Home on Mondays: The Termite Aftermath

From the damage the termites made, the pest control company informed us that the infestation probably started even before we moved in. They identified the type of termites as coptotermes. The nastiest of the lot. They said it probably came from the dead tree across our street. Termites can travel up to 100 feet to find food. The seller of the house admitted that they had not treated the house after the renovation.

We thought the best option was to renovate our kitchen. The cabinet surrounding the sink was totally damaged and there's been a horrible smell in the cabinets. We were hoping to keep the kitchen as it is since I already had the color changed before we moved in. We've been afraid that the countertop might just crash one of these days, so we decided to have it fixed. We also need to have the electrical installation and tiles re-done. 

The pest control company gave us the go ahead to renovate a month ago. They said the colony is dead and it would be safe to renovate. Today the cabinets were demolished. What we were seeing since treatment was done was just the tip of the iceberg. We finally saw the extent of the damage that happened.

This is what we saw during treatment:

And this is what we saw today:

We informed the pest control company and they're coming over this week to treat the area. They said it would be better to treat it before we install new cabinets. I'm so glad that Pixa Company has been reliable and effective at treating the pests in our house (they also took care of the higad situation since it became so gnarly). 

Lesson learned, before buying a house, ask the seller for proof of pest treatment. I remember my Mom regularly had our home treated before. I started having Pixa treat her home three years ago since the pest situation became uncontrollable already. They found three types of termites in her house and different variants of roaches. It's an old house so taking care of it is different ballgame.

#BeKind #StaySafe 

Home on Mondays: The Termites are Almost Gone

Two months ago a cabinet door in the kitchen came off when the contractor was checking something. The hinge wasn't attached to the wall anymore. They said it was likely termites. It was horrific to find out that our new home had termites! We immediately SOS'd the pest control company who's been servicing our childhood homes. They came immediately and said we got the most destructive kind. They started battling the termites just before we went to Bohol. 

The pest control company came several more times in the past two months to check the bait they left. A few weeks ago I discovered that another cabinet door was starting to be unhinged. Good thing the pest control company came a day after and told us that the termites relocated under the sink. They also taught us how to hear the termites while they're gathering food. Here's how they look and sound -

"Do not disturb them," was the one instruction the pest control company gave us. They told us to avoid pounding the area where they were feeding. I was concerned that they were under the sink, but they said it was okay to wash dishes there. They tied the cabinet door so we don't accidentally open it. Well, we reduced kitchen activity altogether so we don't disturb the pests. 

My childhood home is also free of the pests now. They told us there were three kinds when they started working on the house. What we learned is both old and new houses can be infested as long as there's an infestation around your home. We were told that the termites came from the dead tree across our house. They said that termites will look for food within 50 to 100 radius. Don't try to treat them on your own because they will easily move to another area within your home if disturbed. 

I'm glad we got a reliable pest company. :)

#BeKind #StaySafe