Pre-construction treatments are also AARON'S forte in the war against termites. Our well-equipped pre-treatment trucks and trained operators, provide the front line of protection even before your home is built. Be sure your developer gives AARON a call for the best termite pre-treatment available.

If you think you have ants, you may have termites
Homeowners often confuse termites with ants, and understandably so. Subterranean termites are found in the earth and often move in a file-like ants. People mistakenly call termites " white ants" when they're spotted in the ground and "flying ants" when they are seen swarming. In fact, swarmers are often confused with flying ants.

It's important to know the subtle differences between termites. While both ants and termites may have two pairs and wings, the ant's wings will be different sizes while both pairs of the termites' wings will be the same size. Termites will remove their wings after a period of time and, as such, several wings are usually found when a swarm occurs. Ants have narrow waists and elbowed antennae, while termites have broad waist and short, straight antennae.

Look at the pest's waist. It it's narrow, the pest is probably an ant. A wide waist or a "white ant" or "flying ant" may mean you have a termite problems...not an ant problem.

How termites enter your home
All termites need is small crack in a concrete basement, a loose mortar joint, or a tiny gap around a pipe, and their search for wood is on. In fact, termites can pass through cracks just 1/32 of an inch wide.

If penetration of a surface by termites isn't possible, they can easily bypass most, if not all, physical barriers by building mud — or "shelter" tubes — over impenetrable surfaces to reach their destination. These air — and moisture — tight tubes allow termites to pass easily over cinder block, brick, concrete, metal and even pre-treated wood. Termites are even capable of building free — standing tubes. An with the aid of their shelter tubes, termites can travel considerable distances — even far as the second floor or attic of your home. The worker termites use these well-crafted tubes to commute between the food source and their colony, carrying nutrition back to the other termites.

In the East, swarming usually occurs when temperature rises in the spring,. In the West, the largest swarms occur in the fall after the rains, with smaller swarms occurring in the spring. Most swarming is seen in the daytime after a good rain which loosens the soil enough to allow termites to burst free.

Discovering the Damage
More often than not, you won't see evidence of the termite's work until the damage is done. Termites "honeycomb" through wood and beams slowly, methodically, rarely breaking through the surface. As a result, their attacks go undetected for years until you start noticing sagging floors, decayed, loose trim, or cracked plaster. Just a few signs that termites have been at work in your home.

Once the situation is fully assessed, the objective of the technician is to place a continuous chemical barrier in the soil around and under your home - a barrier that will prevent additional termites from entering your home and one that will not allow the worker termites already inside your home to pass through and live. And it is this objective that is the entire basis for the Home Protection Program.

By fully understanding termites and their behavior, your technician is able to successfully implement a Protection Program in your home. It consist of a four - part strategy to achieve the Program's highly critical objective.

The Objective:
To form a continuous barrier with an effective chemical that will keep termites from entering your home for as long as possible.

1. The Inspection The Inspector Every home is somewhat different in its construction and special termite control needs. That's why it's important to rely only on a professional technician who is trained and certified, and who is thoroughly familiar with application methods for all types of building designs and practices. Possessing such professional knowledge and experience, your technician will be aware of possible problem areas in your particular type of home. Most professional applicators are members of a local or state association, or the National Pest Control Association, and are constantly receiving current information on control methods, new chemicals, and regularly limitation on older chemicals. The Inspection Process The purpose of an inspection is to determine where and how termites are entering your home. The inspection will also reveal any existing conditions in your home or on your property that are either conductive or vulnerable to future termite activity. Prior to the inspection, the technician will question you about structural and landscaping details of your property, and any observations you may have made in and around your home - for example, swarming, plumbing or rain leaks, or damaged wood. The inspection of your home and its surroundings will be handled in a thorough and detailed manner by your technician. Sections of your home that are in contact with soil will be inspected and evaluated to determine whether termites have entered. Further, concrete floored and wall will be examined for gaps and small cracks. Remember, termites only need a 1/32 of an inch opening to start their attack on your home. Your property will also be checked for hollowed and weakened wood, as well as for any termite shelter tubes that have been constructed in and around your home. The actual inspection of your home can broken down into five general areas, including the exterior, the interior, the attic, the substructure area (basement or crawl space), and the garage and storage areas (if any).

2. The Analysis
Once the active infestation sites have been discovered, an analysis is carried out to determine why the termites are active in those particular locations. The analysis may reveal subtle problems such as structural flaws or water leaks which need correction. Termites often attack where a lot of moisture is present in wood. This is usually the result of plumbing leaks, roof leaks, poor grading, or inadequate ventilation. Your technician is experienced in identifying these conditions and will make recommendation, if necessary, for correcting them.

3. Application of the Termiticide
Construction Types
Termiticide application methods will vary, depending on the construction of your home and the materials used, the type of basement or foundation, and the type and number of porches, patios and chimneys.

Basic types of construction are basement, crawl space, and alb foundation. There are also variations such as half basement, supportable or floating slab and plenum construction. Your technician is trained and experienced in all types and variations of construction.

Application Methods
Generally, the termiticide is placed in narrow trenches that have been dug along the foundation of your home and into soil or voids that have been reached by drilling or the creation of access panels.

Selecting a Termiticide
The choice of the termiticide that creates the chemical barrier in your home is up to you. You could choose an older insecticide such as an organophosphate or a product from the newest family of chemicals, synthetic pyrethroids.