Help withTermite treatments

So, 2 years ago we found few mud tubes on the ceiling, called 5 star rated company and paid for termite treatment. They used Prothor, on 3 sides of the house, but the fourth side, which is where we suspect they are coming from, was left untreated. Their excuse was, they don't want to drill the patio tiles. We told them we'd rather have complete barrier, but it just didn't happen. Since then, they had to come out and treat every 6-8 months. Just last week i paid for another year of warranty, we were scheduled for retreatment (they seemed to concentrate in one room only), but just today i found a mud trail on the floor on the oposite side of the house.
The pest control company claims it's difficult to treat becuase we have a crack in the foundation, and along this crack are main sightings , both in floor and ceiling. My problem with this theory is the new mud tube that we found today,oposite of the crack.

And even though our infestation isn't on a large scale, both husband and I are getting worried and wondering if we should find a different company. We do not have a retirement fund, our hope was to sell this house when time comes to retire and move somewhere cheaper. We keep working on it, investing in upgrades, but i wonder if there is any use? Long time ago, when we moved in, we painted the concrete floors, and this year wanted to install hardwood flooring, but the pest control company told us they will have to drill it and we better not.
I guess my question is, does this sound normal? Not being able to install flooring, and not being able to get rid of termites after 2 years worth of drilling and numerous gallons of Prothor?
Also, is it possible to sell the house which had termite treatments in the past, or are we better off just leaving? This just keeps me awake at night

 

Not normal at all, if there tunnels all the way to the ceiling you have a major infestation!
They have been there a long time.
Slab should have been drilled, where the tiles are they could have drilled at a 45 deg.angle where the tiles meet the wall.

 

I am sorry if i worded it wrongly, we don't have tunels that lead from floor to ceiling. We had 4-5 mud tubes, maybe 2 inches long hanging from ceiling , right above the crack in the foundation. This was two years ago. They would come out and treat, but every 6-8 months, termites resurface, maybe on two different spots, in one room. Short mud tubes.
The new mud trail i found is on the oposite side of the house, coming right under the door frame, maybe 3 inches in length, but no other spots anywhere else.
I am just wondering could this be because no complete barrier was done? 3 sides only?

 

Like Joe said; not normal and the tiles could have been drilled/treated one way or another. If the customer is willing to sign a waiver/release form for the tile drilling, which it looks like you would have, then any good company would have drilled.

I'm wondering if the concrete floor should be drilled in some locations and treated. Has anyone opened up behind the bath tub to inspect? On slab structures this is a prime area for termites to enter. Don't install wood/carpet flooring until this issue is resolved.

Treating every 6-8 months tells me that control was never established. I can't imagine a lending institution giving a mortgage on a structure with active termites. Personal sale, as long as you disclose it and no mortgage involved might work but the better solution is to solve the problem. Pro's solve these problems for a living.

While Prothor is a non-repellent termiticide, my preference and many others would be termiticides that have fipronil as active ingredient. Varioius brand names. Consider that if/when you change companies. Hope this helps.

 

Yes, they drilled concrete floor, along the crack in the foundation. They also drilled in the bathroom, bathroom is under remodel, there is no sink, toilet or bathtub, waiting to lay down tile, but how can we, when they just keep coming and drilling, without results. they are seriously holding us down. I did some research and it seems you are very correct on the kind of termiticide they are using. People are telling me to find a company which is using termidor HE. This is not a huge problem yet, but i am affraid with them dragging me along, it might turn out bigger!

 

Prothor, though it wouldn't be my first choice, is still an effective termiticide. Before the fipronil based termiticides, the active ingredient in Prothor was the termiticide of choice.

You've been very co-operative with them by letting them drill inside and outside, and even asking them to drill the exterior tile which they didn't do. All I can surmise is that, for some reason, the Prothor isn't getting to where it needs to go. I'm assuming they are using the correct percentage and the correct gallonage of Prothor. If not using enough volume of termiticide then it won't spread out and it won't go deep enough. That won't work either even though it visibly appears that they are doing everything correctly. This is where Termidor HE can be superior. It spreads out more than even conventional Termidor does. Definitely more expensive, as you probably figured.

How far apart are the drill marks?

 

We measured drill marks, they vary between 19 inches to over 2 feet apart in some spots. Been doing some yard work today, in the back yard, where no barrier was formed, digging some weed roots that grew right next to the foundation, and here comes a winged termite from out of the ground.
I am suspecting that heart of the problem is in the drill holes being too wide apart, which was done purposely (because every other company i looked at clearly states that they drill every 12 inches) to hook us on yearly warranty, plus not creating full 4 sided barrier around the home.
I am going to have 3-4 new companies come out for a treatment estimate (these do exclusively Termidor), and depending on what their experts say, i am truly considering suing the company i used. I just realized that we didn't even get any true warranty from this company, instead they offered us a year of free warranty in exchange for a 5 star review on Google. This is why we decided to go with them, because of their 5 star reviews. Also, on our first inspection, we were told that Prothor is the ONLY termicide termites can't recognize, and they know how to avoid Termidor, which is why they don't use it.
We got swindled, it seems. I have never considered suing anyone in small claims before, but just might have to if they refuse to fix the problem on Monday.

