Termite Control - South Florida

Termite Control

Petri's is fully equipped and ready to take care of any termite problems that may arise at your home or business. Termites cause well over a billion dollars in damage each year nation wide, which is more than fires, earthquakes, and storms combined. In South Florida, the two termites encountered most are the subterranean termite and the drywood termite. While both termites are destructive to wood, each is treated very differently.

Treatment Methods

Petri's offers two treatment methods for subterranean termites: firstly, the Sentricon Colony Elimination System, which was the pioneer in termite baiting, and Petri's has been an authorized operator of the system from the very beginning; secondly, the conventional method of subterranean termite treatment, which under some circumstances may be the recommended approach. This treatment is "conventional" in that drilling, trenching, and rodding are still the proven application methods used. However, Petri's uses the most advanced and effective materials available on the market today during conventional treatments.

For treatment of drywood termites, Petri offers both tent fumigation and "no tent" termite solutions. Tent fumigation may still be necessary for those structures that are infested in many areas and when access to all of these areas for direct treatment is not possible. With the advanced technology of termite detection devices, treatment equipment, and improved product efficacy localized treatments are on the rise at Petri.

Subterranean Termites

They cause more structural damage each year than fires, earthquakes, and storms combined. These termites live in colonies in the soil and build mud tubes from their nests to wood in structures. The colonies are composed of workers, soldiers, reproductives, and supplemental reproductives. The workers are a pale yellowish-white color and are the ones that feed on the wood and cause all the damage. The reproductives swarm in will swarm each Spring once the colony has reached a mature stage. The reproductives are black in color, have a thick waist, straight antennae, with two pairs of wings that are the same in length. Control is best achieved by treating the soil directly or by installing one of the new baiting systems, such as the Sentricon.

Drywood Termites

Colonies of these termites are found entirely within wood in structures. They do not require soil contact or moisture for survival so they do not make mud tubes. Swarmers are usually light brown in color and will swarm from the Spring to the Fall normally. This swarming usually takes place in the evening hours. Drywood termites are best controlled by tenting and fumigating the structure.