Soil treatment for termites

[LLG]

I'm having a house built and I was wondering if anyone has any good recommendations on specific brands of soil treatment products for termites. The house is located in central Florida and there is well water so contamination is a concern. The house will be wood frame and built on a slab with about 2 to 3 feet of fill dirt underneath the slab. Someone told me about Boron, but that is to treat the wood itself. Our prints say that we have to treat the soil. Product suggestions for soil treatment would be appreciated.

 

[LLG]

By the way, here is the list that I have to choose from:

http://www.doacs.state.fl.us/~aes/pesticides/REG_Termiticide_Labels.htm

 

[Lutfi]

LLG,

I would heavily recommend that you use whatever your builder uses. There are many types of termites in Florida, which is where I live also. Make sure that you get a bond and or warranties for the soil poisoning. They build homes all the time and the treatment companies are experts in their field and I would rely on their judgment.

Good luck

 

[unclesyd]

Be carful of you applicator. Up here in NW Florida one of the largest applicators has been accused of hanky-panky with the treatment chemicals. There are a lot of houses that have undefined termite protection. From what I understand none of those affected are going to have much recourse.

 

[LLG]

In my case, we are hiring the subcontractors so there is no "builder" per se. Therefore, we have a lot of control over what gets done. I'm concerned that if I hire someone to do the treatment, like unclesyd said, it will not get done correctly and that's something we can't really check after the fact like we can check the thickness of a slab. So I would like to either get the product myself and apply it (if logical -- since there are application restrictions on certain products to protect the warranty) or specify a specific product to be used and watch as it is applied. Thus, my request for recommendations...I've read some good things about Termidor. Has anyone ever used it?

 

[unclesyd]

I think in Florida you have to be licensed to apply certain chemicals, the good ones.
Check with the county building inspector and county agricultural agent and see how much you can do before you get too far.

 

[swBausch]

Well....since treated lumber resists termites and mold, and since insurance companies are just plain freaky about water damage, it should only be a matter of time before some insurance company offers a discount for homes built entirely of treated lumber, steel studs and mold-resistant drywall.

I also recall that treated lumber has increased fire-resistance.

At the moment, some insurance companies are refusing to write new homeowners policies for some areas.

Have you considered building the home entirely of treated lumber?

Don't laugh or place bets against it. If it hasn't been done yet, it will eventually happen.

 

[Ron]

LLG...this is a specific regulated function in Florida and must be done by a licensed pest control company. There are only a few allowed treatments, but they have to be done as prescribed.

I might add that none of them work for the long term. The liquid applied treatments create a slight "crust" of treatment barrier at the surface of the soil. ANY disturbance of this treatment after placement compromises its effectiveness. Now try to place a concrete slab without disturbing the treatment!! Unfortunately, you have to get the soil treated to satisfy regulatory requirements, then you'll have to likely install a secondary treatment system at some point to actually deal with the termites.