If Less Than 1/2 Percent Of A Home Is Infested With Drywood Termites, Then Why Do We Poison 100% Of The Home With Fumigation?

February 11, 2008

First, an upfront disclaimer:  I am not a termite inspector, nor do I pretend to be one.  I neither give nor get referrals for getting termite work done on a client’s house.  I don’t own a termite company, nor do I have any stake, financial or otherwise, in the success or failure of any particular method of treating termites.  If your home has recently been treated with Orange Oil, or you are considering getting it treated by Orange Oil, you’ll need to do your own research about the product and its efficacy.  I can’t and won’t make a claim either way.

‘Nuff said.

A few weeks ago I wrote an article about the use of Orange Oil to kill termites.   Judging by the traffic to said article, many folks seem to have questions about it.  My content source — remember, I’m not a termite expert — was a newsletter from National Building Inspectors.  What they gave was, shall we say, a less than enthusiastic endorsement.  The precise words:

[NBI] would never certify a home as being ‘free and clear’ of a drywood infestation that was treated with orange oil.

A “Michael Folkins” — just dropped by and left a comment on said article and left his calling card:  a link to the XT2000 site, which appears to belong to the manufacturer/distributor of the Orange Oil product.  Michael’s comment raises an interesting question about traditional termite fumigation:

On average less then 1/2 percent of a home is infested with drywood termites, then WHY DO WE POISON 100% OF THE HOME WITH FUMIGATION?
With true optics we can find headen areas of infestation and kill the colonys and eggs of drywood termites. Sense orange oil

Fair question:  Why do we fumigate 100% of the home even though only 1/2 of one percent of it might be infested?  Michael would presumably have us use Orange Oil.

Here’s my understanding:  Yes, only 1/2 of one percent of the home might be infested, but how the heck are you going to find that 1/2 of one percent — which might be scattered in a dozen places — short of borrowing Superman’s power of vision?

As if one vendor dropping by wasn’t enough, Michael’s comment was followed up quickly by an Alex Del Toro — whose calling card points to TermiteGuy.com  Alex is not fond of  Orange Oil:

Mr Folkin is the producer and distribtutor of Orange Oil and needs to defend his worrthless product.

Alex also provides a link to an article he wrote for the — no joke — the Orange County Association of Realtors.

So the next time you hear the words “orange oil,” just remember that it only works on the termites that are accessible, detected and treated with the oil. Unfortunately, unless you live in a concrete slab home with 1920’s board and batten walls, then termite detection is the real issue.

Neither is Alex fond of termites:  he likens them to terrorists.

What say you?  Orange oil good?  Orange oil bad?

More of a perspective:

Marian Bennett, a Realtor in Half Moon Bay, educates us about termite remediation as she channels the words of Kevin Palmer of Premier Termite.

Articlemaniac weighs in on Orange Oil.

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Written by Kevin · Filed Under Consumer, Industry 

Comments

10 Responses to “If Less Than 1/2 Percent Of A Home Is Infested With Drywood Termites, Then Why Do We Poison 100% Of The Home With Fumigation?”

  1. Dave Blockhus on February 11th, 2008 8:22 pm

    Kevin,

    We have all had homes that had previously been spot treated with Orange oil, freezing or any other remedy that was deamed the “best” and “state of the art” termite solution. A few months later we find termite droppings in a different area of the home. For my money’s worth, tent the whole house and kill all those little suckers. Die! Die! Die! Sorry, got a little carried away, but you get my point.

  2. Kevin Boer, Broker Owner, 3 Oceans Real Estate, Inc. (650.387.2860) on February 11th, 2008 8:59 pm

    Feeling a bit bloodthirsty, are we? :)

  3. Marian Bennett on February 12th, 2008 7:51 am

    The words “best” and “state of the art” are certainly fightin’ words for marketers… The emotions associated with “safety”, “non-toxic”, “eco-friendly”, and others are very powerful motivators also. Unfortunately motivation alone won’t kill the hidden galleys full of termites. Seems like orange oil has its place in some situations, the homeowner just needs to get a professional opinion from someone who uses a variety of products - not just one.

  4. Greg on March 5th, 2008 2:28 pm

    Just as Marian has stated, Termites are elusive creatures. Termites may have multiple branches of their colony and treating with Orange oil would be a waste of time and money. Unless the inspector and technician knew exactly where the colony is located. So that the colony can be treated directly. So don’t waste your money on methods that do not work. Use tried and true methods, oh yea get a company that knows what they are doing and stands behind their work.

  5. Michael Folkins on April 30th, 2008 11:12 am

    Termites have been in existence for 250 million years. We have managed to dump millions/billions? of tons of toxic chemicals into the problem, yet termites have survived. If tenting was the “cure all” it is being depicted as being, then why haven’t termites been eliminated? We have managed to pollute our air, water, land, created pesticide related illnesses and deceases…yet the termites have remained.

