Comments

1. Neil Says:
   May 12th, 2009 at 5:01 am

   Hi

   I admit to having no experience with termites - one of the advantages perhaps of living in the cold/wet UK

   I think one of the most concerning aspects of this arrangement (that you are obviously aware of) is the conflict of interest created by the inspector and the “insurer” being one and the same company. Ideally these would be separated, is it possible to get a home insurance policy that covers termite damage?

2. J Says:
   May 12th, 2009 at 5:26 am

   We live in the southeastern US and we use a local company for our termite treatment and bond. They charged about $1500 for the initial treatment when we purchased the house and then $175 each year to maintain the termite bond. They inspect once a year and retreat every 5 years. The retreatment is included as long as we keep the bond in place. The bond is also transferable to a new homeowner. They recently raised the price of the renewal to $200 per year but we are still saving money on the deal if you consider what it would cost to retreat every 5 years. I considered dropping it a few years ago but when I found out the retreatment was included, that sealed the deal.

3. Joe Says:
   May 12th, 2009 at 5:36 am

   I would not recommend Terminex at all. The previous owners of our house used them for over 12 years, annually paying the fees. When the inspection was done and we were getting ready to close, they found years worth of termite damage that had to be repaired. I know they fought with Terminex for a while to get them to pay for the repairs. I think they ended up spending a good bit out of pocket to fix it themselves so that we could close. Maybe it was just a local office issue but we’ll never use them.

4. justin Says:
   May 12th, 2009 at 5:43 am

   I have to have it now that termites were discovered by me. I saw swarmers coming up from the basement, just 15 of them. However, that’s always the tip of the iceberg. Once they treated, I have to keep the warranty going in case a I need a retreatment. However, the big deal is selling the property. You aren’t selling soon; I’m selling within a couple of years.

   I wouldn’t worry about it unless there was a previous problem and you have easily accessible exposed wood in your basement. Also, make sure you don’t have any old wood around the outside perimeter of your house. That’s like bait.

5. justin Says:
   May 12th, 2009 at 5:45 am

   Termite bait traps are fairly worthless as they never killed the colony. The hive lives up to 15 ft underground, but the workers carry food back to it. That’s a long trip. They are sort of a feel good last resort measure.

6. Jeff Says:
   May 12th, 2009 at 6:29 am

   We actually had carpenter ants before we moved in. So termite “insurance” would probably not cover that. Another something to consider.

7. lulu Says:
   May 12th, 2009 at 6:35 am

   Wow that is certainly something to remember when buying a house. On the other hand…I live in an apartment and just found out we have a bedbug infestation. Luckily the apartment complex is paying for the treatment.

8. LEH Says:
   May 12th, 2009 at 6:49 am

   Terminix and Orkin are the most expensive in the industry. The biggest caveat with any of the contracts is whether or not they will pay the cost to repair the damage if they find them while on the contract. The biggest OUT is that there are so many “wood boring” insects, that the contract should say “and other wood boring insects”, not just termites alone.

   Find a good local/regional company - see what they have to offer.

9. aa Says:
   May 12th, 2009 at 6:58 am

   I just sprayed indoor and outdoor once a year myself… Terminix commercials on TV look scary, don’t you guys think?

10. Deuce Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 7:09 am

    I worked for Terminix for close to a year.

    Whether or not the inspections will be worth your money has a lot to do with the training of the technician that will be sent to service you. It seems like you have concerns with the job done by tech that visited you.

    Also a majority of the treatment they do, you can actually do yourself for much cheaper.

11. AmandaD Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 7:28 am

    Just a few weeks ago I bought the treatment plan from Terminex. They supposedly have a new “chemical barrier” they use that (in theory) will last 15 years against termites (instead of the old-school bait traps). They originally quoted me ~$1000 for a treatment on a 2200 sq ft house (single story, no basement, etc) & then called to offer me a special of $700 on the last day of the month. It’s “insured” for a year and they will pay for damages if I find termites in the next year. After that, they want me to sign up for their “Extended Insurance” at $300/year (I think…i can’t remember) which will give me insurance in case they need to treat again or if I find termite damage.

