Monthly Termite Program

Slab Homes

How to determine if your treatment is current.

• Home is under 4 years of age
• Check the electric panel for stickers from the termite company. Look for stickers with chemical names. Stickers with WDO are for inspection only.
• Traps are not considered as a current treatment.
• You send us a picture of the current stickers or schedule an appointment.

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Fill out form to start service

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Common Conducive

Common Conducive Conditions for Wood-Destroying Organisms Around Your Home
Understanding and correcting conducive conditions for wood-destroying organisms around your home
gives you an active role in protecting your greatest investment – your home. Wood destroying
organisms (WDOs) include termites, wood rot fungi, and wood-destroying beetles. The key to
preventing most of these pests is keeping moisture levels low in and around your home. Without this
moisture, most WDOs cannot survive and thrive. The following are common conducive conditions for
subterranean termites specifically and what you can do about them.

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• Sill plate near the soil. Many Florida homes are built “on grade” where the floor level is at or only slightly above the exterior soil level. This puts the sill plate at peril of moisture and termite infestation.

Solution: This can be corrected by re-establishing the property grade six to eight inches below the slab
and having the yard slope away from the structure. You should have at least a small step up into your
house.

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• Foam insulation in contact with soil. Foam insulation is an energy-conserving addition to your home. However, if the foam insulation board is installed in direct contact with soil, or near the soil or grade, termites have a readily available entryway into your home. Foam insulation board is easily penetrated and tunneled through by termites. Termites have been known to penetrate and tunnel through lead, vinyl, and PVC plastics. The foam insulation board also retains moisture which termites need to survive and thrive.

Solution: This situation can be corrected by cutting off the foam board so it stops six to eight inches
above the grade of the property. You want to be able to view the foundation of your home between the
siding and the soil or mulch to spot any termite activity.

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• Siding or stucco in contact with soil. Where the siding is installed below grade level or in direct contact with soil, termites can build mud tubes between the siding and foundation and enter your home completely undetected. This is the case no matter what type of exterior siding material is used — brick, wood, stucco, vinyl, or even coquina. Although it may be aesthetically appealing to have siding meet the soil, termite entry is virtually impossible to spot. Additionally, some types of paint are porous to rain or sprinkler water. This additional moisture in a wall could support a colony of termites above ground where the pretreatment barrier would have no effect.

Solution: As with foam insulation board, siding must stop six to eight inches above the soil. You should
also use grades of paint that seal the stucco or siding against any water intrusion. Caulking and sealing
around windows, doors and any edges or seams will make the siding as water-tight as possible.

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• Cracks in concrete slabs. Although small, hairline cracks are normal in most slabs, large settlement cracks provide access for subterranean termites. Conventional chemical treatments rely on the integrity of the concrete slab to act as a barrier against termites.

Solution: Where these breaches occur, additional chemical treatments may be needed. Carpets and
flooring may need to be lifted to allow the pest control operator to drill holes in and around the crack
and apply additional termiticides. Following the treatment, cracks can be sealed with patching or joint
compounds.

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• Inadequate property grade. If water from rainstorms or sprinklers is allowed to accumulate and sit next to your house, it may hasten the breakdown of the chemical barrier and contribute excess moisture to the walls. The grading around the house should channel water away from the structure.

Solution: You may need to modify the physical grade of your property. Unfortunately, this is often an
expensive proposition. Simply put, your house should not sit in a bowl – it should sit on a mound. Even if
you are only able to modify one or two sides of the structure, this will allow water to drain away from
the walls, allowing for proper drainage and drying.

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• Lawn sprinklers wet the walls. If water from sprinklers directly contacts the walls of your house, they may be causing a lot of direct damage. If not damaging your property, they are at least providing the moisture termites need to survive. This will also contribute to wood-decay fungi development.

Solution: Modify your sprinkler spraying patterns away from the walls of your house. Monitor the
systems frequently. Maintain the walls of your house and when re-painting use a good quality, water-repellent paint.

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• Lack of rain gutters. Because of Florida’s sandy soils, rain gutters are rarely installed. Additionally, in the past, sizable overhangs, or eaves, kept water run-off away from the exterior walls. New construction designs often call for shorter eaves, which don’t offer any protection for the walls from rain.

Solution: Rain gutters divert large volumes of rainwater away from the house and protect the chemical barrier. By installing rain gutters with at least a 1-foot extension, you direct the water away from the structure.

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• Plant materials next to home. Landscaping such as bushes, turf, and wood mulch right up against the home is essentially termite food that can harbor termites from where they can easily invade your home. Tree limbs in proximity to or over the home as well as tree stumps and firewood piles near the home also create these termite harbors.

Solution: Maintain at least a six-inch gap between your home and all landscaping including rocks (which
retain the moisture). Keep tree limbs trimmed up, remove tree stumps near the home, and place firewood
as far from the home as possible.