People from all regions of the world are attracted to the beautiful, sub-tropical climate of South Florida. Unfortunately, so are termites. These pests live in almost every structure in the South Florida region, existing on a steady diet of wood and water.

For decades, the only means of getting rid of these unwanted houseguests was with the use of chemicals. Fumigators would erect a tent over a home or business and pump it full of toxic chemicals that would kill the bugs.

During this process, people who lived or worked in the building had to find elsewhere to be for a few days, pets had to be boarded and food and plants that succumb to the fumes had to be replaced. The entire process was not only arduous; it was harmful to the environment.

Now, Steve Page, owner of Alternative Termite Management in Hallandale, is offering a means of getting rid of the little buggers that does not harm the environment, ensures no future infestations and best of all, does not require people to evacuate.

“More people are environmentally conscious now and want an alternative to highly toxic chemicals,” he says.

Page began offering new, natural termite management in 1992, but it was not something he decided overnight. Page’s father, John, was a traditional fumigator for more than 40 years and Page began working with him at a young age. In the mid-1980s the elder Page began having nerve problems with his feet that was eventually linked to years of exposure to the toxic chemicals he used.

Around that same time, Page read that in California people had to evacuate buildings for up to five days after a termite treatment, while in Florida it was only one day. This got Page interested in looking into ways to accomplish successful termite management that would harm neither people nor the environment, but would still be effective. He found what he was looking for in California and was the first to bring it to the state of Florida.

The system uses a combination of an Electro Gun and Borate treatments. The Electro Gun is a non-chemical, hand held electronic system that combines high frequency and high voltage to overcome wood’s natural resistance to electrical current flow. The system allows electrical current to penetrate wood and kill the termites via electrical shock, but it does not protect the structure from future infestations.

The Borate treatment is an all-natural insecticide that is colorless, odorless and doesn’t contain any harsh chemicals. Applied properly, the Borate protects the wood where insects nest and eliminates present infestations as well as prevent future ones. This is something standard fumigation cannot offer.

Page can administer both the Borate treatment as well as the Electro Gun while people are in the building. And these treatments don’t harm pets, spoil food or kills plants, much like their toxic cousins.

Getting people to accept a new means of termite control was difficult at first, since the existing method of termite control was in place for more than 60 years. But Page says slowly people began to realize that his system was both safe and effective.

“A lot of elderly people are afraid of toxins and physically can not vacate their homes,” he says.

Business owners and nursing home administrators also began realizing they could treat their facility without evacuating employees or patients, which is a huge cost savings. And with all-natural means of pest control, hospitals and care facilities don’t bear the liability of pumping toxic gases into a building where dozens of people are already ill.

“Not only do we do a good job in controlling termites, we don’t contribute to environmental problems by putting any more toxins into the air,” Page says, adding that he is happy in his work because he feels he is actually helping people.

According to Page, costs for natural termite management is actually less than that of traditional pest control when factoring in the costs savings associated with not having to find somewhere to be, board pets or replace lost food. Also there is no risk of repairing a roof that is damaged during tenting.

But the real savings associated with the services of Alternative Termite Management is not something that can be given a dollar value. The real savings is that this treatment will not pollute the air with toxins and it will not pose any health risks to those around it.

“Sixty years ago termite management was hit or miss, now its high tech and doesn’t have to be harmful to anyone.”

Alternative Termite Management is state certified, licensed and insured. It serves Dade, Broward and Palm Beach counties and offers a full warranty and inspection one year after treatment.