[Termite Control] Termites and "Tree Houses"

When you take trees in the prime of life, cut them down into two by somethings, nail them together and put covers over them, you still have a tree,” states Fred Strickland, vice president, service and technical services, Terminix, International, Memphis, Tenn.

The trick, he says, is to make sure Mother Nature (in this case, an insect), does not continue the cycle by eating the tree, which is now a house. Pest management professionals may provide pretreats on new construction, but Strickland stresses that it is important for PCOs to better understand the construction process and legal issues.

LEGAL ISSUES. “Termites don’t care who you are or how long you’ve been in the business,” says Strickland. “If you live in a ‘tree house,’ it’s theirs.” He stresses that pest management professionals must protect themselves in regards to liability issues.

A good source to begin with is the National Pest Management Association Web site (www.pestworld.org). Included on the site are templates for agreements, warranties and disclaimers. An agreement should be two-sided, according to Strickland. The front side contains pertinent information and work to be done. The back side, more importantly, spells out all the terms and conditions related to an individual pest control company’s business. This information must be customized to match the business’ philosophy and include any regulations pertinent to the state in which the business is located. Strickland recommends consulting a lawyer to finalize such wording.

Pest management professionals also must understand, in every single case, when legal transfer of a home takes place. Does the pretreat belong to the builder or the homeowner? Most builders offer limited warranties on the home, ranging from one year to 10 years. If there is a problem, the owner must bring this to the builder’s attention before the warranty expires.

One way for pest management professionals to protect their businesses is to take photos at the construction site during pretreats. Strickland strongly recommends photos of the foundation and documentation about the construction. This evidence would be useful if a lawsuit were filed.

Ultimately, pest management professionals can best protect their businesses by understanding construction techniques and making sure their agreements cover any possibilities. For instance, language should be included about foam and the steps needed to correct the situation if termites are found. “You can only cut it, expose it and remove it,” Strickland states. “You need to re-educate your customers, take care of the damage and move forward.”

CONSTRUCTION. “If you want to be in the business,” Strickland says, “whether you do pretreats or not, you need to get tuned in to the construction techniques and technology of what the green industry is asking of us.”
“Green construction” technology is integrating more environmentally sound designs, meant to use less energy. One company looking at both energy savings and termite resistance is Dow Building Solutions in Midland, Mich.
Jeff Alcott, a member of the Dow Building Solutions technical service and development team, says industry research shows that about 15 percent of a home’s energy loss is through the foundation.

Construction and refurbishing techniques have updated insulation in attics, sidewalls and windows, but foundations have remained untouched.
One problem in trying to insulate foundations is the material. Traditional polystyrene or foam insulation provides an easy conduit for termites in their search for food. Because of this, in 1999, the Southern Building Code Congress banned foam insulation use below grade in heavy termite areas. In the United States, California and most of the Southeast were affected by this ruling, later adopted by the International Code Council, the International Residential Code and the International Building Code. 

Dow Building Solutions researched one of the exceptions to this regulation. It dealt with providing an approved method of protecting the foam plastic from subterranean termites. The company’s solution, Styrofoam™ Blueguard,™ will be available this year, he said.

The active ingredient, deltamethrin, was chosen because “it’s a solid material, it has essentially no vapor pressure, and we can put it into foam resin and it doesn’t come out,” Alcott says.

He also stresses that using Styrofoam Blueguard is not a substitute for pest management programs. The product is treated to keep termites from tunneling, but it will not repel termites from the structure. “Normal code-approved termite control treatments are required to protect the home from termites,” he adds.

In regard to insulation properties, Styrofoam Blueguard has a high R-value for energy savings. In addition, it has a high compressive strength for durability and moisture resistance to maintain thermal efficiency, the company reports.

The author is a freelance writer who frequently writes about the pest management industry. She can be reached at dtaylor@giemedia.com.

Five Tips To Improve Construction Knowledge

A house is built according to accepted standards. According to Terminix’s Fred Strickland, there are five areas that PCOs should concentrate on to improve their understanding of construction and pretreats:

• Better communication — PCOs should talk with contractors and builders to better understand emerging construction techniques. One suggestion is to attend a convention or conference to keep up with trends.
• Partner with builders — If termite problems occur post-construction, it will be easier to talk to the builder if a relationship already exists.
• Improve paper relations — It is important to understand the relevance of contract and legal issues. Make sure your contract is fail-safe.
• Customers — PCOs must be honest and open with customers and
  protect them.
• Protect your company — Learn everything you can about pretreats and legal issues pertaining to termite treatment. Hire a lawyer on a retainer basis.