URBAN PEST MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES FOR GOVERNMENT BUILDING AND STRUCTURES

URBAN PEST MANAGEMENT BEST PRACTICES FOR GOVERNMENT BUILDING AND STRUCTURES

Prevention following the Supreme Court Ruling is the key to proper, effective, least hazardous, and legal urban pest management programs in all government buildings and structures.

Briefly, the SC decision that upheld all lower court rulings, the MMC Pest Control Board, and the Department of Health Circular 155 ruled that it is the National Committee on Urban Pest Control [NCUPC] that has jurisdiction over urban pest control. As cited by the ruling, “the NCUPC was created pursuant to the Memorandum of Agreement [MOA] signed by the Office of the President, the Metro Manila Commission, the Department of Labor & Employment and other Government Agencies and Non-Governmental Organizations per Presidential Decree 856 [Sanitation Code], 522 [Sanitation requirements for establishments catering to traveling public], and 1096 [Building Code], PD 1423, and President Corazon Aquino’s Executive Order 432, RA 3850, PD 1423 as amended by EO 128. Through the NCR Pest Control Board and the MMDA Pest Control Board, the practice of pest control is governed.” The NCUPC, by virtue of the MOA harmonized the laws of various government offices related to pest control.  

    

If the conditions that attract and support pests, that is, the presence of food or organic debris, water, shelter, and access are improperly eliminated, then other management practices are most likely to fail. The building management including all occupants must be involved in the planning, design, construction, remodeling or retrofitting of the government building and structures should be aware of the need for long-term prevention or suppression of pest problems. Pest prevention will reduce overall costs of pest control operations as well as other maintenance and operating expenses.

A thoroughly and legally integrated approach to urban pest management in government buildings and structures begins in the early planning stage. Too often, pest management or pest proofing is not considered, is neglected, or is just taken for granted at this point. The way a government building or structure is put up including materials, construction techniques, and attention to detail will impact any future pest management efforts throughout the life of government building or structure. So there’s a need to consider pest management needs during design, development and construction of government building and structure where the National Committee on Urban Pest Control Licensed Pest Control Provider follows the phases of building and structural construction means to incorporating features that will exclude pests, minimize pest habitat, and promote proper sanitation.

Several basic building and structural features can cause most of the pest problems. Many government buildings and structures have pest exclusion problems at doorways and windows. Heating, air conditioning, plumbing, electrical service, and fire sprinklers provide other pest entry points. Even in newly constructed government buildings and structures, electrical conduit, water and gas lines, and communication cables generally have large openings that permit pest entry. Wall cavities, ceiling cavities, and the space beneath floors can all provide pest shelter. From these areas, pests generally have ready access to the rest of the building and structure. Utilities, overhead suspended ceilings, and air conditioning ducts provide a very effective pest distribution system. So there’s a need for all existing government buildings and structures to be regularly inspected by the NCUPC to assess them in terms of pest infestation and the soundness of the structures against termite and other pest damages. The NCUPC then prepares the technical program to form the basis for bidding pest control services per RA 9184 [Government Procurement Reform Act].

Although pest-resistant building and structure practices most commonly reduce shelter and access, they can also reduce food and moisture sources through proper sanitation, reducing trapped moisture, and improving drainage.

While proper construction practices are the emphasis here, they cannot stand alone. A strong and legal urban pest management and maintenance program is essential. Poor sanitation or leaving entryways open will make even the best designed and constructed building susceptible to pest problems. Using the practices discussed below, together with regular routinary inspection conducted by National Committee on Urban Pest Control Licensed Pest Control Provider, and awareness of potential pest problems among staff management of government building and structure and occupants by the NCUPC information dissemination education, can greatly reduce or eliminate the potential for infestations, especially when followed by responsible maintenance.

The following guidelines and best practices illustrate the variety of practices that can be used and their value in pest prevention in government structures and buildings. No single practice will work equally well in all circumstances. Certain practices listed below may not be appropriate where structural requirements or budget considerations preclude them. Once the basic principles are understood, there is no substitute for resourcefulness and ingenuity in developing practical, site-specific solutions.

