The Termite Treatments We Offer

At Lloyd Pest Control, we specialize in a variety of treatment methods to keep you 100 percent termite-free. These include:

Fumigation

You’ve undoubtedly driven by a home covered with what looks like a circus tent in the past. That’s fumigation, the tried-and-true method of drywood termite eradication – one that’s been handed down from company to company since the dawn of pest control. Our fumigation plan comes with the guarantee that we will rid your home of termites and continued termite damage.

After we tent your home or business, we’ll pump it full of Vikane gas (which is harmful to all creatures, including termites). You, your family, and your pets can’t be home, and you have to carefully seal all food from being affected by the materials. Yes, we know that that’s an inconvenience, but it’s also the most effective termite treatment for large structures, killing all termites living in them.

T3

Our T3 targeted treatment is an effective and economical method of treating small, isolated colonies. We begin with a thorough, comprehensive inspection. A pest management professional will visit the property to electronically determine the affected location. Our scanners detect even the faintest vibrations in your walls with extreme accuracy. They’re like stud finders, but for bugs.

After detecting the colony, we’ll either inject termiticide or replace the affected wood. The advantages of T3 treatments are that:

• You don’t have to leave the premises (unlike fumigation)
• You don’t have to seal up food products
• It’s not harmful to pets or humans

Heat Treatments

Lloyd Pest Control’s Thermal Pest Eradication is patented technology to eliminate termites and other pests from structures. We use specialized heat fans to maintain the core of the wood at 140-160 degrees Fahrenheit for one hour – a process that that no termite or egg can survive. We can also apply localized heat treatments to smaller areas.

Sentricon® Baiting

For subterranean termites, we place Sentricon® bait stations in soft soil, old tree stumps, irrigation sprinkler heads, and roof downspouts – anywhere subterranean termites like to hang out. These bait stations disrupt termites’ molting process, eliminating current infestations and preventing future ones by taking on colonies as a whole.

Drill and Trench Treatments

A trench dug around your home and filled with termiticide can be a useful method for subterranean termites. When they crawl through the solution, they transport the material back to their homes, eventually killing the entire colony.

Repairs

The last thing we want to do is come in, eradicate all pests, and leave like some callous bounty hunters. We’ve always believed in leaving a place in better shape than when we found it. We’ll replace fascia boards and rafter tails, which are common locations for termite damage.

Take Advantage of Our Termite Treatments

With our variety of termite treatments, we’ll defend your home against the wood-eating pest in the way that’s best for you. Our Termite Protection Plan is the strongest in the business, and we stand by our methods with an eradication guarantee. With Lloyd Pest Control by your side, we’ll take care of termites before they take control of your Southern California home.

The post How Does Lloyd Pest Control Treat Termites? first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.

However, we understand the desire for environmentally friendly options. That’s why, in already-warm Southern California, we offer chemical-free termite control that turns the temperature up – to the point that they can’t survive.

Thermal Heat as an Effective Alternative

Lloyd Pest Control’s Thermal Pest Eradication is patented technology for eliminating termites and other pests from the core of structures. We use specialized heat fans until the ambient temperature in your house is 140-160 F. This temperature is maintained until the core of the wood has sustained 130 F for one hour – a process that that no termite or egg can survive.

For single-family houses with isolated colonies, heat treatments can be just as effective as fumigation. You and your pets can also stay in your home while we apply this treatment; plus, you don’t have to bag up any perishable foods. Just think about it: You could be buttering your toast while, in the very next room, we’re toasting your termites! Well, maybe don’t think about that (sorry if we ruined your appetite).

Other Alternatives: Do They Work?

Some pest control companies offer freezing, zapping, or orange oil alternatives to chemical pesticides, all of which work with varying degrees of success. We have found that orange oil – attractive because of its use of natural ingredients – has the most limitations as a spot treatment. Freezing and Electro-Gun treatments have very limited success rates comparable to heat treatments. They are also more invasive and, in the case of freezing, damaging to water pipes.

Take on Termites with Our Heat Treatment

While fumigation is always dependable, we understand you might want a more eco-friendly solution to get rid of termites. That’s why, for termite control throughout Southern California, we offer an effective alternative. With heat, termites have met their match. Our heat treatments are non-invasive and carry our Termite Protection Plan guarantee. Contact us today to get a free quote.

The post What Are Chemical Free Alternatives to Getting Rid of Termites? first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.

Some ants protect their nests with their heads

Aside from being able to carry objects 50 times their own body weight, ants display another behavior that is quite spectacular. head to protect its colony from unwanted guests.

