Anti-termite Treatment

Property Maintenance plays a crucial role in overcoming hassles at homes which otherwise would have an adverse impact on the residents' precious hours. What are the specific areas that need periodical maintenance to ensure a hassle-free lifestyle in an apartment complex? Here are a few tips.

Wall Cracks

Cracks may appear in the wall in initial years of occupation, due to the following reasons as per I.S. Code in the internal and the external plaster, due to moisture changes, Thermal variations, elastic deformation, creep, chemical reaction, foundation movement and settlement of soil, vegetation, and earthquake. Do not panic. The process of cracks may continue for the first couple of years. After that you can simply fill the cracks with primer putty and repaint the walls and watch them stay that way.

Door and Latches

After a period of time, you may find that the doors in your apartment do not shut properly and the latches no longer seem to work perfectly. This happens because of self-weight of the doors combined with temperature fluctuations and also the expansion and contraction of wood causes a shift (usually downward) from the original positions of the doors. Your are advised to wait till the season changes and watch things fall back into place, or if required, you can call a carpenter, who will rectify the problem as a precautionary measure, hinges of doors should be oiled regularly, at least once in three months.

Flooring

The ceramic tile/ vitrified/ granite flooring should be cleaned periodically with detergent diluted liquid. Do not use acids, ever. Corners and skirting should also be cleaned periodically to keep them looking as good as new. To reduce the dust accumulation problem at skirting level, make all skirting flush to the wall.

Damp Patches

In the first monsoon, damp patches and resulting cracks may appear in the walls, due to seepage. This is not a major problem. You are advised to wait for the summer before patching the damp spots, filling the cracks and repainting the walls and the problem will not surface again. It is advisable to repaint the entire building from inside and outside after every three to five years.

Leakage

After a period of time due to regular usage, it is normal that the washers in the taps may get worn out, leading to leaky taps. You can solve this problem by just replacing the washers, even by yourself. If cracks develop in kitchen sink or joints of glazed tiles, leading to seepage, immediately fill the same with materials such as M-Seal White or any other cementing material available in the market. Do not use strong acids to clean bathrooms and toilets, as this will cause leakage and damage to the floor. If the traps below the pipes of the wash basin or bathroom or kitchen sink are choked, get it cleaned immediately by the plumber. Otherwise it will lead to leakages in the joints or dirty water overflowing from the bathroom traps. You can use 'Dranex' or a similar product to clean the blocked area. The leaking water taps should be attended to immediately, to avoid loss of water and damage to the residential unit below. Every apartment owner should clean all spouts and rain water pipes just before the rainy season starts, so that water collection in the balcony and terrace will not take place. Please check all taps are closed before locking your apartment, as water may get flooded in the kitchen and other rooms, spoiling the furniture and the paint finish of the flat below.

Termite Attack

Think of anti-termite treatment as an insurance against termites. No home, however old or new, and no material, whether concrete, wood, brick, or slab is safe from termites. There is no such thing available as termite proof construction. We have taken adequate precautions to avoid termite attacks, by providing the necessary treatment before laying the foundation of each building, but even high quality furniture, fabric, books, documents and plastic insulation, provide a convenient substitute for natural food for termites. Hence, it is advisable to have anti-termite treatment (pest control) done to your furniture, every year.

Elevator

Stuck in an elevator? Don't fret for emergency exit. There is an alarm button inside the lift, which has to be pressed. Once activated, the alarm is heard outside, alerting security personnel.Confirm at what floor level the lift is stuck. If the lift is stuck between two floors because of power failure or any other reason, a trained person has to put off the 3 phase main switch either from the meter room at the ground floor or lift machine room on the 9th floor, and confirm to the others involved in the rescue procedure that the power is switched off. Once the main switch is put off, there is a device called 'brake releaser' which is accessible in the lift machine room on the 9th floor. With this, you can get the lift either up or down to the nearest landing level.Once the lift reaches the nearest landing, the lift door's unlocking device (keys) is available with the security staff to unlock any of the lift doors. For your convenience, all these instructions can be displayed inside the lift machine room. As a precautionary measure, apartment association office bearers should train a responsible person/ security person about the operations.

