Termite Control – Residential-Commercial Pest Control

“Natural” termite control—using naturally occurring microbials (such as nematodes; parasitic roundworms that live in the soil) and pathogenic fungi that attack termites where they live—is a wonderful idea, but does it work? Some say yes, others say no. Some termite control experts are willing to give it a chance, but should you?

What’s so natural about natural termite control?

Natural termite control is a relatively new method of handling termite infestations. Some exterminators, rather than creating newer and more powerful chemicals to combat termites and other pests, have become involved in termite eradication efforts based in a more traditional philosophy: fight nature with nature. This is nothing new; there are a number of states and countries that have tried natural pest control for other annoying animals.termite control - pest ontrol

For example:

Texas has imported foreign insects to combat fire ants; a strange creature not unlike the nematode, which attacks ants by planting its larva inside of the ant, which grows until large enough to consume the ant’s brain.
Similarly, the Virgin Islands imported mongooses to take care of a snake problems (and then, American hunters to eradicate mongoose problems).
Natural termite control advocates and exterminators have begun using strange sounding organisms like nematodes and bad sci-fi plot drivers like pathogenic fungi to battle termite infestations.

Who knew these things even existed, let alone actually worked for natural termite control?
Nematodes: Termite eating worms
According to studies at the University of Nebraska, a whole lot of people did. Unfortunately, using nematodes as a method of natural termite control doesn’t work. The idea of using nematodes (parasitic round worms that live in the soil naturally and eat termites) is filled with good intentions, but outside of laboratory situations, it’s just not feasible:

When a nematode attacks termites in a laboratory environment, there is nothing else there for the nematode to eat; the environment is specifically not natural.
In the natural setting of your home, or the soil around your home, experiments with termite-killing nematodes have largely failed. There is no evidence to show that the nematodes haven’t just left after being deposited in the soil around your home, preferring to eat something else, instead.
Deadly Spores? Unleashing pathogenic fungi
Unlike nematodes, pathogenic fungi have been shown to have some positive effect in exterminating termite infestations.During germination (when the spores of the fungi are let out to reproduce), pathogenic fungi can infect termites seriously enough to kill them. Natural termite control using fungi poses some problems:exterminators

Once death begins, noticeably sick termites are shunned from the colony, left to die on their own. If this happens before a large segment of the termite infestation colony is infected, the treatment will not work.
Ten percent of the termites causing infestation must be infected for the pathogenic fungi to successfully eradicate the termites. While this is possible, it is highly difficult to ensure, and few termite eradication exterminators are trained in the use of pathogenic fungi.
Pathogenic fungi are very sensitive to environmental conditions. They may not be suitable for wide use, and must be used during a specific time period for the climate to be right for effectiveness. If it is too damp, too hot, too anything, they are likely to die and will not work.
The Termite-Control.Net Consensus on Natural Termite Control:

Negative.

You’re better off using synthetic pyrethroid barrier treatments like permethrin , or termite bait systems.

Home Insurance – Protect Your Largest Investment

Home/Household insurance consists of two sections. Most insurance companies will allow you to buy both together and provide you a discount as an incentive to do so. There is structure insurance and contents insurance. For people who are moving homes, consider reading our Short Guide to Unoccupied Property Home Insurance Coverage.

home insurance

Homeowners Insurance

Structure Insurance

Structure insurance will cover the property itself that includes fixtures such as kitchen and bathroom fittings (sink, toilet, bath etc) and running water. The coverage will also protect you from unexpected events such as fire, flood or even subsidence. More info here

Contents Insurance

Contents insurance will protect your items inside your home. There is usually a maximum amount that an insurance company will cover. If you feel you have items that are worth more, ask the insurance agent to increase the limit. You may have to pay a little bit more but you will be able to be at peace should anything happen. Additionally, if you have any valuable items such as expensive jewelry, be sure to let the insurance company know and show proof of ownership in case you need to file a claim.

What to Consider when Purchasing Contents Insurance

Whether you rent or own, it is advisable to take out insurance for your furniture and other possessions in your home. Contents insurance covers a wide range of damages that may occur to the objects in your home, including theft, fire, explosion, lightning, flooding, storms, falling trees, leaking water and more.

On top of offering you protection for the possessions in your home, contents insurance also covers things such as: your legal responsibility as resident of the house, accidental damage to electronic equipment, replacement locks and keys and locksmith’s fees in the event of losing or damaging your keys, cost of storage and accommodation if you cannot live in your home as a result of the damages and many more others. Remember that not all content insurance policies are the same, and you should be careful about the one you choose.

Different contents insurance policies protect you at different levels and generally you will be covered against fire, theft and flood in the majority of cases. Some of the optional extras for which you will be expected to pay higher premiums include “personal possessions cover”, “accidental damage cover” and cover for when you go abroad.homeowners insurance

As with the majority of insurance policies, there is a variety of things that you should not expect to be covered by your contents insurance. These depend on your policy, but they may include damage to computers caused by a virus, the structure of the building such as the roof and walls or wear and tear. In most cases, cover for valuables consists of a single item limit and a total amount for all your valuable possessions. The usual limit for a single item is about $1700 so if you have items that are more expensive than that, such as works of art or jewelry, you may need to purchase extra cover.

The average home has contents worth $50,000, for which a contents insurance policy would be $122 on average per year. When purchasing contents insurance, there may be a temptation to underinsure in order to reduce your premium. You should make sure you get enough cover to replace all your stolen or damaged possessions in order to avoid the situation in which the insurer reduces your total claim payment because your total contents insurance cover is less than what it should have been. More on this website