Huntington Services
Handyman & Perry's Pest Control
Handyman & Perry's Pest Control
Services we provide-
- Pest Control & Termite Service
- Pigeon Control, Mice & Rat Control
- Door/Window repairs & installation
- Drains cleared (90-day guarantee)
- Stucco/wall repairs - Flat roof repair
- Wood floor repairs (including sub-floor)
- Drywall repairs & installation
- Crown molding installation
- Baseboard and trim installation
- Termite damage repairs
- Fence, gate, deck, patio repairs
- Exterior & Interior painting
- Tile floor/wall repairs & installation
- Trash removal & demolition
- Thermal imaging (detect heat loss)
| Serving: Albuquerque, West Side, Rio Rancho, East Mountains, Santa Fe, Eldorado, Pojoaque, Los Alamos and yes, even Northern and Southern CA. |
New Bathroom window
One of our projects
"New Patio"
"New Patio"
New exterior stairs
Before installation of new
4-panel sliding doors
4-panel sliding doors
After installation
of 4-panel doors
of 4-panel doors
Before After
Patio Beam repair (Top pictures are before repair) (Bottom pictures are after repair) |
| Licensed, Insured, Bonded |
A new patio cover we built
in Orange County
in Orange County
Replaced damaged starter
board and damaged rafter
board and damaged rafter
Rafter replacement
Drilling slab to treat for
Subterranean Termites
Subterranean Termites
Patio we built in Orange County
Stairs after primer and paint
All Rights Reserved Copyright©2003-2010 Huntington Services. No part of this web-page may be copied or reproduced
| SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES IN UNDERGROUND AIR DUCT SYSTEM IN ALBUQUERQUE, NM Picture on left: Termites consumed cardboard ductwork, allowing dirt to fall into the duct system (blocking air flow). Picture in middle: Slab cut out and cardboard removed making way for metal ductwork to be installed. Picture on right: Different angle showing slab cut away to remove all of cardboard sonoduct system. This home (like many older homes in Albuquerque) had an undergound heat register system constructed with cardboard ducting material (also referred to as Sonoduct). Sonoduct is often surrounded with cement, however, cracking develops and weakened sonoduct can give way to collapse. Portions of this particular sonoduct were destroyed by termites. The homeowner initially reported seeing pieces of foil, then live termites flying out of her floor heat registers. Our duct camera revealed Subterranean termites eating the ductwork along with a partially collapsed duct channel. |
Subterranean termite shelter tubing
being build up a garage stem wall
being build up a garage stem wall
SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES-
Moisture sources for termites in your home- Subterranean termites (unlike drywood termites) require moisture to survive or thrive in
a home; thus infestations are often found when remodeling a bathroom or kitchen area. In bathrooms, termites gain entrance into the
structure from the tub-trap cut-out in the slab, up the copper water lines (due to the condensation), shower pan, or crack in the concrete
slab. Other entry points for subterranean termites are seams in floating or supported concrete slabs, behind exterior siding or stucco
that is in contact with soil, up settling cracks, plumbing protrusion lines or expansion cracks in garages. If the structure is a crawlspace,
then termites can be found building free-standing tubing from the ground to the floor joists, constructing tubing up the foundation walls, or
behind the rim joist and beneath the mud sills (coming from behind stucco that is in direct contact with soil) and tubing can be found
building up pier post supports.
Ground contact a must for this termite- Subterranean termites must maintain contact with the soil for replenishing purposes unless
the structure that they are feeding upon has a plumbing leak or some other source of moisture (above ground). A species of
subterranean termite in New Orleans can survive above ground by constructing a "termite carton". An odd fact: the very soil that
subterranean termites need (in order to move, survive and hide from predators), also contains bacteria that, if not removed, will kill the
termite. As a result, subterranean termite workers must constantly groom themselves and the other members of the colony.
Termite mud-tubing- Unlike Drywood termites, Subterranean termites will construct mud-like shelter tubing made up of fecal material
and a glue-like substance that binds the tubing together through which they can accomplish all of their activities. The mud-like tubing that
subterranean termites build are divided up into three types; exploratory tubing, drop tubing and working tubing. Exploratory tubing is also
known as migratory tubing and can often be found in the crawlspace beneath a home on the surface of the ground.