    I live in the South (texas) & there are (supposedly) these new hybrid/foreign termites that can eat many more times what regular old termites can eat & are much more destructive. He showed me several news articles and university reports. Supposedly they are super-colonies & all the hurricanes have made for fertile breeding ground in all the dead & down trees in the coastal areas. I’ve had some other “suspicious activity” around my house over the last 2 years with strange bugs & was probably a bit more paranoid.

    I know most people around here don’t do anything & some that self-treat their own homes. It is kind of crappy that this 15 year treatment is really only guaranteed for a year. I look at this along the lines of being an insurance that that brings me a peace of mind & I don’t have to be worried about it. I doubt I will do the follow up insurance in subsequent years, but hopefully the initial treatment really will last 15 years. I’d known people that had their house treated & had spent several thousand $$, so $700 seemed fairly reasonable to me. Let’s hope it works

12. Henri Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 7:41 am

    Without reading the contract, I cannot be sure but what your yearly fee gets you is “free” treatments should ever termites be discovered while under the plan. I’m sure there are lots of exclusions.

    I have heard that what is NOT covered is any needed repairs due to the termite damage - replacing beams, siding etc.

    So, after you pop for the original $1200-2000 treatment, AND continue to pay for the yearly “inspections”. if you ever get termites again, they will “treat” them for free - whatever that means.

    I’d LOVE to see the warranty language on that 15 year treatment plan.

13. Maury Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 7:43 am

    I got a treatment when I bought my house that was supposed to last for 7 years. (I believe it was $700 back then…) It’s been 10 years with no termite problems. Termite inspection and prevention is pretty easy. Don’t let things touch the house, (trees, wooden fences) and every now and then look for mud tubes up the side of the foundation.

    I did recently have acrobat ants… (They eat dead wood. Still destructive, just not as bad as termites.) The guy treated the outside of my house with, get this, “termidor” for $65. Apparently they act like termites as a group so the same treatment works. So yeah, I think I just got a $65 termite treatment as well.

    Honestly, I wouldn’t worry about unless you see a tunnel. That seems like pretty expensive insurance.

14. Brian Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 9:01 am

    (live in TX)

    When we bought our house, it had a termite plan from Orkin, and we did decide to go with it (not really knowing any better). I think it costed something like $200 at the time to “transfer” the plan when we bought the house, and now we pay something like $180 per year to keep it. This sounds similar to your plan with Terminix.

    Each year, the Orkin guy comes by and looks around, taking maybe 15 minutes. He’s never found anything, and honestly, seeing him do it and what he looks for, I could do a much better job. However, we did spot termites on our own eating through the bottom of a wall a few years ago. When we found them, we called Orkin, and they treated it for free, under the plan. We were able to see what the cost would have been for the treatment, which was around $1000.

    We have seen other evidence of treatment in the past (holes drilled in the baseboard for example) so given that the termites were at least a second occurrence, we have continued to renew the plan. However, I don’t really think it’s a good deal. We’ve lived in the house for 5.5 years and have already paid more than $1000 for the plan, so they’re definitely making money on us. So even despite our treatment, it would be the financially better decision to drop the payments and cancel the plan! Hmmm… maybe I won’t renew next year.

    If I had to do it over, though, I wouldn’t have gotten the plan in the first place. However, if you choose not to get it, just be aware that it will cost you $1000+ for most treatments should you have termites at some point. I’m sure you can budget for this as a just in case. When you consider every expensive repair that will inevitably happen to your house, it’s really not so bad.

15. Eric Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 9:02 am

    I agree, Terminix is not worth it. Cheaper to have it inspected once every 5 years. Best to make sure you have no water leaks in the pipes and proper ventilation in the crawlspace.

16. Frankie Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 9:06 am

    I think the preventive service is a suckers bet. You could get your place tented every 5-10 years for the cost of that insurance. I’d do a combination of your own inspection for dry rot and droppings, plus eliminate paths into the structure. When you find some evidence drill holes and spray in Termite Prufe, then seal back up. Do this yourself once a year until you sell your home, then when you sell you’ll know you’ll probably have to tent as part of the home inspection.

