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JADs-Notebook is brought to you by John A. Dolloff REALTOR® / Sales Associate of Coldwell Banker Riverland Realty 11824 N. Williams St. US Hwy 41 Dunnellon, FL 34432 Wilbur Vanwyck, Broker. 800-927-4837   352-489-4511   352-489-9976 fax, Email: RiverlandRealty@Bellsouth.net

January 2007 

Real Estate  Q & A …

TERMITES AND PEST CONTROL

    This article is based upon questions and concerns that people have asked me over and over about termite and pest control. My not being an expert in “bug prevention” I turned to one of the area’s most reputable company’s “Dunnellon Termite & Pest Control” (D.T.P.C.) for answers. Dunnellon Termite & Pest Control is owned and operated by Tim & Michelle Mitchell. Unlike many pest control companies that find quality control challenging due to a high level of employee turnover, Tim & Michelle maintain a hands on approach to the daily operations of the business. Tim Mitchell started Dunnellon Termite & Pest Control a little over 11 years ago and he has over 16 years of pest control experience, therefore his expertise in the field is invaluable. He is one of the few experienced certified pest control operators that will still personally treat your home. The following is a very condensed summery of questions that the Mitchell’s were asked and the answers that follow are paraphrased and are not exact quotes.

       Q.: People who live in Florida know they are going to have bugs, what should the average homeowner be aware of when it comes to termite and pest control?

       D.T.P.C.: First we want to make it known that Dunnellon Termite & Pest Control offers a free termite & pest inspection and estimate to all new customers. Homeowners should know that it is always a good idea to have pest control for their home and even more importantly a termite prevention contract on their home. Most homes will at some point in time have problems with ants, cockroaches and other common household pests, but homeowners need to be aware that eventually they probably will need to have a termite treatment. There is an old saying in Florida that there are two types of homes; homes with termites and homes that will have termites. A good preventive treatment and renewable termite contract can help reduce that risk.

       Q.: People have told me that they don’t feel they need termite protection because they live in a concrete house, the soil was pretreated before the house was built, or the termite inspection they had done when they bought the place was clean. How would you address each of these comments?

       D.T.P.C.: Even if the home is of concrete block construction termites can still find away into the home. The majority of homes are built with the interior walls, baseboards, doorframes and roofing constructed of wood. Termites are notorious for following piping into homes or even the smallest of cracks in the foundation can provide an entrance. Eventually termites may get in.

       The pretreatment of soil before construction is perhaps one of the best preventive steps a homeowner can take; however it is often one of the most misunderstood aspects in the construction process. Too often, in an effort to reduce costs, substandard pre-construction termite treatments are performed. While this provides short term savings, it could prove even more costly later in post construction treatments and or home repairs because of termite damage. Also, depending upon what type of chemicals used the effective life of the treatment could be as little as five years, possibly less.

       Termite inspections may also provide a false sense of security. The inspector is only reporting what is visible to him at the time of the inspection. Subterranean termites live underground and feed on wood; inspectors can only report on what they see. So, unless there is evidence such as damaged  exposed wood, mud tunnels or signs of swarming an inspector will report that there is ‘no visible sign  of live termite activity’ and it is important to realize this difference as opposed to saying ‘there are no termites’.   

      Q.: With so many different pest control service companies available why would, should, someone choose Dunnellon Termite & Pest Control over another company?

      D.T.P.C.: At Dunnellon Termite & Pest Control we truly value every customer and consider it a privilege to serve them. – Our motto is “Committed to Excellence” and we take that motto seriously. We feel we offer a high quality of service at very competitive price. For our pest control we offer a system of low or non odor liquid, baits and repellents applied to the interior, exterior and attic of your home. Should additional service be needed during the year, there is absolutely no additional charge. For termite control we use Termidor Termiticide. This creates a barrier between your home and the colony under ground at the foundation, as well as stopping any termites above ground on their way back to the colony. Once treated, your home is protected with an annually renewable termite contract. Homeowner’s need to read the fine print in their termite contracts - many companies will charge a ‘full new treatment’ price to renew after 5 years, we do not.

***

      I would like to thank Mr. & Mrs. Mitchell for taking the time to answer my many questions.  Personally, when my family and I first moved to Dunnellon we had one of those ‘other’ pest control company’s come and treat our home with their hit and run once a month treatment and we constantly had trouble with bugs. We later switched to Dunnellon Termite & Pest Control and our problems have been practically  eliminated. We have been constantly impressed with the level of professionalism, honesty and integrity shown by all at Dunnellon Termite & Pest Control.        

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