WHAT IS SO IMPORTANT ABOUT AN ANNUAL INSPECTION?

After the initial treatment and inspection, the house is inspected annually to see if the termites have broken through the barrier. That’s all the state requires of Pest Control Operators. On those annual visits the Pest Control Operator is NOT there to TREAT the house and ground again. Some Pest Control Operators, such as DAVID CARTER EXTERMINATING CO.INC., will treat a house with a weaker dosage of the termiticide to reinforce the barrier. But they are not allowed to use full strength chemical. Those termiticides and their potency are controlled by the Environmental Protection Agency, says Allen Fugler, Executive Director of the Louisiana Pest Control Association, an industry trade group. The EPA does not allow re-treatment unless there are signs of infestation.

This information comes from a piece written in The Times Picayune: The standard contract in Louisiana for treatment of existing homes does not cover damage from termites because the fumigants and liquids used to treat the property are non-residual, as the contract states. Termiticides usually last five to ten years because they are affected by heat, sunlight and moisture. Warmth breaks the pesticide down faster.

HOW SAFE IS THE TREATMENT FOR TERMITES AROUND YOUR HOME?

In Louisiana the Department of Agriculture and Forestry is the regulatory arm of the EPA. The department randomly checks to make sure Pest Control Operators have applied chemicals correctly. The department enforces pesticide manufacturer rules by sending inspectors out to check operators’ work. Exterminating companies are NOT required by State Law to pay for damages resulting from a termite infestation.

Formosan Termite Nest & Damaged Wood

Bless this house, oh Lord, we cry,
Please keep it cool in mid-July.
Bless the walls where termites dine,
While ants and roaches march in time,
Bless our yard where spiders pass
Fire ant castles in the grass.
Bless the garage, a home to please
Carpenter beetles, ticks and fleas.
Bless the love bugs, two by two,
the gnat and mosquitoes that feed on you.
Millions of creatures that fly or crawl,
In Louisiana Lord, you’ve put them all!
But this is home, and here we’ll stay,
So thank you, Lord, for insect spray!
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