Termite Control in NYC, Long Island, and New Jersey

Termite Biology

Termites are members of the order Isoptera and are the only insects capable of deriving nutritional benefit from cellulose.

The termites that we see in the New York and New Jersey Metropolitan area are Eastern subterranean termites. These termites live in the soil and eat wood, building mud shelter tubes between the two when necessary. (There are other species of termites, in particular drywood termites, who live directly in the wood and don't need contact with the soil; but they don't occur in the Northeastern United States.)

Termite society consists of four distinct castes:

Workers, who are the termites who do all the damage. They are responsible for finding food, tending the young, and feeding the reproductives and soldiers.
Reproductives, who, well, reproduce. The primary reproductive in any termite colony is the queen, who regulates every aspect of the colony's life through a complex system of chemical messengers that we are just beginning to understand.
Alates, or "swarmers," who are winged reproductive termites produced by mature colonies, who set off to establish colonies of their own.
Soldiers, whose job is to protect the colony from predators and intruders. Soldiers typically are present only in mature colonies.

In nature, the job of termites is to eat dead trees and thus return essential nutrients to the soil. And if they stuck to dead trees, chances are that no one would bother them save for the occasional bird or woodland animal seeking a tasty treat.

Termite Damage

The problem is that termites don't stop at dead trees. To a termite, any piece of untreated wood, including your house, is just another meal. Consider these facts:

Termites cause more damage to American homes than tornadoes, hail storms, windstorms, and hurricanes combined.
Termite damage to homes cost Americans more than a billion dollars each year.
Termites have been around for more than 240 million years -- and they show no sign of leaving any time soon.
Termites can enter your home through a crack or opening as thin as a piece of paper.
Termites never stop working and eating. They work 24 hours a day.
Some termite colonies can contain more than a million termites.

Termite Treatment and Control

At Pest Quest Pest Management we take an enlightened approach to termite control. We evaluate each home and each infestation individually, and select the approach (or combination of approaches) that are best suited to the individual situation. Pest Quest Pest Management often uses the analogy of having a “toolbox” of different techniques, technologies, and approaches for controlling termites and other pests.

The first thing we do is make sure that you actually have a termite problem. Many homeowners experience needless terror when they believe that their homes are being eaten by termites, when in reality all they have is a problem with ants. The two are quite easy to tell apart, actually; but since a picture is worth a thousand words, go ahead and click the picture on the right to see the difference.

As you can see, termites have straight antennae, cigar-shaped bodies, and pairs of wings (when present) that are the same size. Ants, on the other hand, have elbowed antennae, constricted waists, and forewings (when wings are present) that are bigger than their hind wings.

But even assuming that you do have termites, don't go getting all stressed. We can help.

The methods that we may employ to prevent or exterminate termite infestations in and around your home include:

Identification of conditions conducive to termites, such as improper grading, leaky downspouts, soil-to-wood contact, and cellulose-based mulches.
Termite baiting with Advance.™
Non-repellent soil treatment with Termidor™ (in New Jersey) or Phantom™ in New York.
Wood treatment using Bora-Care.^®

At Pest Quest, we take termite control seriously. All Pest Quest Pest Management termite technicians have attended the Master Termite Technician School at Sand hill Research and Education Center, Clemson University in Columbia, South Carolina. We'll treat your home as if it were our own.

How Much Will it cost?

The cost of a termite job depends on many factors, including the length and extent of infestation, structural factors affecting the difficulty of the job, and the size of the house and other buildings to be treated. So frankly, it's tough to say exactly how much it will cost without seeing your home.

We do, however, have an Online Termite Treatment Cost Estimator that can provide you with a pretty good starting point for an estimate. Click here to give it a try.

If you have a problem with termites, please contact us for further information or an onsite estimate. Or if you like, come take a virtual ride with us on a real termite job and meet the crew.