TERMITE CONTROL SERVICES from BEN KITCHEN TERMITE CONTROL

Should you discover a termite infestation, our state certified and licensed technicians will perform a through inspect on your home or business.

We use and recommend the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System. The Sentricon® system utilizes bait stations placed in the soil at 8-10 ft. intervals around the entire structure and also placed that are conductive to termite activity. Should there be an active termite tube inside the home, we will install an above ground station directly over the tube to immediately begin the elimination process.

During the elimination process, we recommend the annual renewal contract. This contract will provide you peace of mind and allows us to continue to monitor, bait and eliminate any future termite colonies that might forage near your home.

One way to prevent a termite infestation is to perform a pre-construction treatment. This treatment is performed at various stages of construction and is designed to provide a chemical barrier between the structure and the soil. Initially, the footers are treated prior to the construction of the foundation, then the soil is treated along both sides of the foundation walls and under any concrete slab floors. The final stage of pretreatment is into the soil. Around the exterior of the structure after final backfill and grading.

The Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System may also be installed after completion of the structure to monitor, bait and eliminate any termite colonies that begin to forage near the building.

Ben Kitchen Termite and Pest Control also offers and performs service for the prevention and control of all general pests including: Ants, Spiders, Roaches, Mice, Rats, Fleas, Pantry Pests, Beetles, Moths, Silverfish, Stinging Insects, Bed Bugs, and Small Nuisance Animals. Please visit our sister company at Wells Thur-O Pest Control for more information.
WE OFFER MANY TERMITE TREATMENT OPTIONS
ONE TIME SERVICES
Treatment is performed using the products and treatment techniques necessary for the elimination and prevention of a specific pest problem.

MONTHLY SERVICES
A complete treatment once a month for the prevention and elimination of all crawling and stinging insects and rodents. Any necessary call-back services are performed at no additional charge.

BI-MONTHLY SERVICES
A general treatment for the prevention and control of all crawling and stinging insects and rodents performed every other month. These treatments are targeted toward and current problems and prevention of future infestations.

QUARTERLY SERVICES
This is a perfect service for customers that occasionally have pest problems and want continuous protection and the peace of mind of a pest fee environment.

PREPAID SERVICES
This program is similar the quarterly service. With this program, you receive four treatments per year that are scheduled at your discretion instead of every three months. Since this is prepay program, this service is less expensive than the quarterly services.

Ben Kitchen Termite and Pest Control is certified and licensed to perform wood destroying insect inspections and will provide the reports necessary for real estate transactions.

The insects that are considered wood destroying are termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees and powder post beetles.
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DO I HAVE TERMITES?  SIGNS OF INFESTATION
Most homeowners discover a termite infestation during the Spring when the termite colonies release many hundreds of winged insects in a short period of time. These winged termites are called swarmers. These swarmers are wither kings or queens and their sole purpose is to emerge from the parent colony, mate, and reenter the soil to begin a new and separate colony. Evidence of these swarmers are an indication of a mature colony currently  present in the vicinity. The swarmers themselves are harmless, they are not able to feed on wood or other cellulose material. Termite swarmers are very weak fliers and shed their wings shortly after emerging.

Often the only evidence of an infestation are the swarmers or an accumulation of their wings in window sills or along baseboards.

The majority of the termites in a colony are workers. These workers are small white insects between 1/8" and 1/4" long. These workers have many responsibilities including construction of shelter tubes, foraging for new food sites, and taking care of newborn members of the colony.

The biggest responsibility of the workers is providing all of the food for the colony. Termite workers are the only members of the colony with the ability to eat and digest wood products. They continuously travel back and forth from the nest location to the food sources. The workers take a bite of food and process the food into a liquid that they then re-feed the remaining members of the colony. This process is called trophallaxis. A typical termite colony feeds at several different locations within their foraging range which may cover 1/2 an acre. These sites may be tree stumps, fence posts, root systems of trees, landscape timbers or your shed, garage, or home. Termites will feed on wood and anything that is made of wood like paper and cardboard.
WOOD BORERS
termite insect
SUBTERRANEAN TERMITE
Subterranean termites are the most widespread and destructive termite groups in the United States. Almost all of the termite colonies in Ohio are eastern subterranean termites.

These termites build shelter tubes from tiny particles of wood, soil, and debris they cement together with secretions and fecal material.

The worker termites are responsible for constructing tubes, tending to the nymphs, and feeding the entire colony.

The soldier termites compromise about 3% of the colony and defend the colony against attack from ants and other insects.

In the Spring, a termite colony produces winged members called swarmers. The swarmers emerge from the colony in large numbers and after a short flight attempt to mate and re-enter the soil to start a new colony.

After the king and queen mate, the queens sole purpose is to lay eggs that hatch into new workers and soldiers.

Worker termites are white, blind and about 1/4 inch long.
beetle insect
POWDER POST BEETLE
Powder Post Beetles are small beetles that bore into wood for the purpose of depositing their eggs. Once these eggs hatch, the larvae will feed on the interior parts of the wood for an extended period of time, sometimes in excess of 2-3 years. The larvae than develop into the adult beetles and exit the wood through small holes 1/32 to 1/8 inch. They will mate and re-enter the wood and start the process all over.

Powder post beetles damage can be determined by the presence of the many shot sized holes on the side of the timers and a fine powder sifting out of these holes. These beetles are fairy common in order timbers and houses built before lumber was dried in a kiln.
bees insect
CARPENTER BEES
Carpenter bees are large solitary bees that chew 1/2 inch holes into exposed dry wood of buildings, decks, telephone poles, fences, etc.

The mail carpenter bee usually hover close to the exit hole and chase animals and humans that they perceive as a threat. These males are harmless and do not even have a stinger. The females can sting but rarely do.

The females excavate the holes to an average depth of 4-6 inches. When they are finished they deposit an egg then build a wall and continue this process until she deposits about 6 eggs. The length of time for a new bee to develop is about 36-40 days.

Carpenter bees are most commonly detected by their presence and piles sawdust directly under holes that appear to have been drilled into the wood.
ant insect
CARPENTER ANT
Carpenter ants get their name from the fact that they prefer to build their nests in wood that preferably has been damaged by water. They don't eat the wood but simply excavate galleries that are smooth tunnels with a sanded appearance. Carpenter ants can sometimes be detected by piles of a course sawdust that they have dropped outside of the nest location.

Carpenter ants are typically black ants between 1/4 and 1/2 inch long Each colony has many different sized workers with specific jobs based on heir size.

Carpenter Ants eat simple sugar and protein and may even cultivate aphids for their nectar.

Carpenter ants are primarily nocturnal but will remain active in dark areas of a structure.

Carpenter ants can cause significant damage to homes by excavating into roofs or around windows that had previously been damaged by water.
beetle insect
WOOD BORER BEETLES
Wharf borers are soft bodied yellow beetles about 1/2 inch long, with black tips on the wings covers. The larvae of this beetle lives in wood that is saturated with water.

Most people notice this beetle when large numbers of adults emerge within a structure. Most often, these insects are living in rotting wood from a previous structure that is buried below the new structure.

Old house borers are not common in Ohio. This can occasionally be found inside structures living in seasoned wood. The larvae feed on soft woods such as pine, fir and spruce. They can occur in log homes and the homeowner may actually hear the larvae chewing on the wood.