thanks

First, you don't state if you think the damage is currently active or if it's old damage you are now noticing. This is actually quite common. In other words, the beam could have had an insect infestation some time ago. Maybe 50 or more years ago. At some point the insects died and the wood has held together without anyone noticing the extent of which it had been consumed till now. I have seen this happen many times so it's not unusual.

But if you think there is activity or are unsure if it's active or not, a treatment could be warranted. The first thing I would do, however, would be to determine if the wood which is badly damaged is actually important or not. In other words, is it load bearing or important to the structural integrity of the house? If not, then no replacement may be needed. But if it's taking weight – like a sill plate or a floor joist – it could very well be important enough to either replace or reinforce. If you are not able to make this determination yourself, you need to get the advice from someone that can. Once this is known, you can then decide if treating with the BORACARE would make sense.

If the wood isn't important and if damage is limited to a small section, I would recommend treating it to insure there isn't anything alive causing more damage. As explained in our POWDERPOST BEETLE ARTICLE, there are many wood destroying insects which can go unnoticed for long periods of time. Boracare deals well with these organisms and when applied right can provide long term protection against a wide range of pests.

But if the wood is important structurally and will have to be replaced, it would make no sense to treat it. I would then consider protecting the other local infrastructure depending largely on what was exposed when any work was to be done. This way if live insects were detected, you could proceed confidently knowing for sure what you were treating and with a direct purpose of making sure they could not survive. But without this knowledge, it's hard to make an exact determination right now.

So in summary, I'd say to get another opinion if you're uncertain as to the extent of the damage, whether it's currently active or old, and whether the wood damaged is actually important structurally. If the damage is significant and from old activity, there could very well be nothing alive right now. More importantly, if the wood damaged isn't important to the structure, it could very well be ignored. But if you have reason to believe there is something alive now in the wood and that you might have to have some repairs done, a treatment could be warranted to make sure this doesn't continue. Give us a call if you need some help determining what to do. As you can tell from my response, it is hard for me to make an exact determination since there are so many choices and variables involved. But if you get to talk with one of our in house specialist, chances are we'll be able to further determine a course of action that would make sense to follow.

jonathan

www.bugspray.com

In this day and age, it's smart to take a close look at recurring contracts and service agreements. I believe the best way to view these costs is to compare them to other forms of "insurance". For some people, they can't get enough insurance. It buys them peace of mind and with it a comfort making the cost worth the price. But still the question must be asked: do I really need this extra protection?

When it comes to pest control contracts, the decision making process can get extra cloudy and mired with uncertainty. Just what is the relative risk for any one pest? Wood destroying insects like termites, carpenter ants and powderpost beetles are all capable of doing damage in most any home. This damage can many times go unnoticed enabling it to accumulate in size. For this reason many service companies offer long term contracts. These contracts offer a way to avoid costly repairs should a problem reappear. In theory they should also help to catch problems sooner rather than later since you will have a "fresh" set of eyes inspecting the property from year to year if you keep the contract current. If the inspection is being done by a knowledgeable expert, they can many times identify structural issues which can be fixed before they lead to further problems. Since a good home inspection can cost several hundred dollars, it would seem as though the $150.00 annual renewal you listed above is well worth the cost.

So in summary, a good starting point to this decision can stem from the annual inspection itself. If you feel you are getting a good look over and are comfortable with the "protection" your contract provides, it may be worth keeping it current. This would certainly be true if you plan on selling the house in the coming months or if there is a "history" of powderpost beetle problems in the home. But as explained in our POWDERPOST BEETLE ARTICLE, most treatments will last several years and over this time knock out existing populations making it less likely to have another problem surface. And if the home has been pest free for 5 years or more and you don't plan on selling it for 3 or more years, clearly the "present value" of the contract will be notably less and maybe not worth the $150.00. Like other forms of insurance, many of us will usually fall on one side of the coverage: either we'll take full advantage of it getting more than our money's worth or we'll pay the premium year after year and never have one bad thing happen. The trick is knowing which policies to keep current and which to let expire without cause for alarm. If you ever figure out how to make this judgement, please let me know! But for now, my advise is to go with your instincts. Think it over and weigh both options carefully. And if you have further questions or concerns, give us a call on our toll free 1-800-877-7290 for some technical assistance.