Termites Cause $5 Billion in damage every year in the US 

Every year termites cause more damage to single-family homes than all the fires, floods, and windstorms combined. This statistic is even more shocking when you consider that termites are mostly in warm climates whereas fires, floods, and windstorms occur throughout the country.

How We Protect Your Home on Day One

Horne’s uses a three-prong approach to treating termites:

1. We install the Trelona Termite Baiting system around the perimeter of your home.
2. We apply Termidor Liquid Termiticide to the foundation as needed.
3. We inject Premise Termiticide foam into the infested wall voids where the termites are feeding on the wood of your house.

This powerful three-pronged approach ensures that the pests are killed and the damage to your home stops.

Our Warranty is the Best!

1. Our warranty covers structural and cosmetic damage to your home.
2. It includes damage to floor coverings, wall coverings, and furnishings.
3. There are no additional fees for future treatments, bait applications, maintenance visits, home inspections, station replacements, and repairs, or any other system components.
4. It is renewable for the life of the home.
5. It is transferable to any subsequent homeowner.
6. There is no deductible.
7. Most of the repairs are performed in-house by our staff so there are no other companies or claims personnel to contend with.

What is Trelona?

Trelona is a continuously baited system of stations that is installed in the ground around your home. Below is a brief explanation of how it works:

1. Termites are subterranean insects that live in colonies. There are three castes of termites: workers, soldiers, and reproductives. As their name implies, each caste has its unique duties. Worker termites randomly and consistently forage for food up to 150 feet from the home colony. Based on this, baited stations are placed at approximately 15 – 20 feet intervals around the exterior of the structure and near any other areas that are conducive to termites (wood piles, etc.).
2. Worker termites enter the stations and begin eating the slow-acting bait. These feeding termites will emit pheromones that will communicate the location of these baited stations to other termites.
3. Worker termites also feed the reproductive and soldier termites. As a result, Trelona bait is passed throughout the colony — even to the termites that did not eat from the baited station.
4. Upon consumption of the Trelona bait, termites get lethargic and do not perform their duties. In addition to not feeding the soldiers and reproductives, worker termites do not forage for food or build new galleries, and they do not remove excrement and debris from the colony.
5. Lastly, during a termite’s life, it must molt or shed its outer layer of skin. Trelona is a chitin synthesis inhibitor that prevents this process – subsequently killing the termite.

Why We Use The Trelona Termite Bait System

Horne’s has been controlling termites since 1966 and was one of the first companies to begin using baits way back in the 90s. We have decades of real-world experience combined with field and classroom training. We believe Trelona is superior for the following reasons:

1. The stations are larger and therefore hold an ample amount of bait. This greatly reduces the risk of termites vacating the stations between inspection intervals.
2. The physical shape of the Trelona bait discs stacked upon one another produces a grove or gallery and there is another grove on the bottom of each bait disc. In the natural world, termite colonies are comprised of multiple grooves and galleries within the wood. Research indicates that termites prefer to feed on the edge or corner of a groove as opposed to having to bore into something. We believe the physical shape of the Trelona bait cartridge is just better.
3. Trelona bait is a soft compressed bait. This is important because as termites become affected by the bait their mandibles become more brittle. A softer bait makes it possible for affected termites to eat longer and therefore pass it throughout the colony for a longer period.
4. Termites find the baited stations quicker. It doesn’t matter how good the bait is if the termites never find and eat it.

Why Termites Find Trelona Stations Faster

In one university study, it took termites 8 days to find the Trelona ATBS stations, while it took termites over 30 days to find the leading competitor’s stations*.

Competitor Station In 33 days an incredible 85% of Trelona stations had activity… Whereas half of the competitor’s stations had no activity after a lengthy 46 days.

Trelona ATBS stations and the competitor’s stations were placed within 0.5 meters of an active termite colony.

The study had 20 replicates and stations were checked daily over 46 days producing the above results.
* Median time to discovery ** Not statistically significant at p<0.10. Data from 2012 University of Delaware, Graduate Research Dissertation.

Challenges Bait Systems Face

Although bait installations are approved as a full stand-alone treatment, we realize they have some challenges. Some of these challenges are:

1. There is no attractant in a bait station. Termites randomly forage for food with no discernible pattern; therefore, it is by complete chance that termites find your stations. It can take several months, even years, before your home’s bait stations show activity. During this time termites can and do enter buildings and cause damage.
2. When termites are actively eating your home they are emitting pheromones that are communicating with other termites and telling them where your home is. This may increase the time it takes for termites to find the bait stations.
3. Your home can have more than one termite colony. Old research indicated that there was one termite colony per acre of land. New research indicates that there may be as many as eight termite colonies per 1/4 acre of land. The termites eating the bait may or may not be the same colony of termites that are eating your home.
4. Upon ingesting the bait, it still takes several weeks to months before the termite colony dies.

How to choose the right termite control company to protect your home

You must choose the right company to protect your family’s biggest investment. On this page, you will find the detailed information you need to help you make the right choice.