Choking of Plumbing Lines

• Sewerage / Silage Lines: By throwing non-degradable items (sanitary-napkins, solid waste, etc.) into the plumbing systems, the lines get chocked, due to which the system starts leaking at the joints. Please call the plumber to clear the obstacles in the lines and allow the water to flow smoothly.

• Water Lines: Initially dust in the new C.P. fittings will choke the nozzles in the fittings hence there will not be sufficient pressure in water flowing through these fittings. Please call the plumber, who will open these fittings and clean the washers.

• Overhead Tanks and Sump Tanks: The fine suspended particles present in the water, will settle when the water is stored in tanks, due to which capacity of the tanks will reduce and when the water in the lower portion of tank flows through pipes, your CP fittings will get chocked. Please see that initially the overhead water tanks are cleaned at least once very three months.

Termite Prevention

Are you looking for termite prevention tips that are natural? As we become more eco-friendly in this country these are the kind of decisions we are faced with. Plus with all of the known and unknown chemicals that probably already exist in your house why would you start adding more when maybe you don't have too? This article will focus on natural termite prevention tips.

The Problem
While we may all like to be eco-friendly all the time when it comes to dealing with termites the clock is not on your side. You wouldn't want your house to become so badly damaged that you have to leave it would you? And even if it didn't get that far you will lose a large percentage of the value of your house in that situation.

Prevention Solution
With so many natural methods existing that can be effectively used in combating termite infestation you shouldn't have to make that kind of a choice. However, these solutions are not a silver bullet and you have to know what you need them for and what they are effective at dealing with.

The phrase,"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure" is good advice and applies equally well to this situation. You won't have to worry about dealing with an issue if the issue is never created in the first place. One of the easiest ways to prevent termites from getting into your house to begin with is simply move the right things around. This is because termites get into your house through wood to soil contact or wood to wood contact. So it is your first priority to make sure those situations don't exist as far as your house is concerned. So move that construction lumber or firewood far, far away from your house now. That will deal with one of the conditions but to deal with all of them you also need to make sure your house's foundation is at least six to seven inches above the soil level.

Chemical Solution
Of course you knew we would mention the old tried and true boric acid solution didn't you? You can find this stuff at most home improvement stores, hardware stores and some drug stores. Don't be alarmed but it usually comes in the form of white powder and can be used to treat a lot more then termite problems as far as insects are concerned. In any case we have three ways to put it to good termite prevention use:

1) Treat wood with it before use.
2) Spray it or "paint" it on the outside of your house.
3) Use it to get rid of an active termite colony. This is done by soaking the wood in a boric acid solution with water and then sticking the stakes in a location the termites will find and start eating it.

Heat Solution
This solution while not as popular as the other ones or inexpensive takes into account the fact that termites can't exist at temperatures equaling or exceeding 120 degrees. The way this works is by a technique called heat tenting where you put a big tent over the house and then raise the temperature using portable heaters and other related devices. This method is not cheap but it also doesn't require any chemicals to be an effective termite prevention and extermination method.

Termite Protection

Contrary to popular perception, you need not always depend on pest control experts for termite. If you are really serious about getting rid of termites, then there are many things that you can do in order to strengthen your first line of defense.

1. As a first step you will need to get rid of debris and try and keep your home clean. Take care to ensure that you do not store any debris made up of cardboard, paper or wood, either near or below your house. This is one effective termite method that can give almost instant results.

2. Termites are known to thrive in moisture. Eliminating moisture by proper ventilation and fixing problems such as leaking faucets, pipes and defective gutters is another thing that can help you get rid of these pests. You will also need to make sure that the draining system in your house is working properly.

3. Another simple termite protection tip is to ensure that you keep wooden items at least a few inches above ground. This way you reduce the chances of the wood attracting termites.

4. If you want to have plants or large trees around your house, you should make sure that they are located at some distance from the house. You must also take care to see that the wooden areas of your house are not touched by the branches of trees.

5. Another effective termite protection method is to use treated wood in your house.

6. Termite protection has got a lot to do with regular inspections too. Make sure you ask pest control experts to check your house at regular intervals of time. Early detection is the key to getting rid of termites and saving your wooden items.