Flying termites- Subterranean termite swarmer's (reproductives) are dark brown to black with grayish colored wings and are much
smaller than Drywood termites. The winged termites are approximately 1/4 inch in length. Note: one of the many differences between
"flying termites" and "flying ants" is the length of the wings. Termite wings will be much longer than the body whereas ant wings are almost
at equal length with the body. The antennae of termites are straight and the antennae of ants is bent (or L-shaped). Swarming termites
are often seen in the spring; on sunny days after a rain.
Treatment for Subterranean termites is entirely different than that of Drywood termites. Treatment for subterranean termites can
involve either establishing a repellent barrier around the structure, in the soil, or installing a subterranean termite bait/monitor system in
the ground around the structure. The barrier method is known as a conventional treatment. We use a product called PREMISE 75. Unlike
a true repellent barrier, PREMISE 75 forms what is known as a non-repellent treated zone. The difference in repellents and
non-repellents is the following: when a repellent pesticide is applied to the soil beneath the structure, the applicator has no way of
knowing if the pesticide is spreading to the intended areas and any imperfections in application (beneath the structure) can allow for
termite entry as the termites will simply go around the repellent pesticide and find an area that was not treated. With a non-repellent
treated area, you can have the same application imperfections but have entirely different results. Termites pass right through the treated
area (unaware that they have passed through it) become effected and spread PREMISE to other colony members.
Most termite bait systems are designed to draw termites into the bait stations by placing a piece of wood (usually pine) into the station
and allowing the termites to feed upon the wood (thus gaining their confidence). After a period of time, the piece of wood is replaced with
the actual bait; in the hope the termites will continue to feed upon the bait, pass it on to other colony members and suppress the colony.
Localized treatments (with a pesticide solution) will also need to be applied to areas of current infestation, in conjunction with the bait
system. Bait systems alone (in our opinion) will not solve the termite problem. Termite workers and soldiers are blind and cannot see the
bait/monitor stations. Termites (through random foraging) will encounter the bait/monitor stations. In order to ensure termites contact the
bait system, several are placed (somewhere between 15 - 40 bait/monitor stations for the average 1500 square foot home) around the
perimeter of the home at approximately 5-10 foot intervals. Interesting occurrence: Several years ago, we inspected a home in Los
Alamos New Mexico. The homeowner had a different company install a bait system around the perimeter of his home to control
subterranean termites. When it came time to sell his home, the buyers agent (wanting a second impartial inspection) hired our company
to perform the termite inspection. Upon inspection, we discovered that the home had evidence of live termites and termite damaged walls
in the basement. Ironically, the live termites (and damage) were found approximately 3 feet away from a wall-mounted bait station that
was installed in addition to the exterior ground stations. Outraged that he still had live termites and new termite damage (after paying a
few thousand dollars for the termite bait system), the homeowner and realtor asked if the other company had done anything wrong? Our
answer was No, and that the other company had performed everything correctly. The reason the homeowner still had live termites and
damage was due to the very nature of subterranean termites and their random foraging behavior. For this reason, we recommend
localized treatments be applied to areas of infestation in conjunction with the bait system installation. Accompanying the baiting program
should be a periodic visual inspection of the property and bait stations. Periodic structure inspections should be performed once a year
or sooner.
Moisture sources for termites in your home- Subterranean termites (unlike drywood termites) require moisture to survive or thrive in
a home; thus infestations are often found when remodeling a bathroom or kitchen area. In bathrooms, termites gain entrance into the
structure from the tub-trap cut-out in the slab, up the copper water lines (due to the condensation), shower pan, or crack in the concrete
slab. Other entry points for subterranean termites are seams in floating or supported concrete slabs, behind exterior siding or stucco
that is in contact with soil, up settling cracks, plumbing protrusion lines or expansion cracks in garages. If the structure is a crawlspace,
then termites can be found building free-standing tubing from the ground to the floor joists, constructing tubing up the foundation walls, or
behind the rim joist and beneath the mud sills (coming from behind stucco that is in direct contact with soil) and tubing can be found
building up pier post supports.
Ground contact a must for this termite- Subterranean termites must maintain contact with the soil for replenishing purposes unless
the structure that they are feeding upon has a plumbing leak or some other source of moisture (above ground). A species of
subterranean termite in New Orleans can survive above ground by constructing a "termite carton". An odd fact: the very soil that
subterranean termites need (in order to move, survive and hide from predators), also contains bacteria that, if not removed, will kill the
termite. As a result, subterranean termite workers must constantly groom themselves and the other members of the colony.
