New Construction Pretreatment

PRE-TREATMENT FOR SWIMMING POOLS?
You read that correctly.  I'll say it again.  Pre-treatment for swimming pools.  Why is that, you say?  It's because your swimming pool is "in the ground" and subject to the same flaws as a house that is built on or in the ground.  Not only that, but termites can get through plastic - or vinyl swimming pool liners.  And they can also get through the PVC piping often used in pool installations.  So when you install an in-ground swimming pool, spend the extra bucks and have it pre-treated.

1. "Slab homes are termite proof because they have no basement	In fact, unfinished basements make for easy reliable inspection. Homes which have unfinished basements are easier to treat, less likely to develop any major problem and less likely to have termites in the first place. Most homes with an unfinished basement that get termites have activity where the garage slab attaches to the home, by the front stoop, the rear stoop or any attached patio slabs. However, once the basement is finished, all this changes. Finished basements are very likely to develop termites. You will read below the best way to prevent this from happening. Slab homes are the most likely type of structure to get termites.
2. "Termite shields are better than a termite job".	What a misrepresentation. Having termite shields really does nothing except let you better see where the termites have entered! For this reason alone they are worth getting. But don't rely on them to keep termites out. It's not going to happen. If you want to keep termites out, you will have to pretreat as described below.
3. Solid concrete foundations keep termites out.	termites love to tunnel over solid concrete about as much as they love to tunnel over block, wood, brick, rock or any other building material. Solid foundations do improve inspection capability as well as keep the invaders on the surface. Block foundations can separate and crack and termites traveling in these cracks are much harder to find.
4. "Every crack and crevice leading into this home will be caulked so pests will never be able to enter".	It's not going to happen. It is worth the effort. But again, this is not pest control or pretreating. This is mechanical control. In other words, by minimizing gaps and seams through which insects can enter you can reduce the amount of pests which may infest. Though this is true, there are simply too many cracks and crevice available. Rest assured, you will be able to keep out more by properly sealing your home. But remember, insect infestations generally don't occur because of continuous migration inside.Most happen because one got inside and produced young. In other words, it only takes one to start a problem and there are simply too many entry points to close. Therefore, if you want to stop an infestation from happening in the home, you will need to first minimize routes of entry by doing a good sealing job but then secondly minimize the amount of pests living immediately adjacent to your home. This combination will prove most effective.
5. "We are installing pest treatment tubing so we won't have to worry about what we actually use to build nor our method of construction".	False Such systems do allow you to treat wall voids and other hard to reach areas of the home. However, this only will prove to be effective if the pest problem is actually that deep and specific. Many problems never get below the surface. Even with it's short comings, it is good to have. But again, don't rely on one tool.
6. "All the lumber being used for our home has been kiln dried so there is no risk of pests coming in with it".	Though kiln drying will help to kill off many wood destroying pests, lumber can get reinfested simply by being stored. Chances are some of the wood used for your home will have pests in it and such wood presents a real and clear danger of spreading this activity.