1. PRE-CONSTRUCTION GUIDELINES AND BEST PRACTICES

A. FOUNDATION AND SLABS

Exclusion

• Eliminate gaps or flaws in foundations and slabs, or where the wall framing meets the foundation or slab floor. These openings may be large enough to allow entry for insects and rodents. Older buildings commonly have cracked foundations, cracked plaster or mortar, warped siding, or broken and torn vent screens that allow pest entry.
• Install physical barriers beneath joints or other discontinuities in the foundation. No hidden cold joint should exist in the foundation unless there is an installed physical barrier. A sheet of metal barrier to termites can be installed from below the wall sill plate or first block course horizontally to embed in a mortar joint.
• Include the design of footings for brick, stone, or other veneers with the other pre-construction foundation planning. A concrete bearing ledge that is poured integrally with the concrete foundation should support these heavy veneers. If poured as part of the foundation, the ledge prevents termite entry into the building between the footing and the foundation.
• Use a sand barrier. Use a 3-inch layer of sand underneath slab construction. Use 1-3 millimeter particle size in place of unsifted sand to provide a permanent termite barrier for subterranean termites. This will prevent termites from penetrating the cracks in the slab construction.
• Use natural durable wood, kiln or chemical-treated wood or non-wood materials. The only sure prevention of termite problems is the use of building materials other than wood.

• Eliminate all wood-to-soil contact as much as possible. Soil should always be from 6 to 18 inches below any wood member, the greater the distance, the better.
• Extend foundation below ground. Good foundations will normally stop rodents from getting into buildings; however, if foundations do not rest on bedrock, they should extend vertically below ground at least 3 feet or have an L-shaped curtain wall about 2 feet deep with a 1-foot projection from the building. On piled foundations, the reinforced concrete beam spanning the piles should extend 3 feet below ground to stop rodents.

• Modify foundations on older buildings with concrete or metal barriers to stop rodents from digging their way in.
• Check foundation vents to make sure they are tight and appropriately screened (use a hardware cloth to exclude rodents).

Harborage reduction

• Avoid burying or storing cellulose-containing material (such as wood scraps, form boards, vegetation, stumps, large dead roots, cardboard, trash, and foreign material) near or under the structure. To reduce chances of termite infestation, no cellulose-containing material should be buried on the building lot within fifteen feet of any building or the position of any building proposed to be built. Cellulose materials are attractive food sources for subterranean termites that can then move into the structure.
• Prior to concrete placement, remove all cellulose-containing material such as form boards from the area encompassed by the foundation and the area within one foot of its perimeter. The fill material should be free of vegetation and foreign material.
• Prior to concrete placement, clean all cellulose-containing material from cells and cavities in masonry units, and from air gaps between brick, stone, or masonry veneers and the structure.
• After all foundation work is completed, remove all loose wood and debris from the crawl space and within one foot of the perimeter of the building. All wood forms and supports should be completely removed.

Moisture management

• Eliminate sources of chronic moisture in and around the structure. This is one of the most important requirements for successfully managing subterranean termites, carpenter ants, and wood boring beetles. Good drainage design will help to prevent moisture build-up in and around the building or structure.
• Use moisture barriers. In above-ground foundations, moisture barrier films such as 6 mil polyethylene can be used to cover the area under the structure. This will help decrease moisture buildup in sub-flooring. Some builders recommend the use of moisture barriers under slab foundations as well.

• Slope all exterior grades away from the structure to provide drainage.
• Construct and seal all adjoining components such as porches and planter boxes to prevent moisture and soil contact with the structure.
• Design exterior landscaping so it does not cause moisture build-up around the foundation. Maintain clearance between vegetation and exterior walls.
• Align and/ or shield sprinkler irrigation heads to direct spray away from the building.
• Place foundation wall vents to provide cross ventilation for buildings with crawl spaces. If regrading or remodeling covers vents, additional vents may be needed.

Facilitate inspection and maintenance

• Provide adequate clearance to allow access for inspection and control if needed. Construct decks, fences, patios, planters, or other wooden structural components that directly abut the sidewall of the foundation or structure to provide: (a) an 18-inch clearance beneath or, (b) provide for 6-inch clearance between the top of the component and the exterior wall covering or, (c) have components that are easily removable by screws or hinges to allow access for inspection of the foundation sidewall and treatment for termites.

B. FLOORS

Exclusion

• Eliminate gaps around floor joists. Floor joists should be built in or fitted onto joist hangers.

Facilitate sanitations/ harborage reduction

• Build floors to be durable, non-absorbent, anti-slip, without crevices, and capable of being effectively cleaned. If concrete is used, it must be steel-float finished and sealed. Slope floors sufficiently for liquids to drain to trapped gullies or drainpipes. The floor area under food preparation equipment should allow easy cleaning of food spills and remain open to prevent harborage.

