GENERAL PEST CONTROL

1)Identify the threat.

2)Understand treatment types.

3)Choose the treatment type that is best for you – what is the best treatment for termites?

4)Plan your budget – how much does it cost to treat a house for termites?

5)Get the job done – There’s a Sims for That.

The Termite Threat

Experts estimate that termite damage amounts to between $1.5 billion and $16.6 billion per year. Termites do not sleep. They are solely focused on finding food, finding water, and creating more termites. If you live in South Georgia, you can count on termites being present in the ground beneath and around your home.

 

 

Selecting the best termite control method is critical to protecting your home from termites.

 

Termite Control Methods

In Georgia, there are two primary types of termite treatments. Exterminators can perform liquid termite treatments. They can also install termite baiting systems. Sentricon® and Trelona® ATBS are the two most commonly used baiting systems in our area.

Liquid Treatments

The idea behind a liquid treatment for termites is to create a barrier of insecticide between where termites live and your house.

Typically, this treatment method involves trenching around the foundation of the house, filling the trenches with a termiticide, and filling in the trenches. This approach also involves drilling holes 12-18 inches apart where carports, patios, and porches meet the main body of the house. Termiticide is injected into these holes and the holes are patched.

Significant advancements in termite treatment chemicals like Termidor® have made liquid termite treatments extremely effective.  

 

Baiting Systems

The idea behind a termite baiting system is to surround a house with bait stations that draw in foraging termites.

When termites find a bait station, they begin feeding at the station. Since termites are a very social species, they share their food and even clean one another. Using our knowledge of termite biology and behavior, we can achieve a deep kill that devastates termite colonies when they share active bait with one another.

Our favorite termite baiting system is made by the same company that manufactures Termidor®: BASF. It is called Trelona® ATBS, and we find it to be far superior to its primary competitor, Sentricon®.

 

Why is Trelona® ATBS the best?

Trelona® ATBS gained our confidence for a few reasons.

Faster Discovery: The bigger Trelona® ATBS stations are found faster and more often.¹

Faster Consumption: The highly palatable bait matrix results in faster consumption by termites as compared to other food sources.²

Faster Colony Elimination: Faster discovery and continued feeding promotes faster control. Through social interaction, termites unknowingly pass the active ingredient onto other termites.³

 

¹ Field Comparison of Time to Termite Discovery in Two Commercial Bait Systems Study, Ph.D. Dissertation, Dr. Charles Mason’s Lab, University of Delaware, 2012.

² Termite Consumption and Preference of Selected Materials, Dr. Brian Forschler, University of Georgia, 2002.

³ Transfer and Efficacy of Trelona Compressed Termite Bait in Subterranean Termites, Dr. Ed Vargo, North Carolina University, 2011.

 

 

WHAT IS THE BEST TREATMENT FOR TERMITES?

Choosing the right termite treatment for your house depends on a few different factors: type of construction, areas infested, and your budget.

Type of Construction

The way your home was built can influence which termite treatment method will be best. Things such as the size of your home, size of your porches, siding type, and foundation type will determine which termite products will be ideal for you.

Areas Infested

If you already have a termite infestation, it would not be wise to wait for a baiting system to deal with the termite colony. An active infestation requires immediate action, and applying a liquid termiticide or a foam termiticide is the best way to eliminate a termite infestation quickly.

Budget

After considering the type of construction of your home and potential active termite infestations, it is time to consider your budget.

Generally, the initial installment of a termite baiting system is less costly than a traditional liquid treatment. There are some exceptions to this rule, but typically your results will be the same.

However, on an ongoing basis, termite baiting systems are usually costlier to maintain than a liquid termite treatment. For example, many homes in the 1800 – 2000 square foot range will cost around $300 per year to maintain with a baiting system. The same home would only cost about $150 per year after a liquid termite treatment.

 

 

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST TO TREAT A HOUSE FOR TERMITES?

Determining the termite treatment cost for a house is dependent on the size and the type of construction. Other variables may come into play such as cellulose debris in the crawl space that will have to be removed.

For example, a house built on a concrete slab foundation will not require any work underneath like a home built on a crawl space would. Sometimes, simply trenching and treating the exterior wall as well as drilling and treating porches and patios is all it takes. Other times, a slab construction home will have a brick veneer that must be drilled and treated. This is a variable that can drive up the cost due to the additional labor and termite chemicals it requires. 

Termite baiting system installations are fairly consistent in cost since they require less labor by comparison. Removal of cellulose debris in crawl spaces and scraping down active termite tubes still influences the treatment price, but drilling requirements usually do not come into play with baiting system installations.

Every house is going to be a little different when it comes to pricing termite protection. However, getting a quote that is customized for your needs is free and easy.

 

HOW CAN SIMS PEST CONTROL HELP YOU WITH YOUR TERMITE CONTROL NEEDS?