Ants use to live alongside the dinosaurs over 130 million years ago. Fossilized evidence of ants and other insects have been found in lumps of amber, or plant resin.

Termites are less dirty than you might think

Termites, though they can be disastrous to your home, are actually a benefit to the environment. Termites are vital to earth’s decomposition of tough plant fibers. But that’s not what’s so cool about these pests.

Much of a termite’s life is spent cleaning other termites in the colony!

Bacteria and fungal infections can make quick work of termite colonies, which is why they spend such a great deal of time grooming each other to keep the colony clean. A termite’s antennae enable the termite to detect infections while they clean.

Bed bugs hide before you know they’ve bitten you

Over the past few years bed bugs have grown as a menace throughout Southern California and the entire country.

Bed bugs inject anti-coagulants and anesthetics into your skin so they can feed and hide before you even know they are around. The bed bug’s saliva acts as an anesthetic thus masking the bite and increasing the speed of the feeding process.

Spiders limbs work like that of a machine

While it’s true that almost every spider in the world is venomous, most spiders teeth are either too small or lack the potency of venom to harm people. But it’s not just the fangs and the venom that scare people. Spiders have a strange way of moving, which, as it turns out isn’t that different, mechanically speaking, than the more familiar movement of a common construction site excavator.

Spiders can control blood pressure in their limbs using a combination of hemolymph (arthropod blood) and extensor muscles located in the three hip joints, which allows them to move, and even jump in the case of jumping spiders.

Bees will create a new queen from existing larvae

Often, the only silver lining to a bee sting is the assumed knowledge that after a single sting, the bee dies.  The truth, however, is that honeybees don’t always die after stinging something. A bee stinger may become caught in a human’s skin but many other surfaces anima skins are more forgiving and will endure multiple stings without harm to the bee itself.

But despite all this seemingly violent behavior, bees are extraordinarily community driven. As a queen bee dies, she emits a pheromone that will cause worker bees to immediately create a new queen from existing larvae.

Fleas and brushes have something in common

Your dog or cat may disagree, but the flea is quite a magnificent creature. Not only can a flea jump 8-10 inches vertically (making it one of the best jumpers of any animal, relative to body size), and not only can the flea’s hard body withstand incredible pressure, but the common flea is in some ways similar to the common hair.

 The flea’s body is covered with hard plates called Sclerites. In the same why that a hair brush is designed to easily part the hair on your head, the flea’s hard body plates (called Sclerites) have hairs that point away from its head allowing it to easily crawl through your dog or cat’s fur.

Cockroaches just want to be loved…sort of

You may know that cockroaches can live for weeks without their heads, but did you know that they like to be touched? Cockroaches are thigmotropic, which means they like solid objects coming in contact with their bodies.

Despite how interesting these pests may be, they can be damaging to our home and health. That’s where Lloyd Pest Control comes in. Our elimination service covers Southern California with more than 200 radio-dispatched trucks, 200 licensed technicians, supervisors, a Quality Control staff, an entomologist, and a biologist. For more information about each of these pests and their eradication, contact Lloyd Pest Control today at 1.800.223.2847.

The post 7 Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Pests first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.

Tips To Avoid Termite Infestations

1. As most termites are attracted to moisture, avoid water accumulation near your home’s foundation. Divert water away with properly functioning downspouts, gutters and splash blocks.
2. Quickly repair house damage from a leaky roof or window as termites can thrive in this moisture.
3. Never bury wood scraps or waste lumber in the years, especially near the building. Remove old tree stumps and roots around and beneath the building.
4. Most importantly, eliminate any wood contact with the soil. Maintaining a 1-inch gap between the soil and wood portions of the building is ideal.

The post Fall Termite Swarms first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.

The end of summer brings with it melancholy.  But here in Southern California, it also brings Santa Ana winds.  And wildfires.  And a much less publicized disaster waiting to happen:  termites.  Each September and October, millions of mating termites swarm through our skies in search of new homes to colonize.  The annual cost of termite damage in the U.S.?  Five billion dollars.

Wood is critical to the survival of termites, which is why swarms will fly around in the hope of landing on a wood-framed home, garage, fence or gazebo.  Poor eyesight leaves the fate of the termites up to the winds.  For this reason, 99 percent of the termites in a mating swarm will die trying.  Only one percent will successfully find a wooden structure to call home. The lucky male termites that do happen to latch onto a chunk of raw or exposed wood will look for a female partner.  Water-damaged eaves, paint-chipped fascia boards, – these are the ideal conditions for termite romance.   To termites, the exposed two-by-fours of a garage are like merlot and a Barry White album.  Termite babies are born.  The new family feeds itself on the structure.  In time, the family becomes a colony, eating tunnels through the wood frame of the entire structure, often hollowing out beams and studs until they crumble.

