Why you should treat construction site for termites

Termites are the most lethal enemies to a wooden structure or furniture. They can pull down structures in a short time due to their ability to spread fast, causing a lot of damage.

“One of the biggest threats by termites is that it is hard to notice them unless you pay attention and by the time you will notice their presence, they might have caused an irreparable damage to your property,” says Jacob Marwa Chacha, the managing director Termipest Limited.

He says that not only are termites destructive to the building structures you develop or buy, alongside your furniture but also to the things you store in them. It is for this reason that you should, when doing any development on your land, have it inspected for this menace or if you buy any property, ask for an anti-termite guarantee.

Early this year, the Daily Mail documented a story about a Taiwanese woman’s where these tiny creatures got into her safe and munched their way through Sh3.27 million in cash. “The safe might well have been blast and fire proof, but it could not protect her money from the insects,” the paper wrote.

Brian Mutinda, who resides in Kamulu in Nairobi, explained to us a case ordeal where a chicken pen crashed unceremoniously during a farewell party in a friend’s home in the same area. “My neighbor was not aware the termites were slowly eating away his chicken shed until this fateful day when it crashed in the presence of his friends and family members,” says Mutinda.

Chacha says that most of the people doing constructions rarely remember to consult professional pest control companies to help them get rid of termites until it strikes on them in a costly manner. “It costs not less than Sh90,000 to do a pre-construction treatment but it costs more than Sh250,000 to do a post-construction treatment,” says Chacha.

He says termites are silent destroyers. They may be secretly hiding and thriving in your home without any sign of damage. “Termites consume cellulose based plant materials. The most unfortunate thing is that all homes regardless of their construction type provide cellulose food for termite infestation,” says Chacha. He says that one is supposed to ensure that their construction sites are free from termites by doing proper inspection, during the pre-construction stages or if they never treated during this first stage, they can do a post-construction treatment.