August 2007 / Vol.4 / Issue 8

Hello and Welcome to the August Greenpest News. Each month we aim to provide you with some useful information, keeping it short, sweet and pertinent.

Contents

1. Pest Talk
2. More on the Warranty Plan Coming Soon.
3. Customer Question of the Month.
5. Monthly Special

Pest Talk

If you've had a bad day, the following story might lighten your load.

Is it practical to rat proof your home? You could try but you might still fail. We recently heard of a family that spent $7,500 on efforts to rat proof their home. For a range of reasons they didn't want to use rat bait and thought they could solve the problem by keeping them out.

Here's what they did:

A week later the rats were back in!

They hadn't considered the internal door from their garage! The large garage door that allows the car to be parked can't possibly be sealed tight. The rats came straight back in.

Problem solved!

Four weeks later the car broke down on the way to the airport. An expensive cab fare to the airport ensued and a major rush to only just catch the flight in time; a lot of stress; then a few phone calls to a towing company to return the car to the dealer under warranty.

The dealer lifted the bonnet and it was immediately apparent why the car had broken down. Rats had gnawed through some major electrical cables. Repairs were substantial and not under warranty!

That was the final straw. They called us and told us their woeful tale. To cut a long story short – we solved their problem. The rats are dead. If you are interested in learning more about rats please click here.

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More on the Warranty Plan Coming Soon.

Last month we mentioned that we have decided to introduce a genuine termite warranty plan for our customers who chose to use the Green Termite Bait System and follow a sensible Integrated Termite Management (ITM) program.

In last months newsletter we touched briefly on what ITM was all about. This month we will go into more detail which will give you a special insight into the workings of a professional termite manager's mind. It will allow you to see your home the way he does and hopefully at the end of this little section you will begin to think the same way too.

We will start with a little analogy. If you had a brand new car, but it had bald tyres, how safe would it be to drive? It would be fairly safe – until it rained – or you had to stop in hurry – or you had to swerve to avoid trouble. Plainly, having great brakes, great safety features and being a good driver are important points, but if the tyres are bald, then you run an increased risk of an accident.

When it comes to termite protection, many people make one of two mistakes:

Integrated termite management involves looking at the home, yard and neighbouring areas as a whole and developing a strategic plan that makes it all but impossible for termites to damage your home. If they should actually make it past all your defences and gain access to your home, then it should be impossible for the termites to do major damage because they will be discovered and eliminated earlier rather than later.

The best way to explain this further is to create a fictional home and give it a range of termite problems. Here it is:

Now, you have been house hunting for ages and this home is a great price and (lets assume) it ideally suits your needs. You love it. You want it, but should you buy it? All of the above problems have been bought to your attention in your pre-purchase report. Your termite inspector advises you that it is a bundle of trouble and you might be better off to keep looking. The real estate agent points out that the house is $50,000 under the current market value and that it is a bargain.

Do you buy?

Well, the truth is that there is no right or wrong answer. All of the termite problems can easily be taken care of except one. Can you guess which one? Go on, test yourself, think like a termite inspector and read the description of the house again and try and guess which one is the problem you can't easily fix.

Ok, if you said “There is some slight but obvious damage to the bearer supported by the stump and to a roof beam that they reached further up in the house,? go to the top of the class! Here's why. Everything else can be fixed for a reasonable price – well with-in the $50,000 you are saving on the home. However the damage to the bearer and roof beam is very difficult to conceal and it will be visible to any competent termite inspector for the remaining life of the home. It is going to be revealed in all future termite reports and will usually result in the collapse of the sale or a lower offer being made on the home.

If an ITM program is implemented, the home can not only become a fortress against termites, but in years to come when the house is put back on the market, the ITM program and the full termite warranty that comes with such a program will greatly off-set the devaluation caused by the termite damage to the bearer.

So what is the ITM program for this property? Before we answer this question, we will point out that this (fictitious) home has a lot more problems than the average home, so don't be alarmed. We are using it as a worst case scenario to show the immediate and long term solutions needed to make this home safe from termites.

Step 1. A full termite inspection report is needed. (Already done) Price $400

Step 2. Up to 100 Ec2c Termite Windows should be installed throughout the house and yard. Price $395. Note: This step comes early as the installation process may reveal further concealed areas of termite activity. The Ec2c Termite Windows should be checked by the home owner monthly and by a professional every 6 months.

Step 3. The termites in both sections of the house need to be treated with Termidor Dust by an experienced professional. Price $500 which includes a follow-up in 4 weeks to check that the treatment was successful.

