Have been with a large exterminator company for several years.
Pay nearly $350/year. Seems high.
I see local companies riding around town. How do they compare as far as price and remediation in repairing damage if needed?
Not looking to DIY.
How do they do it…
Baiting costs more than Chemical treatment.
Baiting requires multiple visits for inspection…
Chemicals is once a year.
I have Chemical treatment… $125 a year.
I don’t know about cheaper, but I know about smoke and mirrors. Just notified my big name (starts with “M”) company that I am not renewing their so-called protection. It cost several hundred and consisted of bait stations, annual “inspection” and annual payment collection.
Big big problem with it though! There are over 2000 termite species and the big company protects even my furniture, against only ONE termite, the subterranean kind!!! Many things are eating my house and the company accepts ZERO responsibility! When my Alaska bride arrived, she promptly asked for a Draw Knife, and with it she peeled bark off logs holding up my porch roof! With one action, wife did more than termite company did in years!
Moral of story: Grill your “termite company” peddler thoroughly about exactly what they do and what they warrant.
My termite company used to come out and check the traps several times a year. Now they only come out once a year. They told me the reason is because they have better bait systems now. I more inclined to believe it’s a cost cutting measure.
Did they lower the price?
Call around, ask for prices and whether they are bait or Chemical.
Chemical vs bait stations: Which is more cost effective?
Chemical is more cost effective… especially more so as the cost of fuel goes up.
Here we have both terrestrial and flying termites. Bait stations in the ground are not useful in most places because we are built on rock.
One type of ground stake used on the mainland is a sacrificial piece of soft wood with chemical in it. . Termites go to that, get the slow poison and then go back to the nest. Of course that has no effect for flying termites.
The most common termite protection here is to tent (a giant tent is placed over the building and gas is pumped in). It costs thousands of dollars and should be performed every 10 years. There are some people who like the orange oil treatments. Orange oil is not effective against subterranean termites.