Ah spring. Baseball season is in full swing, kids are counting down how many more days of school til summer vacation and termites are slowly chewing away at your home.
“This is the height of the season, says Steve Page, owner of Alternative Termite Management in Hallendale. Why, you ask? Page says its because spring is mating time for insects such as ants, roaches and termites. Because their colonies are so small, the insects cannot breed inside of them and must do it above ground. And while they are out breeding they are also feasting on a steady diet of wood and water and causing millions of dollars of damage as they go. And Page says this year will be even worse than years past because a new termite has been introduced into the south Florida climate. The Asian termite is one of the worst breed of termites in the world because it eats several feet of wood each year, whereas the existing Florida termites eat several inches of wood. “They behave very differently. They eat 20 times more and they multiply 20 times faster,” Page says. The good new is, not only can Page get rid of all types of termites, even the nasty Asian ones, he can also ensure no future infestations. And he can do it all without harming the environment or any of its two-or four-legged inhabitants. Pages company, Alternative Termite Management, offers an all natural method of termite control. It employs various methods of pest management most notably being Borates. This substance is an all-natural insecticide that is colorless, odorless and doesnt contain any harsh chemicals. Applied properly, the Borate not only protects the wood where insects nest, it also prevents against future infestations, which is something standard fumigation cannot offer. “We dont just kill, we also prevent,” Page says. “Standard fumigation cannot say that.” Page also uses a hand held electronic system that combines high frequency and high voltage to overcome woods natural resistance to electrical current flow. The system allows electrical current to penetrate wood and kill the termites via electrical shock. And his most recent technique uses an infrared camera that can see through walls to find termites and where they nest. Page says the cost of natural termite management works out to be less than that of traditional pest control after factoring in the costs savings associated with not having to move out of a home or relocate and office, board pets and replace lost food and plants. 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 cannot be measured in dollars and cents. 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. 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. And in more than 50 years Page is proud to say the company has never had any complaints filed against it with the Better Business Bureau.