Termite mud-tubing- Unlike Drywood termites, Subterranean termites will construct mud-like shelter tubing made up of fecal material
and a glue-like substance that binds the tubing together through which they can accomplish all of their activities. The mud-like tubing that
subterranean termites build are divided up into three types; exploratory tubing, drop tubing and working tubing. Exploratory tubing is also
known as migratory tubing and can often be found in the crawlspace beneath a home on the surface of the ground.
Flying termites- Subterranean termite swarmer's (reproductives) are dark brown to black with grayish colored wings and are much
smaller than Drywood termites. The winged termites are approximately 1/4 inch in length. Note: one of the many differences between
"flying termites" and "flying ants" is the length of the wings. Termite wings will be much longer than the body whereas ant wings are almost
at equal length with the body. The antennae of termites are straight and the antennae of ants is bent (or L-shaped). Swarming termites
are often seen in the spring; on sunny days after a rain.
Treatment for Subterranean termites is entirely different than that of Drywood termites. Treatment for subterranean termites can
involve either establishing a repellent barrier around the structure, in the soil, or installing a subterranean termite bait/monitor system in
the ground around the structure. The barrier method is known as a conventional treatment. We use a product called PREMISE 75. Unlike
a true repellent barrier, PREMISE 75 forms what is known as a non-repellent treated zone. The difference in repellents and
non-repellents is the following: when a repellent pesticide is applied to the soil beneath the structure, the applicator has no way of
knowing if the pesticide is spreading to the intended areas and any imperfections in application (beneath the structure) can allow for
termite entry as the termites will simply go around the repellent pesticide and find an area that was not treated. With a non-repellent
treated area, you can have the same application imperfections but have entirely different results. Termites pass right through the treated
area (unaware that they have passed through it) become effected and spread PREMISE to other colony members.
Most termite bait systems are designed to draw termites into the bait stations by placing a piece of wood (usually pine) into the station
and allowing the termites to feed upon the wood (thus gaining their confidence). After a period of time, the piece of wood is replaced with
the actual bait; in the hope the termites will continue to feed upon the bait, pass it on to other colony members and suppress the colony.
Localized treatments (with a pesticide solution) will also need to be applied to areas of current infestation, in conjunction with the bait
system. Bait systems alone (in our opinion) will not solve the termite problem. Termite workers and soldiers are blind and cannot see the
bait/monitor stations. Termites (through random foraging) will encounter the bait/monitor stations. In order to ensure termites contact the
bait system, several are placed (somewhere between 15 - 40 bait/monitor stations for the average 1500 square foot home) around the
perimeter of the home at approximately 5-10 foot intervals. Interesting occurrence: Several years ago, we inspected a home in Los
Alamos New Mexico. The homeowner had a different company install a bait system around the perimeter of his home to control
subterranean termites. When it came time to sell his home, the buyers agent (wanting a second impartial inspection) hired our company
to perform the termite inspection. Upon inspection, we discovered that the home had evidence of live termites and termite damaged walls
in the basement. Ironically, the live termites (and damage) were found approximately 3 feet away from a wall-mounted bait station that
was installed in addition to the exterior ground stations. Outraged that he still had live termites and new termite damage (after paying a
few thousand dollars for the termite bait system), the homeowner and realtor asked if the other company had done anything wrong? Our
answer was No, and that the other company had performed everything correctly. The reason the homeowner still had live termites and
damage was due to the very nature of subterranean termites and their random foraging behavior. For this reason, we recommend
localized treatments be applied to areas of infestation in conjunction with the bait system installation. Accompanying the baiting program
should be a periodic visual inspection of the property and bait stations. Periodic structure inspections should be performed once a year
or sooner.
Termite tube on a cast-iron tub
Drywood termite damage to a patio post
Drywood termites in a bamboo wood floor
Joe (Termite Crew)
-while on vacation-
(Probably thinking about work)
-while on vacation-
(Probably thinking about work)
(Click to enlarge photos)
Albuquerque
E. Mountains
Rio Rancho
E. Mountains
Rio Rancho
*****************************************************************************************************
Photos of our repair work
(click to enlarge)
(click to enlarge)
Santa Fe
Los Alamos
Pojoaque
Los Alamos
Pojoaque
| Visit our main Pest website: |
| (505) 503-8339 |