The Colony Digest

April 2011

PRICE vs. QUALITY

Contractors beware! While seeking to obtain materials and services at the best available prices, be careful not to toss quality out the window.

Over the past twenty years, while costs have quadrupled or more across the board, rates of pre-construction foundation "termite" treatments have barely doubled. This has been fueled by an overly competitive market, flooded with too many vendors, bargain basement buyers and a lack of regulations to ensure standards are preserved.

The most commonly used termiticides are chlorpyrephos and a few of the pyrethroids. The production of chlorpyrephos has been discontinued due to health and environmental concerns but existing stocks have not been recalled. It is the cheapest of the chemicals and so the one most used by cut rate operators. Pyrethroids are the synthetic variants of natural pyrethrum and quite safe to mammals and birds (warm blooded) but are broad spectrum insecticides and highly toxic to all cold blooded organisms.

Both of these insecticides have limitations in efficacy, compared to the safer, new generation chemicals. Because of these limitations, prescribed dilution rates as well as method and rates of application must be observed to ensure the integrity of any treatment. When one considers these factors along with the cost of the raw material, it becomes clear that something is wrong. The chemical costs alone at application rates for chlorpyrephos is forty eight to fifty cents per square foot and one dollar per square foot for the pyrethroids. This does not account for all the other many costs incurred in the provision of the service or the profit margin.

The question is then, how can some service providers (still using old generation termiticides) be still offering such low rates per square foot? Compromises will obviously be made, for which the client will ultimately pay the price.

The bottom line is simply this - always use a conscientious operator of which there are quite a few of us around.

Until legislation is put in place to ensure that quality standards are upheld, you can inquire as to whether it is a registered company and on record with the Pesticide Board, you should also make certain that you will be receiving a printed warranty on completion. This should take you three steps closer to ensuring you choose a reputable contractor.