San Diego, Riverside, and Orange County are ideal termite breeding grounds because of the combination of heat and humidity that pervades the region during the months of August, September, and October.   Swarming typically takes place on sunny afternoons, when temperatures are between 80 and 90 degrees F.

While termites are somewhat unpredictable and can infest any type of property, there are some measures that you can take to protect your home and prevent termite infestation.

1. Stay up to date on house repairs: Termites will try to find unpainted  crevices or exposed raw wood fissures to bury themselves. Make sure that all wooden surfaces are sealed or painted.  Don’t ignore exposed surfaces in the attic or garage.
2. Use fine mesh screens over vent openings:  Attic and crawl space vents are a very common point of entry for termites. Installing a fine mesh screen on your vents is easy and inexpensive.
3. Get regular termite inspections: Most companies, such as Lloyd Pest Control, provide a free termite inspection.  A healthy interval between termite inspections is two years.  Eradicating termites before too much damage is done can mean the difference between spending a couple of hundred dollars versus thousands of dollars in termite treatment. Termite damage occurs slowly over time, so catching an infestation early is critical.

Termite damage is commonly identified in door frames, garages, and attics.  Just about any wooden expanse, big or small, can be susceptible – even furniture and items of decor. Because termites work beneath the surface, it can take up to five-to-seven years before a termite colony produces any real detectable damage. Don’t panic if you see a couple of termites here or there; this is natural and should not be cause for alarm.

Warning signs that you may have a mature termite colony and infestation include:

1. A swarm of termites emanating from your house, or termites flying around inside
2. Piles of sawdust-like pellets or translucent wings abandoned near window sills and sliding glass doors.
3. Surface blisters on wood.  Often these blisters are caused by tunnels, or “˜galleys,’ dug by termites.

Following these simple termite preventative measures – and being able to identify termite warning signs – can help you avoid the costs and headaches caused by drywood termite swarms.

Dr. Eric Paysen is the lead Entomologist and Technical Director at Lloyd Pest Control, a Southern California-based company that specializes in ant and termite solutions. Dr. Paysen holds a Ph.D. in Entomology from Clemson University. See more from Dr. Paysen here.

The post Termite Season: Termite Warning Signs and Termite Prevention. first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.

DIY Tips To Defend Your Home Against Pests

• 1. Screens.  Fix those hole-y screens to keep out flying and crawling insects.
  2. Door sweeps and weather-stripping.  The bigger the gap between your doors and the outside world, the greater the invitation to bugs and rodents.
  3. Pruning shears.  Plants growing against the side of the house invite bugs and rodents to share a wall with you and your delicious food.  Trim bushes and plants back at least a foot from your structure.
  4. Steel wool and a can of foam. Plug gaps in the wall where plumbing pipes and conduit enter the home.  Use steel wool or hardware cloth (rodents can’t chew through it) and seal with expanding foam to keep out all pests and moisture.
  5. A caulking gun.  Seal window joints to keep moisture from settling and softening wood.  Moisture-damaged wood invites termites.
  6. Move woodpiles  far away from your home and wooden fences.  Woodpiles invite both subterranean and drywood termites that would be happy to expand their colony into your home’s framing.
  7. Use Ziploc bags and Tupperware to isolate food items in pantries contaminated with Stored Food Pests (those little, fuzzy, moth-like pantry bugs).  After a few days, throw away the products that are inside the sealed containers where bugs appear – generally rice and grains (This trick could save you hundreds of grocery dollars).
  8. Potted plants.   Don’t over-water potted plants inside your home.  They’ll invite ants during the summer.  If ants set up shop in a potted plant, put it outside for a few days in the sun.  The ants will abandon the dry soil.
  9. Rubber gaskets and a faucet repair kits are super cheap, easy ways to stop faucets from dripping.  Dripping faucets are like a waterpark for ants.
  10. Windex.  Windex – or any similar product WITH ammonia – can be used to erase ants’ pheromone or scent trails.  Soap won’t work.  Neither will bleach.  Ammonia obliterates the pheromone, and keeps ants away.  Otherwise the trail remains, ready to attract the next set of ants to the same path.

For more information on protecting your home, visit our website www.LloydPest.com, or call 1-800-223-2847.

The post How can I keep bugs out of my house? first appeared on Lloyd Pest Control.