
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My Comment: You 'revived' the citronella ants? I don't know if you needed to do that..... But I am glad I was able to help in some way. As far as the foam is concerned, I'm not sure. I think sprayed-on foams would be better than insulation just PLACED against the walls. |
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http://www.unexco.com/Termite.html I would like permission to use the image of the citronella ant for National Wildlife Magazine. We are running a feature on rock gardens and would like to use the image for this purpose. Please advise. Thanks for your help with this!! (Jill from nwf.org) |
| My Comment: I don't check these suggestions on an every-day basis, and Jill's note got to me after about two weeks in the hopper. I replied, but she hasn't. |
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http://unexco.com/gallery/atlcity.html RE: The Atantic City job, Are you kidding me, have you ever heard of rubber cloves, work boots, slab injectors. You chemical all over the floor and all you do is wipe it up with a rag. My advise to you is get out of the pest control business you are the reason this industry gets the bad press it recieves. Try going to a class and learn about what you are doing instead of going out and doing. i recommend that home have air testing to make sure it is safe to live there. |
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My Comment: Well, sir, my advice to you is to go back to school and learn how to write and spell.
Were you asleep in English class? As far as 'safety' is concerned, I know what I have to do when I
have to do it. And the air is just fine, thank you very much. They're still alive and healthy and so am I. Now get a life. |