Pests We Treat Case Studies: Termites invade Princeton, NJ home

Challenge

I was recently sent to a home in Princeton, NJ to treat a termite infestation. This particular home was built on a slab foundation. Some types of foundations are more prone to termite problems, and slab foundations are one of them. Why? Slab foundations are often close to the soil and often have cracks and holes. With slabs, the floor almost always has a crack where it meets the side of the foundation. Another trouble spot with slabs is where the garage slab and house are attached. As a result, termites often find their way to tube fairly easily into the home in search for wood and other cellulose products to eat. Another common foundation we see in New Jersey that often have termite issues are crawl spaces because they are often humid and are not often inspected for termite issues, especially those where accessibility is difficult. Unfortunately, with this Lawrence Township home, the termite problem was not discovered until there was already significant damage to an interior wall and damage to the floor moldings. 

Solution

As with all termite treatments, I thoroughly treated the exterior perimeter of the house. However, I also wanted to take it a step further by getting the application directly into the termite infested wall. I drilled and injected a powerful  foam termiticide into the wall void. I also drilled through concrete pavers used as external flooring that was abutting the house in order to directly access and treat the soil beneath. 

I also trenched and rodded a termiticide liquid into the soil under the mulch. Rodding, which is used to get the product deeper into the soil and provide additional protection,  involves making additional holes in the trench’s bottom to allow the application to quickly get deeper in. Cowleys always perform termite treatments for maximum effectiveness according to the termiticide label. For example, the label for termiticide we use, which is considered to the most effective time-proven product on the market for resolving these infestations, requires rodding holes not more than 12 inches apart. So that’s exactly what we do. Cowleys will not cut corners in its treatment just to be able to give a lower termite treatment bid. All of us want to do right by our customers who are relying on us to protect their investment. With termite treatments, using the right product is not enough. Just as important is applying the product correctly according to the manufacturer’s specifications so that there is a complete chemical barrier that will stop termites from reaching the home.