Termite question, for anyone who has had them..

I found what I think is a termite, and of course, I am freaked out.

Is it always a ridiculously huge problem, or can it be more simple? You know you hear termite, and think my house is going to be eaten by tomorrow.

I really believe this is what it is, thing is, it was on my kitchen floor, so I am kind of concerned.

Anyone have anything to share, the good, the bad, the awful?

Who did you use? How did they treat? Ugh..I am hating even typing this!

Re: Termite question, for anyone who has had them..

I deal with it a lot, as an agent.

Termites are very common on LI, and become active as the weather gets warmer, so you start to see them in spring. But I do think it's odd to see it in the middle of your kitchen floor.

I would just call an exterminator to come in and do a termite inspection to assess whether you have an active problem (with termites or something else). I know people say Terminex is expensive, so you may want to use a smaller company. I have heard of people using "The Bug Stops Here" (they are in Massapequa) but don't know where you are located.

Treatments could be spray treatments or installation of a baiting system (which is more expensive). There are pros and cons to each. Usually it's not a big deal - and cost-wise, it can be just a couple of hundred (for a basic spray treatment) to a couple of thousand (for installation of baits). Anything that involved drilling will be more pricey. But they will give you a year's guarantee/contract of no termites (they usually will follow up a few times a year under the contract), and then it's usually something like $200/year to renew. Sometimes the cost of preventative maintenance is well worth the peace of mind!

Also, there is usually not any kind of major structural damage unless the termites have gone unnoticed/untreated for a long time. Do you have a basement? Is it finished? If not, it should be easy to see if there has been a lot of damage, because that's where you usually find a lot of activity (and in garages).

As a preventative measure, it's a good idea to make sure you don't have shrubbery or other vegetation growing too close to your foundation... home inspectors always say that invites termite and other insect activity.

But I wouldn't stress too much! You are far from the only homeowner to have termites, if you do in fact have them!

Re: Termite question, for anyone who has had them..

I have used Guy from Skyway Pest Control (someone on here recommended him to me!) but I have used him quite a few times - and referred him to others. He is reasonable, very basic, and just solves the issue. He doesn't look to charge you a lot and takes care of everything -- and is VERY informative. I really feel much better after using him and trust him.

http://skywaypestmanagement.com/

Re: Termite question, for anyone who has had them..

last year we had a huge carpenter ant problem we called terminex who came for the ants and was very reasonable with the treatment costs basically the first treatment solved our problem but they still came and did quartely treatments. At the initial startup they gave us a free termite inspection which they claim to have seem termite activity. They told us of the bait/trap treatment it was approximately $1000 They basically put wood in traps around the house and monitor them for activity which after a year there was none!!
about a month ago we saw some ants walking on our floor then found a few winged creatures that we thought were termites. saved them in a jar and showed them to terminx who said they were winged ants. basically the point to my long story is just make sure they are not ants and beware of termite treatment especially from terminx.

Termite question, for anyone who has had them..

On LI it is rare that you won't have termites. Just get your house treated. Chances are there isn't extensive damage.