How long will a termite treatment last, this is a popular question we get asked on a regular basis, and unfortunately, I don’t have a short answer.
How many times have you heard an answer to a question start with, well it depends…? What does it depend on? It could depend on when was the house treated last, what product was used to make the termite treatment, was it old technology or new technology – I know that’s confusing too – how about I break it down this way, did the chemistry of the termiticide create a barrier, ie.. keep the termites away or was it a non- repellent chemistry – designed to let the termites live long enough to get in the product and stick to the termite so it would carry back the deadly surprise to the nest and infect the whole colony of termites.
Both great technologies but performing the termiticide applications have changed over the years too, we used to have to drill holes every 18 inches, then a new product arrived, their Label said the holes must be every 12 inches, now the same manufacture has created a new derivative of the product and now we are back to 18 inches with that product. Once again, it gets more confusing and harder for a consumer to know what they should do, who they should use and how long will the termite treatment last.
So what is the real answer to how long will a termite treatment last, I certainly haven’t given you an answer on how long it will last, just a lot more questions based on it all depends.
In my opinion, a termite treatment will last a lot longer based on the professionalism of the company who makes the application. There are a lot of different termiticides on the market, some are well known, got a great brand, you’ve seen the commercials on TV. Some are generic, using the same active ingredients as the Popular termiticides, and some are products that have been around a long time, and in today’s world, the big deal is mixing different products together to try and get the best features of one or more chemistries all in one new fancy product to confuse you even more! No matter the product, it still comes down to the guy who makes the application, does he do a thorough job, is the job clean, is the application made according to the label and applied safely, is the sales proposal specific and you know exactly what the treatment will consist of? All the things I would be looking at if I had to choose a termite company today, if you feel confident in the proposed method of treatment, you are more apt to get a treatment that will last longer, because the job was done correctly and hopefully better than another company.
I personally don’t’ believe any company in our market is intentionally trying to do a poor job, however there are red flags in the industry. The first warning sign to look for is the LOW cost treatment, when you get 3 different bids and 2 prices are relatively close but one is extremely low, I would run from that one.
New companies who are trying to get in the business tend to be low price, and volume companies who only do one type of work, say termite control, tend to offer lower prices simply to keep many crews busy. A volume company, at low prices, again in my humble opinion, tend to take shortcuts, tend to sell a very basic service that may or may not be sufficient to completely solve the entire termite problem and/or will certainly not protect the whole structure. Let me give you an example: we compete against companies who will routinely be $240 less than our cost of treatment and of course they get the job. But come to find out to be $240 less they have to skip something… let’s do the math…. A house that is 180 linear feet around the structure and has a 2 car garage, two companies give quotes, one company charges $720 dollars the other company charges $960, what is the difference, and should you chose the lower priced company? Well, you can, and they both will give you the same warranty, why should I pay more? Here is why I think you choose the higher proposed treatment, and it’s based on which treatment will last longer? The lower price company did not include the additional 60 linear feet to treat the inside of the foundation around garage stem walls and tire stops. So yes, he was less expensive, but they are also not making application of termiticide to those areas, just gambling you won’t get termites there! If questioned, he will say it’s covered in your warranty, and will probably come back and do some treatment IF you get termites there at a later date. Now keep in mind, he doesn’t make any more money, it costs him money he didn’t originally charge for, he has current paying jobs scheduled, yours warranty treatment is free, he is extremely busy, it’s just your garage, he is 30 to 60 days out before he can get there, why didn’t he just treat it when he was there the first time? Hmmm less expensive, right?
It’s your house, do you want to gamble on not treated vs. treated? I say pay for it, do it right, it will last longer!