Triple Play Against Termites

Selling subterranean termite control can be the easiest thing in the world — if you believe in your program, says Fred Kidwell, president of Spector Services, Orlando, Fla. In February 1997, Kidwell began selling a “Three-Step Program.” More than 200 customers have now signed up for the premium-priced service.

“Homeowners are sick of termites and termite damage,” Kidwell observes. “They just want their homes protected. So, when we explain how we will treat the soil, foam wall voids and use a termite bait, they understand the concept and buy it.”

THE PROGRAM. Kidwell says he based his Three-Step Program on more than 18 years of termite control experience and FMC’s Systematic Termite Control™ Program. Kidwell follows all six steps in FMC’s program: inspection, water management, food removal, soil treatments, wall void foam treatments and termite baiting. Homeowners see the value of using all three treatment steps to stop termites in and around the home.

“Most pest control companies offer a termite bait, or a soil treatment, or a wall void treatment. A few companies offer two of the three treatment steps. To my knowledge, we are the only company in the area using all three steps on every termite job,” Kidwell says. “Homeowners want their home protected and will pay a premium price for the added protection you get with all three steps.”

Kidwell backs his Three-Step Program with a $100,000 damage warranty for the lifetime of the structure, as long as quarterly inspections are maintained. “When we leave a job I know we did everything we promised to do,” he says, “so I am not worried about termite damage. We get rid of the termites with the soil treatment, with foam in the wall voids and with the termite bait. Once the termites have been eliminated, we provide quarterly inspections to make sure that the home remains protected.”

Pricing for the Three-Step Program is $6 to $7 per linear foot, and quarterly inspections for a typical home can be $200 or more per year. However, that price includes a complete retreatment of the structure five or six years after the original treatment, as long as the quarterly renewals remain in effect for that time.

To service this home, Spector Services required that carpenters open the walls in all areas where moisture meters and visual inspections indicated severe damage. After the walls are repaired, company service manager Roger Bays (standing) and service technician Ed Marpman treat all the exposed wood with a termiticide. Unopened wall voids will be foamed, and the home will also be protected with a soil treatment and termite baits.

SELLING WITH “THE VIDEO.” Most new customer leads come as referrals from satisfied customers. Selling the Three-Step Program is easy because Kidwell uses FMC’s Systematic Termite Control Consumer videotape.

“I begin every sale with an inspection to see what is going on in that particular house. No two houses or termite problems are exactly alike, so customers don’t want to hear what you did for the home next door. They want to know what you can do for their house.”After the inspection, Kidwell asks the customer to watch the FMC videotape. He also encourages each homeowner to keep the video for future reference.

Next, Kidwell walks through the home with the owner and explains what was found and what will be done to get rid of the termites and keep them out. “After watching the videotape and explaining how we stop termites, homeowners see the need for all three control steps. The video does a better job of selling than I can, and I was once a top termite salesperson for Terminix,” Kidwell says. “My closing rate for the Three-Step Program is above 90 percent.”

Kidwell says the Three-Step Program sells well against proposals for other types of baiting programs. “Baits are useful, but I think they are too new to be used alone for termite control,” Kidwell observes. “We have a lot to learn about baits, and I believe that baits should be combined with other control methods. Homeowners don’t care if a termite colony has been eliminated as long as their home is being protected. And they want the protection to begin immediately.”

A SWAT TEAM APPROACH. Customers of the Three-Step Program notice a difference in the service from the start. They are required to be at their home on the day of the treatment so they can see what is being done. Service begins when two or three company vehicles arrive with a work team of three to five technicians.

Kidwell says the team approach is based on knowing how tedious subterranean termite control jobs are. When a technician grows weary after hours of digging and drilling, he or she will naturally want to complete the job as quickly as possible. When several technicians work as a team, the job goes faster, he notes, and there is less monotony and more expertise at hand to make decisions. Work teams will also check on each other’s work, Kidwell says. Each job has a worksheet listing all the actions to be taken on that property. At the beginning of a job, technicians agree on what each will do on that job. When the work is completed, each technician completes the worksheet by inspecting and signing-off on work done by others. When the job is completed, the service manager reviews all technician checklists and the time and chemicals used for the job.