17. MattG Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 9:19 am

    An interesting and timely post indeed, as this was the week when I had termites swarm in my home. After calling and having 5 companies come to my home and provide me estimates. I was sitting at my father in law’s going through estimates when he said stop… and handed me a card and said call this guy. It was a fumigator’s card with a name and PhD after it. Well, I called and this man said to come and meet him at a close by job site. I went and met this older man at a home he was in the process of tenting. I saw on his paperwork, the company’s name, Orkin. I assumed he was an Orkin salesman. When I said this he smiled. No, he owned the company that Orkin contracts to do tenting. He proceeded to show me paperwork from another three companies, Terminex included, that he does work for. The house he was tenting (almost exactly the same cubic feet as mine) paid Orkin over $1600. Which was right in the neighborhood of what my quotes were. He told me that going through him they would have paid about 50% of that.

    He came to my house and sure enough his quote was less than $800. When asked about the warranty; his immediate reply was to say only pay the warranty (about $140) if you planned on selling in the next five years. After that it’s not worth it.

    By the way, this man was in fact a PhD. His degree is in Entimology and he was a professor at two major universities. That day he gave me a true education.

18. Jim Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 9:23 am

    I haven’t used Terminix, but I’ve had dealings with other ServiceMaster subsidiaries. I’ve been unhappy with all of them. It wasn’t until I visited their HQ for a job interview that I realized ServiceMaster owns all those lousy brands I’d been dealing with.

19. smurfett Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 9:43 am

    if you’re concerned with what they actually use to kill termites, then maybe you wouldn’t want to go with terminex to begin with. Then it’ll be just money wasted. There are apparently quite a few treatment options out there.

20. BigDave Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 10:21 am

    I would agree with some of the previous comments. I used to live in central Illinois where termites were prevalent. When we bought our house, the termite inspection didn’t find any termites in the house, but it did find some activity in the yard (trees, landscaping wood, fence). We ended up having Orkin come treat the house for $1500. They offer a similar deal with renewal every year around $300.
    The reward came when we sold the house and the buyer’s inspector claimed to find evidence of termites. We were able to counter with our Orkin protection agreement and avoid having to pay for a termite treatment before closing. We have since moved to Minnesota where we luckily don’t have to worry about those pesky things anymore.
    So I would say if you are planning to sell your house within the next 2-3 years it might be worth it. Otherwise you can probably inspect for them yourself and then get it treated if you find something.

21. Bill Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 11:22 am

    I feel your pain & I hate writing my annual $275.00 for my annual, quarterly bait trap monitoring. I have lived in my house for 7 years so I have shelled out a whopping $1,925.00 WOW!. Although on year 3 there was a hit on a bait station so then they put a poison bait which is taken back to the colony to hopefully wipe ‘em out. From what I have read, there are termites everywhere in the ground, you kill one colony and there is another scouting for fresh wood. I have a rotting tree stump in my backyard and noticed termites but according to the termite guy, it is better for them to be back there eating rather then eating on your house but he did sprinkle some stuff around the tree stump. My house had precious damage and I believe my house was treated with a 20 year chemical that is no longer in use due to EPA standards. Always something isn’t it.

22. Anon Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 12:10 pm

    i have seen some DIY termite prevention kits at home depot /lowe’s. what are your thoughts on the effectiveness of this?

23. KC Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 4:23 pm

    Most of the products at Home Depot and Lowe’s have repellents so termites just avoid them on the way to your house. If you have an active termite infestation you should be able to find a local pest control company who will drill and spray with Premise2 or Termidor(both are non-detectable insecticides) for less than $1000.
    You can do your own inspections-(look for tunnels on the foundation walls outside and in the crawlspace) and preventative treatments for less than $100. Premise or Termidor are available at web sites and can be mixed in a 2-gallon pump sprayer. Make sure any water from gutters and downspouts is properly draining away from your foundation(Termites must have water), rake back any mulch or ground covering, and spray liberally around the foundation. If you’re really ambitious you can drill small holes into any hollow spaces in the foundation and spray inside there. Fill in the holes with mortar or caulk when you’re done. These products should be effective for 5 to 10 years.
    I think I would rather deal with the termites than the franchise pest control companies.
    If your house was built before the early 1980’s it was probably treated with Chlordane which lasts essentially forever. Chlordane was banned in the 80’s.