Moisture management

• In areas where hazard from termite damage is most critical, use floor framing of natural and durable wood and follow the proper methods of termite protection for foundations.
• Provide adequate ventilation. Allow at least 18 inches of clearance under floor framing and at least 12 inches under floor girders. Proper ventilation and use of vapor barriers on the ground in the crawl space will help prevent the moist conditions that subterranean and dampwood termites favor. The minimum ventilation requirements in  building or structure must be based on the ratio of the net free vent area (a measurement of a vent’s unrestricted opening) to the area of crawl space to be ventilated.

C. INSIDE WALLS, CABINETS, SHELVING, STORAGE ROOMS

Exclusion

• Install wall cavity closures and avoid joist/ rafter gaps. Cavity closers should be installed at the top of all cavity walls and there should be no gaps between joists and rafters. This will keep out various pests that have gained access to the attic such as birds, mice rats and squirrels.
• Eliminate gaps around wall penetrations. Wherever drains, hoists, and vents, conveyors, pipes, cable conduits or ducts pass between buildings through walls or foundations, they should be sealed to prevent the spread of any infestation from one building to another.
• Equip storage areas with self-closing doors to deny pest access.
• Eliminate cracks and crevices, that is, with sealant, or copper or bronze wool wherever possible, especially in kitchens and other food preparation and storage areas.
• Eliminate dead spaces inside storage areas to restrict areas where rodents may hide. Dead spaces include double walls, false ceilings, enclosed staircases, boxed plumbing, and voids or false bottoms under cabinets.

Harborage reduction

• Do not use wall coverings that provide insect harborage. Do not install pegboard in kitchens, or other food service areas, animal rooms, or laboratories.

Facilitate sanitation

• Construct walls for easy cleaning. Wall surfaces are best when smooth, impervious, non-flaking and light-colored, and must be capable of being thoroughly cleaned. Do not use absorbent emulsion paints. Stainless steel splash-backs are recommended behind sinks and working surfaces. Coving should be used at wall to floor and wall to ceiling junctions to help cleaning operations and minimize debris accumulating. Avoid construction of wall-to-wall junctures less than 90 degrees. Slope floors in kitchen areas to provide good drainage after cleaning.
• Use durable, non-absorptive shelving material. Keep shelving far enough away from walls to leave room for cleaning.
• Areas where susceptible items are stored should be well lighted for ease in cleaning and inspection.

Moisture management

• Ventilate cavity walls. Adequate ventilation must be provided but any openings into the roof for this purpose must be screened with mesh or hardware cloth.

D. CEILINGS

Exclusion

• Eliminate gaps around joists. On multi-story buildings or structures, floor joists should be built in or fitted onto joist hangers.
• Seal all internal partitioning wall and ceiling cavities.

Facilitate sanitation

• Build for ease of maintenance. Suspended ceilings should be made of metal lattice incorporating cleanable panels. Aluminum backed and faced fiberboard has proved successful in many food factories. Flush-fitting ventilation grilles should be installed tightly enough to eliminate openings around the edge of the grille. Solid ceilings should be well insulated to avoid condensation and mold growth, and should be smooth, fire-resistant, light colored, coved at wall joints, and easy to clean.

Facilitate inspection and maintenance

• Build in inspection and maintenance access. Suspended ceilings are helpful in hiding horizontal pipe work and services but access for inspection for pests and maintenance must be built in. Structural walkways should always be provided in large premises.

E. UTILITY ENTRY POINTS

Exclusion

• Seal utility entry points on the building exterior. Junctures where utilities such as pipes and cables enter structures require special consideration to prevent pest entry. Pests, especially rodents, often find easy access into buildings through holes beside water pipes and electrical conduit, and through the cold air return ducts on forced air furnaces. Utility entry points include exhaust vents and underground electrical lines. Power lines have always been a favorite route of travel for rodents, especially rats. Old, unused openings where utilities formerly entered the structure should also be inspected for cracks, broken screens, damaged doors, and uneven floors near doorways. Any external meter boxes must have close-fitting doors; all connected pipes or wires must be adequately sealed.
• Seal entry points within the structure. Once inside the wall, pests may gain entry into the main structure along electrical lines, pipes, poorly sealed fire wall sheathing, or around furnace ducts, hot water heaters, or laundry drains. If pests are able to reach the attic, they may travel from room to room or unit to unit through openings for pipes, ducts, and wiring.

