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Michael Stewart
Welcome to the Faith Pest Control podcast with pest expert Fred Talley here for North Georgia Jasper, Ellijay and Blue Ridge. Faith Pest Control are the expert problem solvers when it comes to exterminators and extermination problems. And Fred, are you ready to talk about termites?
Fred Talley
I’m ready, Mikey.
Michael Stewart
Well, here’s my question to you, Fred. Number one, are termites just a seasonal problem? Are termites around all the time? And are termites swarming even in another time other than in the spring? But do they swarm in the summer? In the fall? Tell us all about termites. We know why they’re bad. They can destroy your house. They can destroy your home, but tell me what you guys do and what’s going on in the world of taking care of the termite problems in North Georgia.
Fred Talley
Yes, my answer your first question they are a year-round problem. We do not have winters cold enough and long enough to have a big impact on the insect world at large. Anyway, so termites, termites are an issue year-round here. Swarming is an issue, not year-round, but for several months. In the warmer months, it can happen, depending on different environmental circumstances. Like I was talking to you earlier, we just treated a house yesterday that had a swarm last week, and we’re in the middle of July. A lot of times, especially to the untrained eye evidence of termites is very subtle. And if you really don’t know what you’re looking at, you may have a termite problem and not even know it. So I, I think personally, it’s a good idea to have, you know, a professional with a trained eye, come at least once a year to your home and inspect it for those subtle, those little subtle signs that you may not even realize it is evidence of termites. I think, in my mind, it’s money well spent.
Michael Stewart
Well, you know, I know that termites are what are called subterranean. In other words, they live underground and they dig. I guess they dig tunnels. And I know one of the things that I’ve learned years ago from working with pest control experts such as yourself, is that that they will build mud tunnels in the crawlspace to get up to the wood, because it’s true that termites, wood is their food. And they have I guess, what do you call an underground colony? Is that a nest? What? What are they actually doing? You know, are they coming to your house to bring food back to the to the colony? How does all that work? And why is that a big problem?
Fred Talley
Termites travel in the tubes, the shelter tubes, we call them, and that is probably the biggest evidence other than a missing move that people will notice as far as having a problem with termites, but the termites build these tubes out of mud and fecal deposits and to travel and to maintain their hydration as a subterranean creature they do travel back and forth to the earth every 24 to 48 hours to maintain hydration. The guys in the colony that are traveling those tubes are the workers in what their job is they are foraging for food. So yes, they do consume the wood, the cellulose material products in your home and they take it back to the colony and that is the proper term. It is a colony not necessarily a nest. It is distributed among all of their nest mates as a truly social insect. They do have a queen that dictates the various jobs to the different castes within the termite society.
Michael Stewart
So how do you treat the homes in North Georgia for termites, if there is no termite problem or if you detect damage and termite problems, what do you guys do at Faith Pest Control?
Fred Talley
Typically, we are advocates of liquid chemical barrier treatment. There are generally two other methods. One is the baiting system installation and the other is a wood treatment. But we are advocates for a chemical barrier around the house. You know, in basic terms, we will dig a trench around the house and flood the trench and allow the chemical to percolate down into the soil. That’s our preferred method that we have the most success at and the method we like to use.
Michael Stewart
Tell me a little bit about the product that you use. You said you use like a chemical, and I know the company’s called Termidor tell me about Termidor and why it’s the best solution for Faith Pest Control.
Fred Talley
Termidor is the number one product in the nation for liquid chemical barrier treatments. The active ingredient, Fipronil, has generic forms out there. And they’re available several different manufacturers. But realistically when somebody is looking up chemical barrier treatments for termites, you know, Google is available to everyone that wants it now, so they get on the internet, they Google it and Termidor pops up. So it’s the number one product for a chemical barrier. The chemistry is second to none, and has proven itself over the past probably 25 or 30 years, maybe even longer. So we don’t use anything other than Termidor. So there’s no question. You know, when we service a house, we treat a house for termites, there’s no question that the we are using the proper chemical for the job.
Michael Stewart
Well, I know if the anybody in North Georgia area has any problems with termites, the solution is to get in touch with Faith Pest Control, call them, go to their website and get in touch and talk to Fred. Fred is the owner and CEO of Faith Pest Control, and he can help you come out and inspect and know what’s going on and make the recommendations to have a termite free home. So thanks, Fred, for being here today on this podcast. I’m sure people have questions. And what they need to do is they just need to get in touch with you. Be sure to share this podcast, blog with people that your friends through social media. We post these blogs, posts on Apple, Spotify, Google, and we’re also putting it on social media, Facebook, and YouTube. So until next time, this is Mike Stewart. Work for Faith Pest Control podcast, hoping you have a pest free home in North Georgia.