24. Todd Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 5:22 pm

    My house is on a concrete slab, so the comments about doing it yourself doesn’t work. Ever drilled holes into your slab? Don’t hit a water pipe. I have been in my house 8 years and for the first 5 years I had termites swarming inside every year. One year under the bathtub…then the hallway….then behind the washer connection…then door frame. It was only after my company (a local one) starting using Termidor that it worked. The “good” stuff that would treat your home for decades is illegal now.

25. jbo Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 6:14 pm

    If subterranean termite is your concern use termidor, which has already been mentioned. I’ve know personally a few termite inspectors and there’s nothing better on the market. You can get it yourself for 50 bucks a bottle online.
    If you want to treat your whole house, you can dig around the house as I’ve done before a few times actually and use the concentration in big 5 gallon buckets.
    Most local pest places have machines you can borrow, but they will charge you like 100 dollars per bottle. You could get one bottle and rent or borrow the machine and do the job in a few hours.

26. nickel Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 8:42 pm

    Around here, termites are a major problem — so much so that you have to have a “termite letter” certifying that your house is termite free in order to transfer title. We went with a local company, and opted for Termidor (a chemical barrier) as opposed to Sentricon.

27. bruce Says:
    May 12th, 2009 at 9:07 pm

    Jbo, KC, and Maury have already mentioned–one word, TERMIDOR.

    You can’t buy Termidor, it’s only available for termite contractors. All the major termite companies use Termidor; however, they do a major mark-up on the price. Doesn’t matter which types of termites you have (above, below, inside slab), follow the direction on the bottle to mix the right concentration. Also, excellent on ALL types of ants. I spay once a year around the foundation. No ant.

    Search around and you will find it. EBAY

28. Frank Schulte-Ladbeck Says:
    May 13th, 2009 at 3:07 am

    Facts to add:

    1.Termites can come up through a slab foundation where your water pipes are located, so treatments and inspections should look in bathroom areas.
    2. Have six to eight inches of your foundation exposed. Termites and other pests like privacy, and this exposure makes it easier for them to be seen.
    3. Keep vegetation a foot away from your walls. This provides air flow and exposure. The air flow helps to dry walls after rains (most destructive pests like the moisture).
    4. The sprays available to us are not as strong as the ones used by pest control firms, but they can help. Spray along your baseboards, trim around openings, and the foundation. Directions on the product will let you know how long it will last.

    Those are the basics. Most smaller contractors will come out to give you a free inspection report if you suspect activity. This is for when you own the home, not purchasing. Greensheets will advertise these free inspections.

29. Mike Zoril Says:
    May 13th, 2009 at 8:18 am

    You mention there is a conflict of interest between the inspector and the insurance company (Terminex in this case). This is critical. First, try to get all your documents in order showing when the original treatment was done and the dates additional inspections were done. Ideally, get it documented on paper that the inspector found no evidence of termites on those inspections vs. evidence that they simply did an inspection.

    Then, call some of their competitors who do have an incentive to find termites. If they find something, ask them to document it and give you a price quote. Then, call Terminex back with the competitor’s inspection results and price quote and demand they get out there to fix the problem. If they don’t, hire the competition and go after Terminex for not doing what they said they would do.

30. mimi Says:
    May 13th, 2009 at 9:54 am

    This is something that my husband thoroughly enjoys doing himself. We bought some kind of system on-line (he researched it), where he tests several areas around the house each year, and if anything comes up, he’ll put down poison. The whole thing cost less than $250.00 and he used it two years in a row. He likes playing exterminator and it definitely saves money.

