Frank wrote:

Em wrote:

My annual home termite inspection and "insurance" policy has been costing
$125 per year. This year, now that the house has been standing five years,
the exterminator wants to do a $445 "booster" treatment. I thought the
barrier remains intact for many years until the soil is disturbed, so I
asked why the house would need a booster, and the lady said the barrier has
been breaking down over the five years because of "walking in the yard". Is
the a bona-fide service they are offering?
-BAM


Since they stopped using chlordane, I don't believe that there is any
long lasting chemical barrier. If you are observant, as other
respondant indicated, you are wasting money on inspections and
treatments. I've saved over 30 years without problems. OTOH my next
door neighbor ignored the termites in his wood pile next to the house
and did not call exterminator until he saw them flying in his basement.
Then he got the full treatment. Before the juvenile hormones killed
the nest, I was seeing them in wood 20 ft from my house. That year, I
put out, I think they are called "Terminate" stake and also I spray
foundations a couple of times of year because of ants, and termites did
not visit me.
Frank

Our older condo was tented twice, before we lived here. Termites are
all over here, in Florida, so finding them in the yard really has
nothing to do with whether the home will be infested. Since we moved
here, inspections are done yearly (not all unit owners would "bother").
Newer condos, on either side of us, have been tented within the past
two years or so. We have trees chewed up by termites, and seem to have
a little war going on between insect species .. one year lots of
carpenter ants, another year lots of fire ants, etc. Fire ants eat
other larvae, so perhaps they keep the termites down. Some choice! )