[Pipes, ducts or cables passing through walls should fit tightly or be built into fire stops. Protect joists with metal flanges where pipes or ducts pass through floors and walls. Hot water pipes should be carried in sleeves through vertical or horizontal partitions. Surround the base of elevators, conveyors and machinery with a 2-foot high smooth metal fence; conveyor ends should have tight-fitting doors. Seal around all electrical conduits, plumbing, heating pipes, trunking or service ducts that pass through them.]

• Seal duct work. Ensure that all heating and air conditioning ducts are tightly sealed at seams and joints.

Harborage reduction

• Ensure that all pipe insulation has a smooth surface and that there are no gaps between pieces.

Facilitate inspection and maintenance

• When installing pipes, cables and fittings, build in or allow enough wall clearance to enable cleaning around the entry point. Flexible fittings are recommended for gas fittings. All electrical switches should be flush-fitted.

F.   DOORS

Exclusion

• Ensure that doors are properly installed and correct problems that interfere with a close fit. Pest entry problems can arise when doors are hung unevenly or too high, or lined with unprotected soft rubber weather stripping. Insects and rodents, especially mice, often find easy access to buildings through open doors or under and beside poor-fitting doors, particularly in receiving areas and garage areas.

• Ensure that roll-up or overhead doors are well fitted. With the door closed, check for gaps along the sides, bottom, and top of the door. A gap at the top is common. Roll-up or overhead doors often provide easy entry for rodents, birds, and bats. Rats and mice can easily climb up the space between the door and the inner wall or track to the top, where they gain entry and climb down the inside of the track. Gaps between the track and the wall are also common, especially if the track has been installed on brick walls. Door bottoms may be bent or damaged, leaving gaps along the floor. Uneven floors due to frost heaves may leave gaps when the door is closed.
• Use self-closing doors. All doors should close on a level threshold, have smooth, non-absorbent surfaces, be tight fitted and self-closing. Doors of bin rooms below refuse chutes should be self-closing, flush-fitted and of metal construction.
• Select door styles for ease of maintenance and durability. Use polypropylene or toughened rubber doors for ease of maintenance.
• Correct mail slot/ letter plates that are not at least 30 inches above ground level to prevent them becoming 'rat flaps.'
• Avoid the use of door frames with acute angles.
• Use woodwork that is well-seasoned, properly-knotted, stopped, primed, and given three coats of polyurethane paint.
• Modify conventional doors. External doors should be fitted with metal kick-plates not less than 1 foot high and the metal plates should also fit jambs and door linings.
• Use nylon bristle door sweeps; these are remarkably versatile for pest-resisting conventional doors.

G. WINDOWS

Exclusion

• Install close-fitting windows and screens. Poorly fitted windows or screens allow easy rodent entry from exterior utility lines and pipes running along exterior walls. Runways going to window ledges are often observed on stucco and brick walls and in ornamental plantings next to buildings. Screens on windows, crawl spaces, and vents are often damaged in government buildings and structures. Check these carefully for needed repair or replacement.

• Slope window ledges. Window ledges or other essential projections should slope at 45 degrees to discourage birds from perching and roosting on them.
• Modify windows to prevent harborage and access for pests, with no clear passageways to inside. Modify weep holes, that is, openings that allow drainage of moisture in window frames, that is, with copper or bronze wool to prevent access by paper wasps and other insects.

H. OUTSIDE WALLS AND BUILDING PERIMETERS

Exclusion

• Do not install exterior features that attract insects, rodents, birds or other wildlife. Avoid installation, particularly near entrances, of the following:

o    Light fixture designs that may provide opportunities for bird perching, roosting or nesting;

o    Decorative lattices or other structural features that may inadvertently serve as bird roosts, over entrances to food services facilities; and

o    Structural features that provide opportunities for rodent harborage or burrowing. Install bird-proof barriers (e.g., netting) that are designed to prevent both pigeon and sparrow access to preferred nesting sites.

• Use enclosed fire escapes to eliminate bird perching, roosting and nesting, and access for other pests.
• Use durable pest-proof construction materials. Buildings and structures are constructed from types of materials and design methods that vary greatly in the degree of susceptibility to pest infestation, for example, metal and concrete versus wood. Most structures eventually become less pest-proof due to deterioration, alteration, or lack of repair. Pre-fabricated building panels usually provide more opportunity for infestation to develop than do solid brick or concrete walls; certain partition or cladding materials such as chipboard, hardboard or block board offer little resistance to gnawing of rodents and may, especially if damp, encourage molds, booklice and fungus beetles.
• Avoid rough finishes that can be gnawed or provide foothold. Rats and mice will climb up rough exterior surfaces so it is best to eliminate such finishes and to avoid projections or ledges which might give a foothold or provide access to any higher points of entry that are unlikely to be as well proofed as those on the ground floor.