 

The drill marks are too far apart for a continuous chemical barrier, especially in sandy soil which is what I believe you have in AZ, correct me if I'm wrong. Now, for Termidor HE I believe the drill marks can be further apart though I'd want to make sure that it still spreads out in sandy soil, if that is the case at your house.

The fact that you are finding swarmer termites in the exterior perimeter soil tells me that they most likely didn't apply nearly enough termiticide.

I feel bad for you; not your fault at all but I doubt that there is any good recourse. Maybe consider calling the regulatory agency that licenses pest control in your state and filing some type of complaint just for the record. The drill mark distances could be good physical evidence. In any case, find an operator that is know to friends/family as word of mouth is still a good way to find pest control businesses. Also, make sure they belong to state/national trade association. Not a guarantee of a good operator, but that's where a lot of good ones are.

 

They are here today, doing yet another treatment. They sent out an older guy, a supervisor. Finally agreed to drill the entire 4th side of the house, but with drill marks spaced so far in between in front, i am not sure how much good it will do. We actually have a quite hard, clay type of soil here in AZ, it's very hard to dig a hole for a plant or anything for that matter.
Also, they are drilling inside again. I didn't like that, but i agreed to avoid confrontation. Now they claim that we have a foundation crack that runs vertically, on top of the one that runs horisontaly accross the house. So now 50 procent of our home is drilled inside, and still no definite answers as to when we can install new florring in bedrooms. Our painted concrete is ruined in two of the rooms, and one bathroom is drilled length wise.
I wonder how safe it is to live with termicide in concrete florring, especially knowing concrete is porous?

I am losing hope. Our warranty runs out in early 2019, i think we will start calling different guys for estimates next week, and see where we stand. I am terrified from duying some slow, painful death, along with my husband

 

Are they doing the new drill marks closer together, hopefully?

If there are termites under the tiled slab, then this treatment could very well do a lot of good.

Did they re-treat the soil where you found swarmers recently?

Prothor works when it is put where the termites are. In any case, I do think you need to get another operator, reputable, trade association member, that uses Termidor or any termiticide with active ingredient, fipronil.

I wouldn't worry at all about the termiticide and potential effects as it is in and under ground. It is also legal to use it as an interior spray for ants. The active ingredient is also used on pets for fleas/ticks just like fipronil (Termidor) is.

 

At this point, it seems like they are trying to keep us happy. Supervisor explained to us, that it costs them big money every time they need to return to retreat anyone's house, and they are really trying to get the job done.
Also, we spoke about being previously told not to install new flooring, he disagreed, and told us that if we are planning to install new tiles, it could actually do good? Not sure about that one, seems to have something to do with mortar on top of concrete cracks. He said he will bring this issue on the next training and reeducate the techs.
I asked about having to treat again in the future, after we lay the slate, to which he replied that they can insert organic borax thru the drywall, right inside the crack, should termites return.
He seems adamant that two cracks in foundation are our main issues. Patio is drilled every 12 inches, i believe they treated entire side that was forgotten two years ago, but i couldn't tell you about the rest. Bathroom and bedroom were drilled every 12 inches, alog the crack and filled.

As far as the company goes, they have been in business since 1969, and while they are little bigger than your average company, they are not quite as big as for example Burns (not sure if you have Burns there)

The supervisor did the work himself, with help of another guy, two trucks came and they drilled together, which i always find embarassing;no way you can hide termite problem from your neighbors

I will report back in a while, should they emerge again. We are trying to use up our yearly warranty fee, and we will look for someone who uses termidor in February 2019 (should our house survive the invasion )

Thanks for all your help!

 

Ok, I feel a little better about this company now, with what you’ve told us though I still don’t get why they don’t use Fipronil based termiticide. It DOES NOT repel termites/ants; quite the opposite. I’m not sure that I know why he’d think that a floor on top of the concrete would be a good idea; I wouldn’t do it. Borax based treatments in wall voids are effective and protect the walls, but still don’t treat the subterranean colony.

Glad they did the new drilling closer together. I’m thinking that progress was made today. Keep us posted please.

 

When it comes to new flooring, what would you recommend? Definetely want to put up something, as our painted concrete is peeling after 12 years. I think hardwood or laminate would be even worse idea.
Or maybe we should just wait a bit longer until we get a handle on termite problem?

 

Once the termite issue is resolved you can put down any kind of flooring that you want. I wouldn't hesitate to go with wood if that's what you like.