Step 4. The entry point under the front garden needs to be revealed and Termidor needs to be applied a few metres either side to create a partial treatment zone. (Note a full treatment zone is not practical as the back of the slab is not readily accessible and is on a steep slope.) Price $500

Step 5. All the piers should be drilled and inspected. If they are hollow inside then foam Termidor should be applied. All drill holes should be plugged with an Ec2c Termite Window and/or a Boron rod can be added. 10 Piers – Price $250 plus the pier where the termites access the house $150 extra.

Step 6. Since the piers are in direct contact with soil, the base of the piers should be painted with a clear Boron infused product such as Mabons or Boracol. Price $200.00

Step 7. The formwork left by the builders should be removed. If it can't be removed then it should also be treated with Mabons or Boracol. Price $100.00. Note: Creosote and Engine Oil are not recommended.

Step 8. The exposed timbers in the underneath storeroom should be treated with Mabons or Boracol. Price $100

Step 9. A Green Termite Bait System needs to be installed around the home. 20 baits professionally installed $700 plus monthly servicing $53 - $100 per month depending on the prices set by your serviceman. Should the termites in the neighbours stumps approach your home the baits will give you a solid opportunity to kill the nest before they find a way into your home.

Step 10. All timber in the shed beside the wall of the house should be stored off the bare earth.

Step 11. The firewood needs to be relocated and stored off the earth. (Preferably on concrete clear of edges and cracks in the concrete.)

Step 12. The retaining wall and fence need to be treated for the active termites. It may be that the termites are no longer active if the termites that were treated in the house were coming from the same nest. Assuming not, then the price to the treat the retaining wall and the fence will depend on the level of termite activity. The treatment method may be with Termidor Dust and/or Termidor applied to the soil behind the retaining wall and where the fence is in direct contact with the soil.

Guesstimate price $500

Step 13. The tree stump needs to be drilled and injected with an approved termiticide if it is still active. Price $220. If practical, the stump should be removed after the treatment is completed.

Step 14. The broken drainage needs to be repaired. Water leaks attract termites. Price??

Step 15. A run-off hose needs to be fitted to the air-conditioning external unit and connected to a working drain. DIY or use a plumber $100.

Whew! It may seem a lot to ask, but if you leave one step out, you give the termites an edge. If you leave several steps out (especially some of the major steps), then it's no different to replacing 2 bald tyres on your car and leaving 2 bald tyres – it's better than nothing, but the potential for trouble is still high.

Total Cost: Around $4,000 + Monthly maintenance; which is a pretty good trade off against a $50,000 saving on the purchase price of the home!

To make it plain and simple to understand we have designed the following flow chart:

When you look at the flow chart you can see how simple ITM is. The two rectification steps may involve a range of smaller steps and this is where you need to heed the sound advice offered by your trusted termite professional.

Whether or not you want a genuine termite warranty, it makes perfect sense to follow a well structured ITM program anyway. Keeping termites permanently out of your home is both possible and affordable. In all cases it's an ongoing program with associated costs. Termites never quit, but with a good ITM program incorporating a Green Termite Bait System, termites will never win.

Next month our new warranty program will be revealed in full. Stay tuned!

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Customer Question of the Month.

Question:

I am looking at buying a home in Burleigh Waters but the pest report says there are termites active in the yard. According to the report, the house is free of termites, but I'm worried, should I buy the home or not? Gregory H. ROBINA, QLD

Answer: First don't panic. It would be fair to say that a good termite inspector will find termites or evidence of termite activity in outdoor areas in over 80% of the properties that he checks. That's normal and it's why so many homes eventually get problems.

In many cases the termites that are discovered outside can be directly treated. It doesn't mean that there are no more termites; it only means that those particular termites have been eradicated. It's entirely possible and reasonably likely that there are other termites present in the yard that can't be easily detected. We know this for a fact because we very often encounter termite activity in the Green Termite Bait Systems of our customers, yet there are no other signs of termites anywhere else. (Lucky they have the system in place!)

And there is the solution to your question. Go ahead, buy the home. Follow any advice about rectification that is mentioned in your pre-purchase report; install some Ec2c Termite Windows inside the home; a Green Termite Bait System on the outside of the home; check the windows and baits monthly and have the home inspected once a year and you should be safe.

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The Greenpest News is Published by J & A Furnell Nominees P/L; Shop 23a Franklin Square, 60 Railway Street, Mudgeeraba, Gold Coast, Queensland, Australia. The opinions expressed in this newsletter are those of Jerry Furnell. The reader is encouraged to seek further information from appropriate government and statutory departments before taking any action based on this material alone.

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See you again next month.

Always... At your service,

Jerry Furnell
Green Pest Control & Green Termite Bait Systems.
Phone 1800 6 12345.

Copyright 2007 Green Termite Bait Systems & Green Pest Control. All rights reserved.

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