    He treated one area in front of our house once, and the termites haven’t returned since. We also cut down a delicious (I guess) tree (that was right near the foundation of the house) that was inviting the pests to come and feed. That probably helped too.

31. Mike Says:
    May 13th, 2009 at 10:16 am

    I have a similar plan with a local pest treatment company. I would recommend going local since you will generally get better service (i.e. family owned instead of a franchise) and it’s cheaper too. My first-time treatment was $1800 and $90/year afterwards for the warranty (1600 s.f. ranch).

32. Jonathan Says:
    May 13th, 2009 at 4:56 pm

    Thanks for all the helpful comments, I needed them.

    Looks like I’ll most likely be declining this coverage, but the idea of having a “free inspection” done to compare the findings from two independent companies is a good idea. I’ll look for Termidor on eBay.

33. Daniel Says:
    May 14th, 2009 at 11:15 am

    I worked for Terminix for a few months and let me just tell you what I heard.

    When you are under their insurance, they will do anything to deny you have termites–it’s always old damage.

    When you aren’t under their insurance, they will say you need a fumigation/termidor treatment on the basis of the slightest evidence (usually old damage).

    You can get free inspections any time you want, so that’s not really part of the deal.

    This TIPP program just rolled out a little over a year ago and it is a huge money maker for them. They encourage their inspectors to sell this to every customer regardless of if they find termite evidence or not. Many inspectors fought this as it turned them into dishonest “used-car salesmen.”

34. Strick Says:
    May 15th, 2009 at 6:20 am

    Problem with Terminix “Protection” insurance is the same with all insurance. It would be worth it if you were truely protected. Can’t say its any worse than any other insurance though, my health insurance just paid $500 of a recent $2000 bill (even though I’ve already met my deductible) because the hospital charges were “unreasonably high”. Of course medical bills are unreasonbly high, thats why I bought health insurance.

35. Ken in Georgia Says:
    May 15th, 2009 at 7:29 am

    In my time as a homeowner I’ve learned more about termites than anyone who’s not in the pest control field should have to. My state, Georgia, is one of the worst for dealing with this pest. After dealing with a large firm, Centex, and trying the DIY yourself approach with the bait sticks you can buy at Home Depot, etc. I finally was fortunate enough to find a highly rated local company. They too use Termidor, and I like that the substance is designed to kill termites, not just repel them. However, I’m not so sure that this is something you should try to do yourself — concerns with handling dangerous chemicals, proper application methods, etc. I do like the peace of mind that — as long as I renew my contract and have annual inspections — I have a guarantee that any reinfestation will be immediately treated and repair work will be paid for. I have had no further problems since my first Termidor treatement five years ago.

36. DCnTN Says:
    May 15th, 2009 at 7:30 am

    For Strick: I am a health care provider.

    Most health care providers and hospitals have contracts that prohibit them from billing you for charges that are above the insurance company’s fee schedule. Hospitals routinely bill three or four times as much as the average reimbursement for any given procedure. Talk to the hospital. Find out what the medicare approved fee would be for the proceedures you were billed for. Offer the hospital 20% more than the medicare approved fee.

    If they won’t budge buy the book, “Medical Fees in the United States” 2009 edition. It will help you negotiate with the hospital’s billing office. It’s probably the hospital and not the insurance company that is your problem.

37. Mark Says:
    May 16th, 2009 at 6:08 am

    Has anyone ever had termites in Colorado? I’ve never had an inspection, I just don’t hear of this being a problem around Denver.