    Termites infest from the exterior of a structure, if termites are built into a structure a termite professional will know within four years, due to recolonization. Licensed inspectors are trained in Entomology, Biology, Identification, etc., if an inspector does not perform a proper inspection then areas of infestation will go undetected. A single family home will take anywhere from an hour and a half to two hours to perform a comprehensive inspection. All colonies should be located by the professional, by applying Orange Oil to the area’s of infestation only, the colony will be eliminated within hours. XT-2000 Orange has undergone all of the required testing from the EPA, CDPR, independent Scientific Laboratory and Field Studies conducted by world renowned Entomologists, each study and review found XT-2000 Orange Oil to be efficacious against drywood termites, carpenter ants, and wood boring beetles, several government agencies throughout the US are currently studying additional uses for this amazing compound.

    A comment was made that the residual with orange oil only lasts four days, with fumigation there is no residual (or is there? classified as a toxic air contaminant by the California Department of Pesticide Regulations and a chemical of concern by the Department of Homeland Security).

    When this fumigant was first introduced, 10 parts per million (ppm) was the acceptable re-entry level, then it was reduced to 5 ppm, in January 2008 it was reduced to 1 ppm for re-entry. From 10 ppm to 1 ppm is a wide variance, the reason for the reduction is due to retesting and re-evaluation by an independent Scientific Review Panel which found gross data gaps relating to the chemical used in fumigation.

    Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is the future of all pest control using least toxic low impact chemicals. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Pesticide Regulations, Department of Consumer Affairs along with the Governor are all demanding IPM from pest control operators, consumers, schools, etc. These forums are in direct conflict with these mandates and is a great disservice to the consumer, and your real estate clientele who require a green method of termite treatment.

    The only reason XT-2000 Orange Oil is so controversial is due to being the only real competition created against the fumigation industry in over 50 years. It is much like the industrial age meeting the technology age, one is dying while the other is thriving. Let history teach us that if we don’t keep up with technology we will be left behind and doomed for failure.

  6. Termite Man on May 28th, 2008 1:05 pm

    As a licensed termite inspector in California for the last nine years, and having used “orange oil “myself for the first five I can honestly say that you might as well fumigate your house from the start. Nobody, I mean nobody can find all the colonies in a house. I’ts a waste of money. You will end up having to fume your house anyways after spending the money on a worthless procedure

  7. Mike on July 25th, 2008 6:01 am

    Great info. I learned a lot of new things here…

    Drywood Termites
    http://drywood-termites.blogspot.com

  8. responsible homeowner on August 11th, 2008 9:47 am

    the bug expert in sf chronicle likes orange oil

  9. responsible homeowner on August 11th, 2008 10:14 am

    the bug expert in sf chronicle likes orange oil. the usual treatments are very toxic to all. please do your own research instead of just nuke-ing your house, neighborhood. & please! inform your neighbors well ahead of time before tenting, so that we could possibly persuade you not to–long-term health issues for all! –many other smarter, cost effective, less toxic methods available now–ask the bug experts

  10. Wes on October 29th, 2008 12:51 pm

    8000 + inspections later as a “Termite Inspector” and hundreds of treatments…why use Orange Oil or for that matter anything for local treatment of Drywood Termites. There is absolutely no way to find every location of drywood termites within a structure without demolishing the structure itself in the search. You would have to cut all the wood, drywall, insulation, foam ect into 6″ chunks to find every infestation including cutting up your books, furniture, cupboards, picture frames, magazines, gunstocks, golf clubs, shoes and money collections…you name it…i’ve seen it infested with termites.

    The April 30, 2008 poster is seriously misinformed or misguided and if not please provide a single serious 3rd party study on d-limonene for drywood termite control…..there are none. The best study to date is d-limonene vs Formosan Termites, with the longevity of d-limonene in wall voids was 3 weeks! Why are termites still around..because by weight they are said to be greater than the human population….and tougher than me and everyone I know…pest control isn’t here to kill all the termites or ants or cockroaches….thats why it is called “Pest Control”. What right would anyone have to eliminate a pest.

    If being “eco-minded” is your or your clients goal in spot treatments then just use a borate such as Timbor. It is a natural mineral, lasts forever…..almost, no VOC’s is actually a micro-nutrient that mammals use..including humans. It is a key ingredient of common soaps and hundreds of other consumer products. Borates have been throughly tested. Your are exposed to borates on a daily basis if you wash your clothes, wash your dishes, wash your face, wash your toilet ect..ect..ect…..

    Does d-limonene kill bugs? sure does. Would I use it again, surely not..it’s a Volatile Organic Compound with a flash point of only 115 F…the nice citrus smell after the treatment? Thats the product evaporating into thin air…yeah…the stuff you just paid for…..

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