• Screen or otherwise eliminate animal access under decks, porches, and stairways. Seal porches and ramps to the building foundation with hardware cloth screen mesh to form a barrier to digging pests such as rats and skunks. This screen must extend 12 inches into the ground and must have a right-angled, 6-inch wide, outward extending shelf to prevent burrowing under the screen.
• Use gravel to discourage burrowing. Where feasible and inaccessible to people, maintain a 2-foot pea gravel strip around buildings to prevent rodent burrowing.
• Install guards on pipes and downspouts. Standard conical or rectangular metal rat guards should be fitted to soil pipes and rainwater downspouts, projecting about 9 inches from the pipes and built into the walls at the point where they touch it. Fit tops of open pipes with balloon guards. Mesh fitted over rainwater downspouts will keep out nest debris.
• Design exteriors that have no access to wall cavities. To protect against mice, no external or other cavity wall should have any holes larger than ½ inch in diameter. Modify weep holes, that is, with screening in walls to prevent access by insect pests.
• Install fitted grills over air intakes.
• Consider pest management when landscaping near buildings and structures.

I.    EXTERIOR SIDING

Exclusion

• Avoid gaps at edges and corners. Wood or masonite siding is especially vulnerable to warping and cracking near corners and around the base of the building and structure. Buildings constructed with ribbed or corrugated metal siding allow rodent entry if the bottoms of the siding panels do not rest flat on a solid surface or they are not otherwise closed off. Sections of pre-fabricated buildings or structures should be assembled tightly, and gaps at joints should be covered with metal flashing; joint gaps are often left open, especially at corners and at the foundation/ slab interface.

Facilitate inspection and maintenance

• Allow clearance for inspection between siding and soil surface in order to provide access to inspect for termite infestation, and to prohibit exterior siding contact with soil, clearance between exterior wall coverings, that is, stucco, siding, and soil on the exterior of a building should not be less than 6 inches.

Moisture management

• Irrigation/ sprinkler systems and risers for spray heads should have sprinkler heads or be located two feet from the building and structure so as to prevent water contacting walls; including drought tolerant plants in landscape plans can aid in achieving this goal.

J.   ROOF ASSEMBLY

Exclusion

• Eliminate rodent access under shingles. Shake shingle roofs allow rodent entry if the roof is not solidly sheeted with plywood or similar material and the shingles are not properly fitted. Use vents with tightly fitted double roof jacks and/or heavy-duty screen to prevent small animal access.
• Build tight roof joints and protect with flashing. Ensure tightness of all roof joints and the presence of flashing if rats and mice have access to the roof via wire, pipes, plants, or rough-textured walls. Ensure proper installation of metal flashing on roof, wall joints and edges.
• Fit eave roof tiles with bird stops. This will also exclude bats, bees and wasps.
• Make sure all attic and soffit vents are properly screened to exclude insects, birds, and other animals. Use hardware cloth screen mesh.

Moisture management

• Direct water from drainage and sprinklers away from walls. All condensate lines, and roof down spouts should discharge at least one foot away from the structure sidewall, whether by underground piping, tail extensions, or splash blocks. Use gutters with down spouts on all buildings with eaves of less than six inches horizontal projection except for gable end rakes or on a roof above another roof.

K. REFUSE AND RECYCLING AREAS

Exclusion

• Locate site away from building and structure entrances or at least 50 feet from doorways.
• Design site with properly graded concrete or asphalt pads to help prevent rats from establishing burrows beneath them.
• Build to exclude vertebrates. Build refuse sites with a solid enclosure that extends all the way to the ground. Use metal or synthetic materials, as opposed to chain-link or wood, to prevent rodents and other wildlife from gnawing or climbing the enclosure.
• Close off refuse, recycling, and trash storage areas. If trash will be stored, design storage areas that can be closed off from the rest of the building. Locate storage areas for boxes, paper supplies, and other materials in areas separate from where food or trash is stored. When stored together, these materials put food and shelter together, favoring pests.

Sanitation

• Place outdoor garbage containers, dumpsters, and compactors on hard, cleanable surfaces.
• Include a water source at the site for cleaning permanent storage containers and pad surfaces; ensure adequate drainage.