Our Legacy

To start with, we have been fighting termites in South Georgia since 1971. That’s over 45 years of experience. We like to think you don’t make it to 45 years of service without providing excellent results.

 

Our People

Our Wood Destroying Organisms department is made up of licensed, insured technicians who are experts when it comes to keeping termites out of your house. Our technicians go through continued training throughout the year and strive to be the best of the best when it comes to protecting homes from termites. Every one of our technicians must possess a clean criminal background, an acceptable motor vehicle history, and a drug free lifestyle.

 

Our Methods

We are passionate about making sure the termite control method we recommend is the best fit for you. We take all the variables into consideration before we make a recommendation, and we are committed to only offering services that we would recommend for ourselves and our families.

We are experts in performing liquid termite treatments as well as termite baiting system installations. You can count on us to perform your chosen termite treatment in accordance with local, state, and federal regulations. We do a great job, and we do it safely.

 

Our Guarantee

We think our repair and retreatment warranty is the best in the business. When you receive a repair and retreatment warranty for our treatment, you can rest easy knowing that your home is in capable and trustworthy hands.

If your home develops an active termite infestation while it is under our warranty, we take care of additional treatment and repairs for you – expenses and all.

We have been protecting homes like yours for over 45 years, and we think we have made it this far because of the commitment to excellence that we have carried through three generations of leadership.

 

Our Reach

 

Our service area includes a 75 mile radius that extends from Albany, GA.

 

Termite control services are available in many south Georgia cities including: Albany, Leesburg, Smithville, Bronwood, Americus, Cordele, Sasser, Dawson, Cuthbert, Leary, Morgan, Arlington, Blakely, Fort Gaines, Newton, Bainbridge, Cairo, Donalsonville, Camilla, Pelham, Meigs, Thomasville, Baconton, Sylvester, Tifton, and more. 

DEHUMIDIFIER INSTALLATION

The advent of the dehumidifier is of the best advancements in crawl space moisture control in the last 2 decades. Dehumidifiers allow us to influence the relative humidity of crawl space air in a way that was not possible before their arrival.

When it comes to controlling moisture in a crawl space, dehumidifiers have become a staple in the climate control toolkit.

Santa Fe Compact2 Product Video from Therma-Stor on Vimeo.

WHY WOULD I NEED A DEHUMIDIFIER?

Part of living in southwest Georgia is learning how to live with humidity. Our crawl spaces serve as a prime example of what stagnant, humid air can do. When crawl spaces suffer from poor ventilation because of inadequate venting or blockages, moisture from the saturated air begins to cling to the wooden subfloor. Once the surface moisture level of the wood gets high enough, wood decay fungi begins to form. Wood decay fungi begins to break down the wood and can cause some serious problems.

"When crawl spaces suffer from poor ventilation because of inadequate venting or blockages, moisture from the saturated air begins to cling to the wooden subfloor."

In the past, the only approach we had for keeping wood decay fungi under control was installing vapor barriers, increasing ventilation, and spraying the wood with a fungicide. These methods are still employed today, but sometimes, they don’t go far enough. That’s when you need a dehumidifier.

Santa Fe Compact2 Product Video from Therma-Stor on Vimeo.

HOW DO DEHUMIDIFIERS WORK?

A dehumidifier pulls humid air from the crawl space through cooled condenser coils inside the unit. These coils cause condensation that is drained from the dehumidifier and pumped out of the crawl space. The drier air is then sent back into the crawl space replacing damp air with drier air. When the dehumidifier recognizes that the humidity is at an acceptable, pre-determined level, the compressor will shut off to help save on energy. This approach to conditioning the air combined with efforts to reduce the amount of incoming humid air is what makes this method so effective.

AVAILABILITY

Dehumidifier and Moisture Control services are available in Albany, Leesburg, Camilla, Pelham, Meigs, Sylvester, Cordele, Lake Blackshear, Americus, Smithville, Bronwood, Dawson, Sasser, Leary, Morgan, Arlington, Blakely, Fort Gaines, Newton, Bainbridge, and Cairo.

FILL OUT THE FORM OR CALL 229-436-3215 FOR A FREE QUOTE

FLEA CONTROL

Fleas owe a lot of their fame to their role in transmitting plague throughout Europe centuries ago. While the threat of plague in Southwest Georgia is low, fleas are still capable of transmitting other diseases and parasites in addition to just being extremely irritating. 

Successful elimination of fleas requires a cooperative approach from homeowners, tenants, and Sims Pest Control. There’s some prep work for you to do before we arrive, and there are some things for you to do following our visits to help our combined efforts perform to their fullest potential.  We have created a checklist for you to make this whole process easy. Make sure and reference it for best results.

Our expert service technicians will work with you to eliminate your flea problem with the use of a combination of adulticides, insect growth regulators, and practical advice on how you can help make sure your flea problem becomes merely a distant memory.