The presence of termites in your house can have devastating effects but if you eradicate them by the responsible use of termite eradication chemicals and products, you would have taken a major step in the protection of your property and everyone inside it. This elimination of termites can be performed by a professional, licensed termite control company by the use of control procedures.
This process, eliminate termite control, squarely aims at the eradication of termite colonies that have currently taken residence at the structure. The sooner you reach an infestation, the greater your chances of completely eradicating the termites and you can also get on with your program of prevention of future infestations quickly. This procedure usually involves spraying of chemicals that would kill the termites around the base of the structure in addition to the walls of the structure where the termites love to live.

Some of the steps you can do yourself include inspecting the foundations of your home for cracks or any other openings and sealing them with proper fillers and sealants to prevent the entry of termites into your home.

Search for places where the foundation of your house meets the soil and also for places where water collects near the wood. Termites like to feed on wet, wood damp and naturally tend to drift towards places where the wood happens to be weak and tunneling is easy for them. Use chemicals to from a protective barrier and seal places where water tends to seep beneath the house.

Eliminate termite control eradicates the termites which are already infesting your house, but to keep your house safe from future infestations, you need to take annual preventive treatments from a pest control company. You can eliminate all the termites in your house by yourself, but to prevent them from re-infesting, you need professional help. In the long run, this may work out cheaper than repeated infestations of termites and the corresponding costs of the required repairs.

One can never truly and completely eliminate the requirement of termite control. As a responsible owner of a property or a structure and as a responsible citizen, you need to really think about pests like these that take residence in the wood in your home and devastate it making it unsafe to inhabit. So take the necessary steps to eliminate termites and make your building safe and sound for everyone concerned.

If you own a building or a home, you might want to know the right time to do a termite control so that your property and structure undergoes minimum damage. Most termites reproduce and lay eggs during spring unlike a lot of other animals. They lay eggs after burrowing into moist soil. Once the eggs are laid, they incubate till it is time to hatch. While the termites wait for their eggs to hatch, they work in and around your house in order to provide nourishment that their babies will require. So in case you are wondering which season to do termite control in, the answer is right before spring.

But that is only one answer. In reality, it is best to do termite control around the whole year, as this will prevent these creatures from going into the moist soil under your house at any time. Make a concrete plan to ensure they do not get under your house at all, after which you can exercise termite control around the year.

Once the weather becomes warmer and it begins to rain, you must pay close attention and be aware of the things happening in and under your house. There might be holes and leaks in your house that you never knew of. Discovering these defects in time can help you avoid a lot of problems at a later date.

The kitchen and the bathroom are the first places you should check, as these are the areas in which there is use for running water. Check the pipes running below your house and ensure that the wood and pipe fit tightly and that there is no water leak of any sort. If you locate any place through which water can leak or termites can enter, you need to plug them up immediately before any damage starts to happen.

Once you have checked your pipes, make a termite control plan and make a decision about inclusion or exclusion of chemicals. The best way to kill and keep away the termites is by using chemicals. Today, termite control chemicals are made in such a way that they are harmless to human beings and do not cause adverse effects due to their presence. If you are doubtful as to when you should do your termite control, the best thing to do is coincide the application of chemicals with the peak season when termites attack, which is early spring. Once you have established control, there is very less chance for any occurrence of a problem throughout the year.

Termite Control

Termites are insects which cause great damage to property. Wooden materials, be it your furniture or the wooden structure on which your house is constructed are equally vulnerable to termite attacks. Termites belong to the order 'Isoptera'. They are also known as white ant because of their resemblance to ants in many respects. They have chewing mouthparts. Termites feed on wood, which is converted to cellulose in their body.

The protozoa living in the digestive tract of the termite convert the cellulose into various sugars. There are at least 2000 different species of termites. They live in colonies which may appear like a mound. Sometimes these mounds may reach up to a height of 40ft. Termites are social insects and live in large colonies or nests. The largest individual in the colony is the queen. The queen lays eggs. Sometimes she may lay thousand eggs in one day. A king is always present near the queen.

Other members of the colony have powerful jaws and a bulb-like head that sprays liquids. These members are called soldiers. The largest group that is present in the colony is the workers group. They build the nest, gather food and spend long hours serving the queen. Workers can be either male or female. Queens and kings can survive for decades and individual workers can live for several years.

Termites live in mud tubes so the presence of mud tubes near your home is the first sign of termites. Start looking for termites in places where wood meets soil. They feed on wood and prefer moist wood which is most likely to be present near the foundation of your house.

