Sentricon Helps Protect Historic Fort Worth Mansion

INDIANAPOLIS — An ongoing battle with subterranean termites has put the historic Thistle Hill mansion in downtown Fort Worth, Texas, in the news. Built in 1903, Thistle Hill also is known as the Cattle Barons Mansion. It is on the National Registry of Historic Places because it is one of the finest examples of Georgian Revival Architecture in the Southwest.

The historic importance of the structure, plus the visible damage to a number of windows and the kitchen floor and the active termites feeding all attracted recent news coverage from three local network affiliate stations in the Dallas-Fort Worth market — KXAS-TV (NBC), WFAA-TV (ABC) and KTVT-TV (CBS).

Fortunately, the network reports had a positive story to tell as they featured Western Exterminating Co., Inc., an Authorized Operator of the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System, taking action to put the termites out of commission and preserve the historic structure. Western Exterminating was hired to eliminate the termite problem using the Sentricon System, and network reporters were able to capture images of termites feeding in the Sentricon stations.

Verne Peterson, owner of Western Exterminating, says Thistle Hill is a unique structure to Fort Worth. Historic Fort Worth, owner of the mansion, hired Western Exterminating after repeated liquid soil treatments failed to stop the termite attack. “The Sentricon System is also the only product we care to use on the mansion,” Peterson says. “Given the size of the mansion, it would be cost-prohibitive to treat Thistle Hill with another product.”

Peterson and his crew installed a total of 71 Sentricon stations around the 11,000-square-foot mansion. Within two months, subterranean termites were discovered feeding in Sentricon® stations, so those stations and auxiliary stations placed nearby were baited with Recruit™ IV termite bait. TV crews were able to film the work by Western Exterminating, and after the news segments were broadcast, two more Sentricon stations became active with termite feeding and were baited. Colony elimination is achieved as foraging termites feed the rest of the colony with the Recruit IV termite bait.

Peterson says Western Exterminating will continue to monitor the stations and place bait as needed until all termite activity ceases. Then the Sentricon System will remain in place to be monitored for any new attacks by termites. “The Sentricon System is our No. 1 termite control offering,” Peterson says. “It will protect Thistle Hill for many years.”

Other historic structures now being protected by the Sentricon System include the Alamo, Independence Hall, the Statue of Liberty and the White House.

For more information about the Sentricon® System, visit www.sentricon.com.