1. Is Horne’s a well-established pest control service company?

The best guarantee in the world is useless if the company issuing it is no longer in business. Make sure that your home is protected by a well-established company. Horne’s Pest Control has been in business for over 54 years. This makes us one of the most experienced pest control & termite control companies in Augusta and this part of the country.

2. Does the damage repair warranty begin on day one and does it cover both structural and cosmetic damage?

Many companies have a waiting period before their termite services warranty begins. For some companies that waiting period is up to two years. That means you can pay for termite treatment and a warranty only to find that termites are continuing to damage your home for two years before your protection goes into effect. Horne’s Pest Control covers both the home and its contents on day one. This includes wallpaper, paint, and furnishings.

3. Is the price quoted the actual price or are there hidden charges?

Unfortunately, many companies disguise their fees. They will charge an installation fee, a quarterly monitoring fee, a baiting fee, etc. It is important to find out how much the total price is for the entire first year of pest control services and how much the total maintenance price is for each subsequent year. With Horne’s, there are no hidden fees. Our install price includes everything for the first year, and the annual warranty fee includes everything for each subsequent year.

4. Does the termite company you are considering train all of its staff members or just upper-level management and tenured staff members?

Some companies have become a revolving door of technicians coming and going with little training or experience. Horne’s Pest Control believes that our service technicians should get as much if not more training than the managers. These are the people who are applying insecticides in and around your home. Horne’s Pest Control invests thousands of dollars in the training of its staff.

Does the termite company you are considering have a damage repair deductible or a limit on the amount of damage they will cover?

In the unlikely event that the treatment fails and termites move in, Horne’s Pest Control is there to make sure your home is returned to its original condition without any additional payments from you.

5. Does the termite company you are considering cover both domestic and imported subterranean termites?

There is an imported termite called the Formosan termite. This termite has been located in other areas around both Georgia and South Carolina. While it has not been found in the CSRA, Horne’s Pest Control will protect you should it show up.

6. Does the termite company only install a bait system without any supplemental work?

Horne’s Pest Control combines several methods of termite treatment services for maximum protection against subterranean termites. Our multi-faceted approach is far superior to ensuring that you are protected from the damage caused by termites.

7. Does the warranty protect you from the damage caused by termites & other pests?

Horne’s Warranty covers structural and cosmetic damage to your home including damage to floor coverings, wall coverings, and furnishings. There is no deductible. It is renewable for the life of the home, and it is transferable to any subsequent homeowner.

Why Choose Horne’s For Termite Control? 

• Highly trained service technicians familiar with Augusta and surrounding areas
• Trelona Bait System
• Termidor Supplemental Barrier Treatment
• Premise Foam and Premise Gel
• The best termite warranty in Georgia and South Carolina

The Training of a Horne’s Technician

At Horne’s, we believe it is not just the potency of the product but also the aptitude of the applicator. We are committed to the continuous training of our pest control & termite control technicians. One call and a trained Horne’s service technician will be dispatched to your location to get information about the pests in your home.

We enroll them in numerous schools including:

• Clemson University’s Termite School
• University of Georgia’s Structural Pest Control Training Program Clemson University’s Pest Control School
• Purdue University’s Termites and Other Wood Destroying Organisms Correspondence Program

Manufacturers of Termidor, Trelona, Premise, Boracare, and Talstar. Representatives come to our office periodically to teach the latest best practices in the use of their products.

Other Wood Destroying Organisms That We Control 

Powder Post Beetles
The name is appropriate because the larvae of these beetles reduce timbers to a mass of very fine, powderlike material. The anobiid powder post beetle is of particular concern in the CSRA because it infests softwoods used in construction. These pests are very similar to termites yet require different services to keep them at bay.

Drywood and Powder Post Termites
Unlike subterranean termites, these termites do not require any contact with the soil to live. They can seriously damage not only buildings but also movable wooden objects, such as furniture. If you think that you may have an infestation of these pests in your Augusta GA building, do not hesitate to call Horne’s for lightning-fast services.

Wood Boring Beetles
Wood-boring beetles include over 1200 species, such as the deathwatch beetle, longhorn beetles, round-headed borers, and old house borers. The life cycle of the old house borer is from 3 to 12 years. Because this beetle has a very long life cycle it can infest the same piece of wood again and again.

How We Control These Wood Destroying Pests

Timbor and Bora-Care are borate-based termiticides, insecticides, and fungicides that we apply directly to the wood and the surrounding area. The formula penetrates deep into the wood and eliminates the wood as a food source for pests. Borates kill termites and other insects by poisoning the microorganisms in their digestive tracts that are needed to break down the wood’s cellulose.

Borates disrupt the enzyme system of fungi and have been used for over 300 years. The Borate compound contains the basic elements of boron and oxygen. Borate ores are mined from mineral deposits found in the earth.

Borates are used in many different applications including laundry detergents and cleaning products where they play important roles in bleaching and stain removal. You may have heard of “Twenty Mule Team Borax” in the past. If you suspect a termite or wood-boring pests infestation and you live in the Augusta GA area, call Horne’s pest control for immediate service.
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