Termite infestation is also indicated by the tunneling in wood. Wooden structures become thin. They lose their strength and can be easily punctured. Damaged wood may show signs of darkening and blistering. Termites start eating into a small hole and get inside the wooden structure. Their next step is to make small tunnels. With time the tunnels become long and the damage increases. A termite damage in your home looks like a small animal making tunnels through the wood.

Another indication of termite damage is the hollow sound which is produced when the damaged wood is tapped. Sometimes a rough dusty material is found on the exterior of the damaged material. Termites leave behind droppings, discarded wings and cracked paint. If you spot any of these signs, you can be sure of the presence of termites. Just to make sure of the termite presence in your home you can refer to the internet and get pictures of termite damage.

Every responsible home owner should pay proper attention if you want to protect his property from termite damage. Termite treatment is essential if you want to keep your house safe from termite damage. You can take the help of termite control companies to prevent termite from destroying your property. If you prefer doing things in your own way, you can get rid of termites on your own by using powerful chemicals. However you need to keep your eyes open to any sign of termite infestation in an around your home. This is the first step towards termite control and is extremely effective when it comes to eliminating termites.

The presence of termites in your house can have devastating effects but if you eradicate them by the responsible use of termite eradication chemicals and products, you would have taken a major step in the protection of your property and everyone inside it. This elimination of termites can be performed by a professional, licensed termite control company by the use of control procedures.

This process, eliminate termite control, squarely aims at the eradication of termite colonies that have currently taken residence at the structure. The sooner you reach an infestation, the greater your chances of completely eradicating the termites and you can also get on with your program of prevention of future infestations quickly. This procedure usually involves spraying of chemicals that would kill the termites around the base of the structure in addition to the walls of the structure where the termites love to live.

Some of the steps you can do yourself include inspecting the foundations of your home for cracks or any other openings and sealing them with proper fillers and sealants to prevent the entry of termites into your home.

Search for places where the foundation of your house meets the soil and also for places where water collects near the wood. Termites like to feed on wet, wood damp and naturally tend to drift towards places where the wood happens to be weak and tunneling is easy for them. Use chemicals to from a protective barrier and seal places where water tends to seep beneath the house.

Eliminate termite control eradicates the termites which are already infesting your house, but to keep your house safe from future infestations, you need to take annual preventive treatments from a pest control company. You can eliminate all the termites in your house by yourself, but to prevent them from re-infesting, you need professional help. In the long run, this may work out cheaper than repeated infestations of termites and the corresponding costs of the required repairs.

One can never truly and completely eliminate the requirement of termite control. As a responsible owner of a property or a structure and as a responsible citizen, you need to really think about pests like these that take residence in the wood in your home and devastate it making it unsafe to inhabit. So take the necessary steps to eliminate termites and make your building safe and sound for everyone concerned.

Living in certain climates such as South Florida is great. It can also have its down side of high levels of certain types pests that live there also. We have termites that love it here also because of the abundant supply of wood and water. So we have had to learn to deal with them early on by different methods of pest control.

Historically, the only way of getting rid of termites was with the use of chemicals and toxic gases. Most of the fumigators would tent the house or business to kill them. They would also pump chemicals into the foundation and walls. The occupants of these areas had to vacate the premises for a few days till it was cleared to enter again.

Today, we have more environmentally friendly natural termite control methods. Recently, I was speaking to the owner of Alternative Termite Management, Steve Paige, of Hallandale Beach, Florida. He was telling me about their method of Natural Termite Control. He stated that you can use an "Electro Gun" and Borate Treatments to do the job for termite control. The "Electro Gun" uses high frequency and high voltage to kill the termites. Then they use Borates to treat the area, this prevents infestations in the future. The good thing is that people can still stay in the home and the costs are much lower than the traditional methods.

In conclusion, Natural Termite Control is good for the Environment. The use of the combination of the "Electro Gun" and Borates kills Termites the Green Way without contamination of the Environment. Borates is a natural product called Boron which is mined in Death Valley, California. There is a product in the grocery store which also uses Borates called "Twenty Mule Team Borax'. It does a good job cleaning clothes also. If you feel that a you have been affected by any Termite Control Product, consult with your Doctor immediately.