If you’d like to geek out on flea details (fleatails?), read our article titled, “Why Are Fleas So Hard to Control?”.

AVAILABILITY

Flea control services are available in Albany, Leesburg, Camilla, Pelham, Meigs, Sylvester, Cordele, Lake Blackshear, Americus, Smithville, Bronwood, Dawson, Sasser, Leary, Morgan, Arlington, Blakely, Fort Gaines, Newton, Bainbridge, and Cairo.

MOSQUITO CONTROL

Mosquitoes, like fleas, are another example of a serious pest that thrives in our local climate. This pest can go from nuisance to hazard quickly. Mosquitoes are known carriers of many diseases and are capable of transmitting diseases like zika, malaria, yellow fever, dengue, and others.  

Since a mosquito spends more than half of his life in water, our service technicians use an approach to controlling mosquitoes that involves a combination of stagnant water source identification and elimination and the application of insecticides specifically formulated for effective mosquito population reduction.

PLANS & PRICING

The heaviest mosquito pressure occurs between March and October, but plans can be customized to suit your specific needs. Monthly mosquito control plans start as low as just $35 per month.

AVAILABILITY

Mosquito Control services are available in Albany, Leesburg, Camilla, Pelham, Meigs, Newton, Bainbridge, Sylvester, Cordele, Lake Blackshear, Americus, Smithville, Dawson, Sasser, Leary, Morgan, Blakely, and Fort Gaines.

FILL OUT THE FORM OR CALL US AT 229-436-3215 FOR A FREE QUOTE

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BED BUG CONTROL

Bed bugs have experienced a resurgence in the United States in the last several years. Although there are no concrete reasons to explain this resurgence, many experts cite easier, more affordable international travel and resistance to previously-effective pesticides as major factors contributing to the recent bed bug population explosion.

Our bed bug treatment process combines an extremely thorough inspection with the targeted application of the best bed bug-specific products on the market.

A typical Bed Bug treatment starts at $325 per treated room.

AVAILABILITY

Bed Bug treatments are currently available in Albany, Leesburg, Baconton, Camilla, Pelham, Meigs, Sylvester, Cordele, Lake Blackshear, Americus, Smithville, Bronwood, Dawson, and Newton. 

MOUSE & RAT CONTROL

Truman’s Scientific Guide to Pest Management Operations sites expert estimates “that rats and mice destroy enough food each year to feed 200 million people.” Not only are the economic consequences of rat and mouse activity staggering, but the negative health effects of uncontrolled rat and mouse activity are also eye-opening. Mice and rats are known to be a trigger for severe asthma in susceptible individuals as well as being effective transmitters of Hantaviruses and food-borne illnesses.  

OUR METHOD

Our approach to mouse and rat control is two fold:  

1. On the exterior, we reduce the mouse and rat population using rodenticides secured in tamper-resistant bait boxes.
2. On the interior, traps are placed to catch the occasional wayward mouse.

These methods combined with exclusion efforts make a significant difference in mouse and rat pressure in and around a home.

AVAILABILITY

Mouse and rat control services are available in Albany, Leesburg, Baconton, Camilla, Pelham, Meigs, Sylvester, Cordele, Lake Blackshear, Americus, Smithville, Bronwood, Dawson, Sasser, Leary, Morgan, Arlington, Blakely, Fort Gaines, Newton, Bainbridge, and Cairo.

FILL OUT THE FORM OR CALL US AT 229-436-3215 FOR A FREE QUOTE

CLEARANCE LETTERS

GEORGIA WOOD DESTROYING ORGANISM INSPECTION REPORT

Buying a home can be and exciting and challenging experience, and the best way to go into a purchase is with eyes wide open. The Official Georgia Wood Destroying Organism Inspection Report covers subterranean termites, wood decay fungi, powder post beetles, dry wood termites, & wood boring beetles – organisms most home inspectors are not licensed or qualified to identify. This inspection report, loosely referred to as a Clearance Letter, is governed by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, and is designed to give you a clear picture of current and previous wood destroying organism activity and conditions conducive to their potential infestations.

Our Official Georgia Wood Destroying Organism Inspection Report includes delivery to your closing attorney and/or your realtor at no additional charge.

AVAILABILITY

WDO inspections are available in Albany, Leesburg, Baconton, Camilla, Pelham, Meigs, Sylvester, Cordele, Lake Blackshear, Americus, Smithville, Bronwood, Dawson, Sasser, Leary, Arlington, Morgan, Blakely, Fort Gaines, Newton, Bainbridge, and Cairo.

For more information, read our article "Why You Need a 'Clearance Letter'" by clicking HERE.

FILL OUT THE FORM OR CALL US AT 229-436-3215 FOR A FREE QUOTE

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