Before treatments begin, technicians make visual inspections and use equipment to locate problem areas and treatment sites. Kidwell uses a variety of tools to locate critical points. Sewer vent pipes can be identified by one technician in the attic, who communicates their location to a second technician in the basement using two-way radios. Stud finders help locate wall voids, and a moisture meter can identify problem areas and active infestation sites. For more detailed inspections, Kidwell uses an InsectaScope to listen for termites and water leaks. It is also used to confirm that termites have been eliminated in a follow-up inspection six to eight weeks after the home has been treated. And for visual inspections beneath slabs or in critical areas, the company uses a borescope whenever necessary.

Water management and the removal of wood food sources is another important part of every job. Many termite problems relate directly to a water problem, Kidwell notes, and he requires that homeowners have problem areas corrected.

A series of mild winters has made subterranean termites a problem virtually year-round in the Orlando area, says Fred Kidwell, president of Spector Services. The company is offering a Three-Step Program to provide maximum protection

THE TREATMENT. To treat the vertical soil barrier on the outside of the home Kidwell uses a true trench-and-treat technique. Soil is excavated to the base of the slab, which can be as deep as 24 inches in the five-county area serviced by Spector Services. Then the trench is treated and soil is slowly back-filled while being treated with Biflex® TC Termiticide. Kidwell uses the 32-ounce-per-100-gallon rate along with 24 ounces of Carrier® wetting agent. The tank solution is thoroughly mixed in a 50-gallon tank equipped with an electric jet agitator.

Interior vertical barriers are treated by drilling through the slab and rodding Biflex TC into the soil under low pressure. Kidwell treats the soil where porches, patios and garages adjoin the main structure, and along the perimeter of sunken living rooms. Soil around all critical points, such as utility lines, are drilled and rodded with Biflex TC. To reach and treat pockets and voids beneath slabs, Kidwell uses a B&G Slab Injector 2000 to apply Biflex TC as a wet foam. Foam is also used to treat inside hollow block foundation walls. Blocks are drilled at 8-inch intervals and foam is injected in the top row of blocks for a crawlspace construction, or at about chest height for above-grade construction.

Above grade, Kidwell uses a termiticide to foam wall voids and critical areas. He began using foam when customers asked that he not drill through pool decks adjoining the home, and he liked the results. Stud finders help locate all wall voids, and a chalk line is snapped on the exterior of a stucco construction home to keep the treatment in line. Wall voids are foamed through a 5/16-inch hole to a level of 3 or 4 feet above grade using a dry foam to reduce the chances of staining. Foam is also used to treat bath traps, under a Jacuzzi or hot tub, and in all interior wall voids where utility lines come up through the slab. When foaming is completed, the application holes are patched, but painting is the responsibility of the homeowner.

MONITOR AND BAIT USE. For his third service step, Kidwell places 30 to 40 termite monitoring stations near the home in locations most conducive to attack. When monitor stations are “hit” by termites, they are not removed or disturbed. Instead, technicians install two to four FirstLine™ GT Termite Bait Stations into the ground within 2 inches of any monitoring station being attacked.

“We usually put four FirstLine bait stations next to the monitoring station and have never had a problem getting hits of the bait,” he says. “I do not believe in disturbing a monitoring station. Disturbing the monitoring station can cause the termites to release an alarm signal that will chase other foraging termites away from that site.” Monitoring stations are inspected monthly until the termite infestation has been controlled. Once control is gained, monitoring stations are checked every three months.

To expand growth of his Three-Step Program, Kidwell discusses it with homeowner associations, realtor associations and building contractors. He has also begun participating in a monthly radio talk show in which he answers call-in questions from consumers. “I love termite control,” Kidwell says. “I enjoy figuring out how a home was built, finding where the termite problems are and figuring out how we are going to treat it. With our Three-Step Program I know we will be able to eliminate the termites in that house and keep them out. I like telling customers that and being confident that we can deliver the service we promised.”

Roger Stanley is a freelance writer based in Milwaukee, Wis.