Pest Management Professional, February 2013

Q Many of my customers were flooded during Hurricane Sandy Many of them have termite warranties with me Should I be retreating to maintain the warranties Can I just keep the warranties going without retreating If retreatment is necessary should I charge or does the existing warranty cover the cost of retreatment D K N J A There are scientific legal and business considerations when answering these questions From the scientific aspect consider that flooding alone wont move the termiticide so its still in place and active If the soil didnt move the barrier or treatment zone is intact so no retreatment is necessary However if the treated soil was washed away you no longer have termiticide in the critical areas In this case the question becomes do I retreat or not to maintain the warranty A legal consideration The label prohibits retreatment unless termite activity is noted or the soil has been disturbed If the soil didnt move you cant retreat unless live termites are found However if the soil moved you can retreat The business considerations If you dont retreat but continue the warranty you might be faced with an abnormal number of retreatments That will cost you money and possibly leave you vulnerable to damage claims It would seem best to retreat if the soil moved and carried away your original termiticide treatment This would prevent reinfestation and minimize damage claims Regarding charging for retreatment most warranties state retreatment is necessary if the treated soil is disturbed Therefore the customer shouldnt expect retreatment for nothing But because warranties are the most profitable part of the termite business try to retain as many as possible How much you charge for a retreat is your decision but if it were my decision Id make the charge as reasonable as possible Q I have termite warranties with many properties where the houses are raised on wood pilings which were drilled and treated with a borate to prevent termites from tunneling through the pilings to reach the house During Hurricane Sandy the pilings were under water for two to three days Has the borate leached out and do I need to reapply it G R Del A Borates will leach from wood if the wood is kept wet for extended periods which is why wood in direct contact with the soil shouldnt be treated with a borate Treated pilings under water for a few days wont lose any significant amount of borate I dont think theres any need to retreat to replace the borate Your original treatment is still intact Q A woodpecker has been attacking the cedar shake siding on a home We have dropped netting from the eaves to discourage the bird That worked for a few days but then the bird began working on another side of the house The homeowner doesnt want netting over his entire house Would a rat snap trap nailed to the siding and baited with suet work T P Okla A It sure would However woodpeckers are protected and that would be illegal Even if the homeowner did it it would be illegal and anyone involved would be subject to a significant fine as much as 25000 I suggest the homeowner contact his local Federal Fish and Wildlife agent for options PMP Contact Dr Mampe an industry consultant at dentomol@ aol com ask the expert It would seem best to retreat if the soil moved and carried away your original termiticide treatment This would prevent reinfestation and minimize damage claims Email your questions about insect identification and pest management technologies and techniques to Dr Mampe at detomol@ aol com Your questions most likely will be printed and answered in one of Pest Management Professionals upcoming Ask the Expert columns Dr Doug Mampe t Contributor www mypmp net Pest Management Professional February 2013 81