One of the greatest risks to homes in South Florida is a full-blown termite infestation. Unfortunately, these wood-devouring insects enjoy our world-renowned climate as much as we do. When you consider that the average cost of repairing the damage caused to a home by termites is $8,000, the price of termite prevention starts to look like a bargain.
Termite protection plans are like any other kind of insurance—you have to weigh the risks against the benefits. Preventing a large termite repair bill requires the right type of plan and the optimal level of protection for your needs. Nozzle Nolen brings more than 70 years of experience protecting residences and businesses in South Florida and creating termite protection plans that are custom-designed to the requirements of your home.
These are the factors that you should consider before signing up for a termite protection plan.
Do Termite Treatment Plans Protect Against All Types of Termites?
Only a small number of the 21 different termite species present in Florida pose a threat to homeowners. They can be placed in four general categories:
- Subterranean termites build their nests underground and make their way into homes via mud tubes that connect the nest to their food source.
- Drywood termites live in the wood they feed on and can expand their “cities” throughout a wood structure, even feeding on wooden furniture.
- Florida Dampwood termites need high humidity and regular contact with water, whether wood-to-soil contact, wood exposed to a leaky roof, or exterior wood exposed to rain or irrigation.
- Higher termites include the conehead termite and the Florida Darkwinged Subterranean termite. Unlike most (lower) termites that can feed only on wood, the gut bacteria of higher termites allow them to feed on non-wood items, such as soil and plant matter.
Nozzle Nolen’s 365 Complete Home Protection Package keeps your home safe from all the species of termites that may infest your home. Our quarterly visits prevent infestations by ants, roaches, bees and wasps, mosquitoes, bed bugs, rodents, and many other common pests in addition to termites. The company’s integrated pest management (IPM) approach ensures that the treatments are effective and safe for your family, your pets, and the environment.
Do the Plans Include Inspection and Treatment?
The first step in protecting your home from termites and other pests is a thorough inspection by one of Nozzle Nolen’s trained and certified specialists. The telltale signs of termite activity in or near your home are easy for non-professionals to miss, which include:
- The termite swarmers that appear each spring and early summer are often mistaken for flying carpenter ants. This is because when termite swarmers locate the wet or decayed wood they prefer, their wings drop off, while carpenter ant swarmers retain their wings.
- As termites eat, they leave small piles of what looks like sawdust or powder on wood surfaces, which is, in fact, termite excrement or frass. The insects push this material out of tiny holes and use the frass to hide the holes as they dig deeper into wood structures.
- The internal damage to your home’s wooden foundation may cause walls, floors, and ceilings to droop or sag. Windows and doors may start to stick as their frames and supporting beams become warped.
If the initial inspection uncovers termite damage, the technician will determine whether spot treatment will fix the problem or a more thorough approach is required. Once the infestation is eliminated, Nozzle Nolen’s technicians will create a protective barrier around your home and apply quarterly treatments to ensure the problem doesn’t reoccur. If any pest problem arises between treatments, we will respond within 24 to 48 hours to address it.
What’s the Difference Between a Termite Bond and a Termite Warranty?
A termite bond is a contract between a pest control company and a homeowner that guarantees regular termite inspections and treatments. The bonds are a way for homeowners to fill a gap in their home insurance policies, which don’t cover termite damage. Unfortunately, in many cases, termite bonds don’t promise to eliminate future termite problems at no extra charge, and they may not include the cost of fixing termite damage.
By contrast, Nozzle Nolen’s 365 Complete Home Protection Package protects against all the pests that pose the gravest threat to South Florida homes, including termites. It covers any treatments that may be required in the future and the home repair costs of any termite damage that occurs after the treatments.
What Are the Benefits of a Termite Protection Plan for Florida Homes?
Even homeowners who take pride in their do-it-yourself approach to home maintenance know that termite prevention is one of those projects that’s best left to the professionals. Not only are the ravenous invaders challenging to spot until they’ve done thousands of dollars of damage to your home, it also takes a trained eye to identify the breaches in your home’s defenses that provide access to these pests.
As with any form of insurance, a termite protection plan gives you peace of mind. Termites may pose the greatest financial threat, but they are far from the only pests that can seriously diminish the joys of life in our world-famous South Florida climate. Nozzle Nolen’s affordable, safe, and guaranteed effective pest control treatments can help put your pest-related worries to rest once and for all.
Getting Started With Nozzle Nolen
Contact Nozzle Nolen today and sign up for a free inspection to learn more about the company’s “White Glove” service that leaves all the preparation and post-treatment cleanup to our certified and experienced technicians.
Nozzle Nolen has been serving residents and business owners in South Florida for more than seven decades. We love educating just as much as keeping homes and businesses pest-free. So if you believe you might be facing a termite infestation or would like more information on our termite protection plan, give us a call at 800.226.6536 or Contact Us. We look forward to serving you.