38. bugbuster Says:
    May 20th, 2009 at 1:04 pm

    I have read every comment here and after 20 yrs. in the business, I sold it and worked for 5 months as a salesman with Terminix. The corporation name should be Salesmaster. everyone is pushed to sell. No problem, that’s how you grow your business but they go way overboard and could care less about service. I met techs that couldn’t kill a bug if they stepped on it.
    But this topic is termites, some facts from above letters that I read. All states but Alaska have termites, there’s even a part of England that has them. Termidor is the best, it’s not supposed to be sold to anyone not in in a licensed business. You need a unique partner number to legally purchase it. D-I-Y? Ok but if you go to sell your home, it’s going to need to be treated by a licensed company. Unless you never had termites to begin with that is. No lender is going to accept the signature of “Harry Homeowner”, that a termite treatment was performed. Acrobat ants can be treated with Termidor, in fact external sprays with Termidor are great for ants. For termites, you need to drill or trench and rod for termites, a spray on the outside will not eliminate termites from your home.
    Remove the stumps and any cellulosic material. Eliminate soil to wood contact and drain water away(non-plugged gutters) from the foundation or slab. Baiting, Advance is the best system, but if you don’t follow directions closely, it’s useless. It really is only necessary if you have a body of water nearby. No homeowner insurance policy covers termites, the Terminix Tipps program might help if you have no evidence of termites and want to make your closing go smoothly if you’re selling your home now. Terminix “Ultimate Protection Plan,” (As Seen On TV), this puts regular pest control and the Tipps program under one contract, so that it is “less confusing’ during the sales presentation. Beware the call center, they will sell termite work without inspections. This is crazy. These warranties have huge loopholes for prior damage. If you don’t open the walls or have some visible sign of activity, try proving it. If you open a wall and there are termites there, they will soon disappear because of alarm pheromones. They may try to rebuild their shelter tubes but by the time Terminix gets there, they might be gone. The warranty really depends on the managers. The one I worked for seemed to be very ethical and had replaced some small damage around windows but this is HIGHLY variable as management is sometimes populated by favortism rather than ability. no sour grapes, I just wanted to do my work and be left out of the drama. Drywood termites, produce pellets and these can be identified with a hand lens or microscope. The Terminix programs do not cover them. Formosan termite are found in an increasing areas of the southeast, around San Diego and Hawaii, they are a subterranean termite that is much more destructive than native sub. species. Terminix is crazy to include them in these programs. Can you say litigation?

39. Todd Says:
    June 29th, 2009 at 10:37 pm

    I laugh as I read most of your replies… some of them ingnorant and reckless in maintaining your homes. When dealing with your home you really need to do your homework and investigate and research the different types of termites in your region, the different treatment types, and get multiple quotes. Read the chemical labels and research from universities. Baits take up to 24 months to work and should be used where chemical soil treatments can contanimate wells or water ways. Termidor is an excellent product and can be used for ants and/or termites. Injecting the soil as full perimeter treatment as per the label works great for temites and could last up to 8 to 14 years. Spraying topically as a spray works great for ants and should be used with an interior program. This is NOT an acceptable termite treatment.
    Just do your research…root through all the garbage and choose what makes you feel good/comfortable for your home. Don’t overpay nor under pay. And have your home inspected once every 12-18 months, inside and out even if you never had termites. Inspections should look for visible signs of activity or damage for wood destroying pests, and more importantly cinditions that are favorable for infestations. Some of these may not cost a dime to correct, but needs attention to protect your home.
    Most important is you, be vigelant, educated and informed. Its your home, not theirs!

40. Jersey joe Says:
    July 24th, 2009 at 11:59 am

    First off i laughed after reading your post because you call people ignorant when you cant even spell IGNORANT.

41. Seneschal Says:
    August 9th, 2009 at 2:12 pm

    Well, I’m the opposite in that I had drywood termites and got it tented by Terminix. I live in Southern California so supposedly that’s the primary concern. After tenting of course I bought into the warranty. Then a couple years later they came out to do the annual inspection and they found “subterranean termite” infestation which of course are not covered by the policy I’ve been paying for all these years. To treat that is a completely separate pricing scale… However, it appears that that type of infestation is not as destructive (at least in SoCal) compared to the drywood, something like it will take years to do the same type of damage.
    What do you guys think? Should I get another vendor to come out to inspect and treat it or cough over $2K to Terminix to do the stakes and barriers around my house (I have a hard time believing that those are going to work, that the termites are dumb enough to be stopped by the literal “line in the sand?”)

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