Subterranean Termite Infestation Subterranean Termites Subterranean termites live underground and travel through soil and mud tubes to reach the wood above. These mud tubes protect them from predators and dehydration. Unlike drywood termites, subterranean termites don’t live inside the wood they feed on, nor do they consume it entirely. They eat the softer springwood and […]
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Why Choose California Termite? Any homeowner who has dealt with termites knows how many options there are. Every time I drive on one of San Diego’s major freeways, I spot another termite company I’ve never heard of. Should you go with a big, well-known company? Large companies often become sales organizations rather than termite control
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There is Another Way Maybe You Don’t Have to Fumigate. I exhibited at the Older and Bolder Expo last Saturday in Carlsbad, CA, where hundreds of seniors attended. At my table, the most common comments I heard were: “I just tented my house.” or “Do you tent, or do you use orange oil?” It struck
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A Long Day in the Life of a Termite Inspector Mobile Homes and Crawlspaces It was a Saturday, and I had four inspections. The first two were mobile homes. Mobile homes always come with a crawlspace. I actually like attics—no matter the temperature—because they’re more of a challenge. Crawlspaces… they’re almost never fun. They stay
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Under a Mobile Home All mobile homes sit on a raised foundation, which makes the space underneath an important area to inspect during a termite inspection. While mobile homes generally don’t contain a lot of wood, there are still key areas where termites or wood-destroying organisms may be found. I focus on wood that’s connected
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My Journey Through Pest Control (and Why It Matters for My Customers) Before I started California Termite, I worked for several different companies across San Diego County. Each job taught me something important—sometimes what to do, and sometimes what never to do. Looking back, those experiences shaped the values I bring to my own company
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Termite Inspector Ailments Inspecting for termites isn’t exactly a desk job. If you’re thorough (and not everyone is), you have to work your way through the attic, crawlspace (sometimes more than one), and probe every section of accessible wood around the perimeter of the home. It’s not for the faint of heart. In fact, there
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Termite Foam vs. Liquid When it comes to local treatments for drywood termites, there are three main options: fipronil (in liquid or foam form) and orange oil. I’m not a fan of orange oil. It’s a repellent (termites can smell and taste it and simply avoid it), it dissipates in less than a month (so
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Borating an Attic Space Termites spread by swarming, and they can enter your attic through vents. Since attic wood is usually unpainted, anywhere they land they can start chewing. A borate treatment prevents this by making the wood inedible to termites. The borates work by killing the protozoa in a termite’s stomach, leaving them unable
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Inside a Crawlspace Crawlspaces are a termite inspector’s least favorite place—damp, dirty, webby, cramped, and full of surprises. I’ve been in a 9,000-square-foot home with a crawlspace just as big, and I’ve been under a mobile home during an earthquake. But if you want a complete inspection, you have to get in there and crawl
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