Out of House and Home

Termites spawn hundreds of local pest-control businesses

Wade Spees
The Post and Courier

Superior Pest Control has drilled holes to inject a termite-killer around the outside of a house in Goose Creek. South Carolina's 850 pest-control businesses are licensed and regulated by a department of Clemson University.

The Post and Courier

Wade Spees
The Post and Courier

Steve Surface of Superior Pest Control checks for termites in the baseboards of a house in Goose Creek. Not having a home in the Charleston area treated for the destructive bugs is a 'gamble,' he says.

If there's one place to be in the termite-control business, Charleston is it. There are two kinds of houses here, experts say: those that have termite damage and those that will get it.

Formosan termites, among the Holy City's most unwelcome residents, chewed their way into the headlines again recently when their destructive menace was discovered at Bethel United Methodist Church in downtown Charleston. Officials closed the doors to the 1852 Greek Revival church until experts determine how much damage the tiny timber-eaters have done and how it can be fixed.

The termite's appetite for destruction is such that more than 130 licensed termite-control firms are in the Charleston area, among about 850 statewide, and there appears to be plenty of business to go around.

As the region has grown, so has the industry. What once was considered a one-man-band profession, in which many operators worked out of their cars, now large corporations such as Terminix and Orkin are on the scene. The latter started as a one-man operation more than 100 years ago and grew like, well, termites, into a company with 8,000 employees in more than 400 locations.

There's even a local trade group called the Greater Charleston Pest Control Association.

Randy Bishop, owner of Allpro Pest Management Inc. and past president of the association, said property owners never should underestimate the mites' might.

Bishop said he has seen property damage ranging from $10,000 to $30,000. In extreme cases, it's sometimes more cost-effective to pull a house down and rebuild. He's even seen termites devour clothes, books and shoes.

To termites, food is food. "They don't know and they don't care," Bishop said.

Silent destroyers

Those who work in the industry have learned not to be surprised by anything. It's not the bugs you can see that are the worry, experts say, it's the ones you can't see that cause the problems.

Termites often are called the "silent destroyer" because they hide and thrive in basements or attics without immediate signs of damage.

While each termite species thrives in different climates and eats different types of food, all termites require four staples to survive: food, moisture, shelter and an optimal temperature. All homes, regardless of their construction type, can provide ideal conditions for termite infestation.

Ultimately, prevention is better than cure, experts say.

"A lot of people gamble and don't have their homes treated because they can't see" the damage termites can cause, said Steve Surface of Superior Pest Control.

In Goose Creek last week, Surface finished treating a newly purchased home that at first glance looked untouched by the bugs. But as the new owner started to take a closer look, evidence of unwelcome tenants was clear to see: Termites had eaten through door frames and behind baseboards that skirted at least two rooms on the first floor. A door frame to the home's garage was "hanging off the hinges," Surface said.

The brick-built home stood on a concrete slab, a type of construction that leads many owners to believe they're safe from the unwelcome visitors, Surface said. But almost all walls are built using timber studs, and the mites easily can squeeze through a gap just 1/32 of an inch wide in the quest for food.

Expansion joints in concrete, particularly where the main house meets a garage or addition, and floor and wall openings for plumbing and other utilities, often provide easy access.

No one is safe, Surface said.

"Termites are blind, and they never sleep," he said.

The Bug Police

Oversight of the pest-control industry falls to Clemson University's Department of Pesticide Regulation in Pendleton.

The department is the state's enforcement and investigative authority for safe pesticide use, alleged pesticide misuse and substandard termite treatments. It also ensures that the South Carolina Wood Infestation Report, required for most real estate transactions in the state, is correctly filled out and administered.

The department also licenses pesticide dealers, along with commercial, noncommercial and private applicators.

At any time, there are about a dozen firms operating in the state unlawfully, said Cam Lay, assistant head of the department. Bringing about a dozen criminal prosecutions a year against companies operating without a license, the department has become known as the Bug Police, Lay said.

The department ensures that pest-control operators meet a minimum level of competence by requiring they pass a certification exam and demonstrate financial responsibility for property damage and public liability. Operators also must complete continuing education credits.

The department's field staff routinely conducts inspections to ensure that minimum standards are met. Inspectors also respond to complaints about termite treatments or other aspects of pesticide use.

"You can go to jail in South Carolina for operating a pesticide business without a license," Lay said.

The alternative is far less costly.

For $100 to take an exam and $200 for licenses and general liability insurance, operators can be "equipped, licensed and ready to go," Lay said. Companies also must drive a marked vehicle, so if the truck is involved in an accident, for example, responders will recognize that the vehicle likely is carrying chemicals.

Season's greetings

Bert Snyder, an entomologist and vice president of Palmetto Exterminators Inc. in Charleston, said property owners are playing Russian roulette if they don't pay for regular inspections or have a warranty.

Under a typical warranty, a company will identify damage and treat the property, and if evidence of new termite damage is found, the homeowner doesn't have to pay for any treatment or repair that's required. For people who don't have a warranty, "It's only a matter of time" before they'll see termites, Snyder said.

"If you have a house here, you're going to get a surprise at one time or another," he said.

Whether it's rodents in the fall, termites in the spring or bugs in the summer, the pest-control business stays busy year-round. And it's about to enter one of its busiest times of the year.

Spring is when termite colonies produce sexually mature males and females with wings. It's a time called swarm season, and the telephones at pest-control companies start ringing off the hook.

"When people see them around their house, they freak out," Snyder said. "There can be so many of them (around) the street lights, they can block out the light."

Any bug guy has almost as many stories as there are bugs.

Snyder said he was called to a job recently where Formosan termites had eaten the insulation off buried high-voltage power lines. They chewed down to the bare wires, which touched and shorted out, causing a blackout to the homes the power lines served.

"I've seen some incredible things," Snyder said.

Pest-control primer

The Clemson University Department of Pesticide Regulation offers the following advice when choosing a pest-control company:

Call the department at 864-646-2120 to learn if a company has a history of violations, or search the department's online database at http://regfocus.clemson.edu/dpr/greenbook.htm.

Get bids from several pest-control companies. Bids usually are free.

Ask friends and neighbors to recommend a company.

Get a termite contract. Contracts usually are written for five to 10 years and typically cover treatment and repair if future damage occurs.

Positive ID

To have a termite identified, take a sample to the Clemson Extension Service office at 259 Meeting St. in Charleston.

On the Web

Department of Pesticide Regulation: http://www.clemson.edu/public/regulatory/pesticide_regulation.

Learn about the different types of termites and how to spot termite damage: http://www.termites101.org. Note: This site is sponsored by Orkin Inc.

Reach Peter Hull at 937-5594 or phull@postandcourier.com.