Delayed anti-termite efficacy adds burden

MANILA, Philippines - Homeowners who have experienced termite problems know that even just a week of delayed efficacy of the anti-termite treatment would mean continued infestation and added damage to the structure and the family’s finances.

IT specialist John Fernandez and wife Aileen own a three-storey home in a gated village in Bacoor, Cavite. Their house was dutifully applied with soil treatment during pre-construction phase, and in late 2008, the couple moved in their lovely new home and moved forward with life, until they were surprised by the appearance of mud trails on the door jamb of the bathroom. “It looked all right from the outside, but inside it was already hollow. When you poked through the softened wood, termites scampered out of the hole,” says John. The couple’s schoolboys, 6-year old Edge and 4-year old Seven, were so mortified at the site of the crawling insects that they refused to use the bathroom downstairs.

Apparently, termites don’t discriminate against potential sources of food: Aileen, who is a member of the family-run pest control business, was not exempted from termite attack. “The termite colony that came to our house was from a nearby lot, which used moist channels as a bridge into our stockroom,” John continues. As soon as the couple realized this, they acted swiftly and called in Entom Pest Control and General Services Corporation, the country’s emerging leader in pest control service.

According to Alma Melendres of Entom, and sister of Aileen, the company was just recently awarded the exclusive local distributorship of termite treatment product, Ceptiva. The product is manufactured by world’s leading chemical company, BASF. Ceptiva offers a unique and innovative approach, called the “Transfer Effect,” in the management and elimination of all types of subterranean termites. Affected insects unwittingly transfer the powder to other termites through contact, grooming behavior, and exchange of food, further spreading the treatment to surrounding environments of the colony.

According to Alma, Ceptiva is unlike other powder-based products that you have to apply all over the ceiling, electrical wirings, and practically every part of the property without guarantee of colony elimination. The product is precise and is applied only on infested areas in the form of a thin, odorless mist that requires very little amounts of the powder. Ceptiva contains 0.5 percent Fipronil, proven to have low toxicity to humans and animals. Compared to 20 liters solution used by other brands, only 3-5 grams of the powder are used during treatment.

Technician Jhun Malabanan, who oversaw the treatment of the Fernandez home, says that while other anti-termite options offered relief after months of treatment and at very high costs, Ceptiva is something of a breakthrough in that it delivers results fairly quickly – after just two weeks, in the case of John and Aileen’s family home.

The satisfied Fernandezes say of the surprisingly fast positive outcome of the treatment: “Parang walang treatment na nangyari, parang may nagdeliver lang!” In other words, no termite trauma for John, Aileen, and their kids. For assistance against termite attacks, contact Entom at (02) 809-1666 or (02) 809-1685.