Pest control company recommending fumigation

[jtvang125]

*Update - this is for termites.

I'll be having one or two more come in to do an inspection but this first one is recommending fumigation. I showed him the 3 locations I noticed frass coming from - two spots in the cathedral ceiling and a wall behind the kitchen cabinets. There could be more but they might be in a low traffic location to notice. The ceiling spots are about 7-8 ft apart and about 20 ft to the kitchen spot.

His reasoning for fumigation is that spot treating is going to be a hit or miss on getting rid of them all due to the span of the infestations. It would be difficult to tell if there are any other spots in the ceilings or walls without cutting into the drywall and it's very likely to be other areas too since there's already 3 areas affected.

I was quote $1,895 for our 1700sq ft 2 story house. Again I'm going to get a few more opinions but from this assessment, do you agree or not?

 

[KK]

Had to look up frass. What insect is causing your frass?

 

[Blain]

Make sure he's only going to be fumigating...

 

[mizzou]

I would prefer to know the cause of the damage before paying for a solution. Frass is a byproduct of something

I'm assuming you have termites?

 

[jtvang125]

I would prefer to know the cause of the damage before paying for a solution. Frass is a byproduct of something

I'm assuming you have termites?

Totally forgot to state that. Yes, this is for dry wood termites.

 

[slightlyhuman]

keeping my eyes on this. i bought a house last year and haven't had a spray or proactive spray for termites. i've checked the edges around the house a few times this year and haven't seen anything.

curious how everyone goes about preventing termites before they happen. i was told buy the guy that sprays every quarter for ants that i need to have them come spray around the house for termites, etc. i believe it was $500-600. need to do some more research obviously because this thread makes me feel like i have 0 knowledge about termites and being proactive to prevent them.

 

[Subyman]

Being in the attic or ceiling, you could have wood wasps or bees. Termites in the ceiling would have to make their way up the wall first and likely turn the studs into paper before getting that high. Before fumigating and trying to kill them you need to make sure you don't have structural damage. I'd make a few small probing holes in the dry wall to check the studs where you suspect the damage would be.

They should also check under the house in the crawl or in the basement. The sill plates and joists should be thoroughly checked. Termites come up from the ground (hence the name) so those are the first locations that are usually hit.

 

[zardthebuilder]

curious how everyone goes about preventing termites before they happen.

the pesticide websites have good info. there a few options to prevent subterranean termites. the one i'm going to use is Termidor. drill holes in concrete and pour + spray in crawlspace. the prior owners treated the house in 2007, so it's going to need retreatment soon. in my prior house, we used a professional company that placed baits all around the perimeter. you can do this yourself.

drywood termites are trickier. afaik, there are not a lot of preventive measures for existing houses. a neighbor caulked as much as he could, but termites can still fly in the vents. (i guess one can spray pesticides on and around the vents.) with exposed or new wood (new construction, attics, unfinished basements), one can permanently treat the wood.

buy based on price. i use generics when i can, which have served me well.
http://doyourownpestcontrol.com
http://******************.com
(ETA: second URL got starred out. substitute "your" with "my" with the first URL.)
http://******************.com

 

[jtvang125]

Being in the attic or ceiling, you could have wood wasps or bees. Termites in the ceiling would have to make their way up the wall first and likely turn the studs into paper before getting that high. Before fumigating and trying to kill them you need to make sure you don't have structural damage. I'd make a few small probing holes in the dry wall to check the studs where you suspect the damage would be.

They should also check under the house in the crawl or in the basement. The sill plates and joists should be thoroughly checked. Termites come up from the ground (hence the name) so those are the first locations that are usually hit.

From research I'm pretty sure they're termites. I can see the holes in the ceiling and wall where they are kicking out their frass (poop). They are falling from right under those holes. I was also told there are some minor termite damage underneath the ease. He suspects they are coming in through the gaps of roof tiles.

 

[BoomerD]

Fck off and die, spammer.