IPM requires more work, training and commitment of the technician. Inspection skills are as important as product knowledge. Communication with the client is imperative. On sensitive accounts, educating the client on sanitation and organizational skills is important. IPM is a prescriptive approach to pest control versus a one size fits all approach.

IPM combines quality inspections with appropriate use of baiting, monitoring, focused chemical application (not just broadcast spraying), sanitation and exclusion.

Integrated Pest Management is primarily "low-impact pest management" with permanent or longterm reduction in the target pest population. IPM requires an integration of several approaches to managing pest problems as compared to relying on a pesticide to eliminate the problem. This is not a new concept; Many pest control professionals have been using this type of management for years. IPM strategies offer many economic opportunities for the professional. Since more time and education is required for sensitive accounts, substantially more money can be charged for this knowledge. In addition, a better relationship can be developed with the client as a result of this higher level of interaction. Exclusion is a valuable and economically important service. It is true that IPM will require more training and education on the part of the technician. However, it will bring more professionalism to our industry.

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Sharing home with termites can eat into a budget

At the final meeting with my contractor for the proverbial "punch list" of items to be done on our remodel, I pointed peevishly to some sawdusty stuff on the floor. "Do you think your guys could be a little more careful about cleanup?"
The man smirked. "That's not my guys -- that's termites," he said, evidently happy to have caught me blaming him for something beyond the scope of his contract. "You're going to have tent the place."
After eight months of construction that practically gutted every room in the house, I blanched at the idea that I had ended up with a house infested with an insect that was devouring my life savings like a bag of potato chips.
According to National Pest Management Association, termites cause more than $5 billion in damage every year -- more than fire and more than any other wood-destroying insect. Every year, more than 2 million homes are treated for termites. What's worse, this plague usually isn't covered by homeowner's insurance. Here in Northern California, we're blessed with all three species of termites: subterranean, dry wood and damp wood.
When faced with the prospect of pumping our house full of toxic gas, I hesitated. For one thing, tenting the entire structure seemed like, well, overkill. It was practically new, for God's sake. Were we really going to have to move out, enclose food and other vulnerable items in gastight containers and bomb our house?
I got on the Web to find a solution, but I was soon confronted by an entomological horror show. Most of the pest-control companies' Web sites offer an education in bugs that could be perfect stars for your next nightmare.
Termites eat 24/7, never stopping to rest or sleep. Some colonies can eat 2 pounds of food a day. Termites can gain access to homes through openings as small as 1/32 inch, and chew through vinyl, linoleum and underground cable coverings. The combined weight of all termites is more than the combined weight of all humans. Subterranean termite nests can contain several million termites.
Each company promised time-tested, safe and effective methods, with each job tailored to the situation. Not surprisingly, killing the voracious vermin is big business. Nationally, they have spawned a multibillion-dollar industry, whole fields of academic study (in one University of California study, scientists built a house dubbed Villa Termiti to test nonchemical alternatives) and more methods of execution than you can shake an electrogun at.
Subterranean termites are now mainly treated by two methods. The first is baiting, which involves monitoring where the termites are and then placing bait -- typically, vertical tubes loaded with pesticide -- in their path. The other method involves spraying or pouring liquid poison directly on the soil around the house and on the affected areas.
According to John Chapman, entomologist and manager of technical services for Terminix, baiting developed because many people were uncomfortable with pouring chemicals on soil and wood that might prove toxic to children and pets. "It's only a perception," says Chapman. "But some people are uncomfortable with it."
Marion Moses at the Pesticide Education Center in San Francisco says this is a typical response from pest-control companies. "They always defend the pesticide," she says.
Historically, this meant defending DDT-like pesticides and other extremely toxic chemicals that were once used to treat termites. But after many years of lawsuits and consumer pressure, Moses says the companies have changed. "They really have improved," she says. "It's not only what pesticide they use but how it's used."
Still, she recommends that homeowners use restraint when fighting pests in their homes. "I have two mantras: Don't use foggers, aerosols or bombs in your house. And don't sign a contract to have someone come to your home to treat your home or outside on a regular basis. If you don't have cancer, you don't sign up for preventative chemotherapy, do you?"
But of course this is what the big companies are often selling -- regular contracts to keep the problem under control. Terminix recommends that homes be inspected by a trained professional at least once a year. Chapman says preventive treatment is a common option. "Some people don't want to worry about it," he explains.
That mentality is what Moses attempts to educate against. "Baits and traps work but they take time and people are very impatient," she says. "They want to use a quick knock-down. But I like to tell people they never need to use a spray indoors."
For dry-wood termites -- the kind I have -- there are a handful of diverse and much-debated methods. Tenting is the most common, and it's largely accepted as the most dependable. It involves sealing and pumping a house full of sulfuryl fluoride (Vikane is the brand name) or methyl bromide (a potent ozone-depleter that has largely been phased out).
Presumably, you're safe as long as you don't enter the house while it's still off-gassing. The companies recommend staying away for two days, but Moses recommends that chemically sensitive people steer clear for a week and make sure no leather, which can absorb the gas, is left exposed.
Other methods for dry-wood termites read like operating instructions for the modern apocalypse: excessive heat or cold, electrocution and microwave.
Bill Mashek, founder of Northwest Termite and Pest Control, has one of the few Bay Area termite-control companies that use methods beyond tenting and poisons. For small infestations of dry-wood termites, he uses electroguns. He's used a microwave machine but found it was often too cumbersome. He's not a great fan of the heat method (which tents the entire house and brings the air temperature to 160 degrees) because other companies have made mistakes and burned down houses they were attempting to treat. He does, however, tent homes when necessary. "You have to be practical," he says. "Sometimes that's the best available option."
But Mashek, who calls himself an old environmentalist, says he tries to deal with the issue of pest control in a more holistic way. "Termites are secondary invaders," he says, explaining that homes with dry rot, excessive moisture and dirt-to-wood contact create environments that attract this pestilence.
"You have to look at why they are there: Are there drainage problems?" According to Mashek, the kinds of problems that attract bugs are far more damaging than the bugs themselves. "A lot of times, people have substantial rot damage and they don't seem that concerned about it, but they are very worried about the termites. But rot damage destroys more homes than anything else combined."
He also stresses that many companies exploit people's fear of pests. "It's all marketing," he says. "Your house isn't going to fall down because of termites. In some cases, if you're going to move in a few years, you don't need to treat it -- you just need to do a bit more vacuuming."
So how do I know if I just need to buy some extra vacuum bags or begin moving out? The only way to know is to have a pest-control technician come and take a look.
If you're not selling or buying a house, most pest-control companies will offer free inspections and estimates. If a company seems to be selling you a product or service that makes you uncomfortable, get a second opinion. After speaking to a host of top-dog bug-zappers, I came to understand this: There's more than one way to kill the termite that is killing your house.

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