FAQ's

Q. How will I know if my house in infested with termites?
A. The presence of winged termites and foraging tubes or shelter tunnels inside a house almost always indicates an infestation warranting treatment.  Termites construct these tubes for shelter as they travel between their underground colonies and the structure.  To help determine if an infestation is active,  the tubes may be broken open and checked for the presence of small, creamy-white worker termites.  Oftentimes there will  be no visible indication that the home is infested because the outer surface of the wooden structure is usually left intact.  Confirmation of infestation often requires the keen eye of an experienced termite inspector.

Q. I have found out that there are foraging tubes or shelter tunnels under our stairs,  should I destroy them to stop the infestation?  What should I do?
A.  Call Alcochem Pest Control at once.  Termite tunnels are a sign of termite activity.  Do not touch, disturb or destroy the infested areas as the termite workers play an important role in effective treatment of the colony.  The technique is to transmit a substance to the very termite queen through these termite workers, resulting to total eradication.

Q. Is one-time treatment of termite infestation effective?
A. No, since you cannot be sure that there is no other termite infestation between wooden panels, base boards or door jambs.  Our trained inspectors can help you decide on type of treatment appropriate for said infestation.

Q. How fast can you stop termite infestation?
A. From our experiences, we find it very fast controlling termite problem, like a week or two, on structures that are heavily infested because more termite workers are exposed to the slow acting chemical to be brought back to their colony.

Q. Does termite infestation affects the value of my house?  Why worry about termites?
A. Termites cause billions of pesos in damage each year, termites feed on wood, paper and books.  While building may become infested at any time, termites are of particular importance when buying or selling a home since a termite inspection report is normally a condition of sale.  Beside the monetary impact, thousands of winged termites emerging inside one’s home are an emotionally trying experience, the thought that these termites are silently feasting on your lifetime investment.

Q. Which treatment methods and products are most effective?
A. There are two general categories of termite treatment, liquids and baits.  In pre-construction treatment, liquid synthetic termiticides are applied to the ground and these synthetic termiticides have been around for decades.  Their purpose is to provide long lasting chemical barrier that excludes termites from the ground from entering the buildings.  The other treatment category is baiting.  Termite baits consist of wood or other palatable food, combined with slow-acting substance lethal to termites.  The baits are installed below ground out in the yard.  Foraging termites consume the bait and share it with their nest mates, resulting in a gradual decline in termite numbers and ultimately in colony elimination.

But there is a disturbing report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) about synthetic insecticide, that there is no volatile residual insecticide or economic poison that is completely safe no matter what the pest control industry and manufacturer of insecticide claims.  The EPA has officially stated in court that EPA registration (and, therefore, labeled usage) does not assure safety.  Instead health proponents recommend the use of mechanical methods, physical methods, biological use of botanical products and natural insecticides.

At Alcochem, we highly recommend the use of the least amount of toxin as possible and we are continuously looking for a way to replace synthetic insecticide with organic compounds like neem oil from neem tree because we are not only committed to our client’s safety but also to the safety of our workers and environment.

Q. Does the entire house need to be treated or can they just treat where I see termites?
A. Subterranean termite colonies may contain hundred of thousands of individuals foraging in many different directions coming from different queens.  Even if termites coming for example from queen A are killed during spot treatment, there is no warranty that other termites coming from other queens will not find other points of entry into the structure.  At Alcochem, we always check the structure every 3 months for one year or more according to signed agreement to ensure that termite re-infestation coming from colonies of other queens are controlled as soon as possible at no additional charge.

Q. Will the chemicals harm my family or pets?
A. Termicides are tested extensively for adverse effects on health and before a product can be used, numerous studies are conducted by the manufacturer and independently evaluated by the U.S. Environmental Agency (EPA).  But according to Steve Tvedten, on his intelligent controls for termites, the same agency (EPA) has officially stated in court that EPA registration (and, therefore, labeled usage) does not assure safety.  Because when it approves one of the economic poisons, basically is only concerned with the harmful effects that occur from a single exposure of  only the active ingredient.  Inert ingredients, metabolites, contaminants, synergistic effects and chronic exposures are not evaluated, even if they are more toxic or restricted than the active ingredient.

Because of conflicting informations, and to erase any doubt, Alcochem being committed not only to clients safety but also to our workers and the environment, have decided to use only the least amount of toxin possible, the use of natural chemicals, non-toxic controls such as exclusion, mechanical alteration, temperature controls, biological controls, sanitation and other integrated pest management techniques.

Q. Have I been “cheated” if termites continue to infest my house after treatment?
A. Not necessarily.  Unlike other services such as plumbing or electrical work, termites control involves living creatures.  The best treatments performed by knowledgeable firms may fail at times, when termites find their way through many tiny untreated gaps in the soil.  While the intents is to establish a continuous, impenetrable chemical barrier, this is all but impossible to achieve in actual practice.  In the case of baits, it may take several months for termites to initially find the baits and several months more to achieve control.  The key is to hire a reputable pest control company who commits to keep your house free from termite during the warranty period; that will return every 3 months for 1 year or more and retreat re-infested areas at no extra charge. Sa ALCOCHEM Pest Control, Sigurado ka dito!