L.   VERTICAL SHAFTS

Exclusion

• Floor cavities should be sealed where they enter shafts or chutes.

Facilitate sanitation/ harborage reduction

• Shafts or chutes should be of smooth internal construction. To the extent feasible, build or modify these areas, that is, use coving at floor to wall junctures, or other means of minimizing corners and sharp angles to reduce debris accumulation and to facilitate cleaning.

2. PRE-CONSTRUCTION TERMITE PREVENTION GUIDELINES AND BEST PRACTICES

SCOPE OF WORK:

·    All labor, materials, and equipment to render the soil treatment, treatment of all wooden structures, among others shall be furnished by the National Committee on Urban Pest Control Licensed Pest Control Provider; and

·       The National Committee on Urban Pest Control Licensed Pest Control Provider shall treat the soil under the foundation footings, walls, floorslabs, and perimeter to make them impervious and toxic to subterranean termites and shall make the soil of termite environment uninhabitable for a long period of time.

CHEMICALS TO BE USED: 

·         The National Committee on Urban Pest Control Licensed Pest Control Provider shall use only approved NCUPC Registered environment-friendly termiticides with no health risks and proven effective against the target pests.

·         The National Committee on Urban Pest Control Licensed Pest Control Provider shall render the complete Termite Proofing Work (TPW) program in the following manner during the construction of the building and structure:

TREATMENT PROCEDURES TO BE FOLLOWED: 

This pre-construction treatment to termite proofed government building and structure shall follow the three phases of building and structure as follows:

PHASE I - SOIL TREATMENT

·         Thorough treatment by spraying of the soil of the foundation footings, walls or sidings, floorslabs and along the outside perimeter of the building after these had been fully leveled off and ready for cementing;

·         Demolition of the termite mounds in the surroundings (if any) of the government building and structure. Termite mounds are homes of subterranean termites, and they are sources of structural termite damages.

PHASE II - TREATMENT OF BUILDING WOODEN SKELETAL FRAMEWORK

·         Thorough treatment of the rough hollow blocks, walling, floor beams, joints, girders, frames, windows, doors, and other parts of the household, structure and facility.

·         Thorough treatment of the skeletal ceilings, frames, girdles, and other parts of the household, structure and facility.

PHASE III - FINAL TREATMENT

·         NCUPC Registered Environment-friendly termiticide, in powder form, with no health risks shall be properly applied by wood injection or through trophallaxis method in all places liable or possible termite infestation and termite passages such as electrical conduits, double walling, panel baseboards, cabinets, ceilings, roofing beams, cement cracks, etc. 

·         This is done after the completion of the building or just before the occupancy of the building.

3. EXISTING GOVERNMENT BUILDING AND STRUCTURES TERMITE AND PEST PREVENTION AND CONTROL GUIDELINES AND BEST PRACTICES

For effective prevention and/ or control of termites in government buildings and structures, the National Committee on Urban Pest Control Licensed Pest Control Provider hereby recommend the following technical services following a process of treatment procedure described as follows:

TECHNICAL SERVICES:

A.   SOIL TREATMENT (ST)

·         ST prevents subterranean termites from damaging the wood component of the building and structure by properly treating the soil around it using appropriate equipment by either cordoning, trenching or injection method.  The distance shall be about l8-20 inches apart and about six inches close to the external wall of the building and structure.

   

·         ST uses only approved NCUPC Registered Environment-friendly termiticides with no health risks and proven effective against the target pests. This creates soil that is an uninhabitable environment for subterranean termites.

·         This is accomplished by using a power machine operated and run by a five-horse power (5HP) machine at a pressure of 150 Psi and at an approximate rate of 2 gals. solution per 45 seconds.   Dilution rate of the termite should be strictly followed and complied with by the National Committee on Urban Pest Control Licensed Pest Control Provider.

·         Treatment Frequency:  One General Treatment (GT) Only.

B.   DRILLING SERVICE

·         Drilling service is done in order to treat the soil under cemented floorslabs    using heavy-duty HILTI FE24 Rotary Hammer Drill (220V/ 740W) with the speed under load of 275-570 rpm and hammering power of 3,100 blows/ minute and drilling performance in medium-grade concentrate of 40 cubic meter per minute = 260 mm/ min. Recommended diameter range is 12-20 mm diameter, using heavy-duty Black & Decker bit of 48 cm long in diameter.

·    Before any drilling service is conducted in building and structure, the building management should provide the National Committee on Urban Pest Control Licensed Pest Control Provider with a floor plan indicating underground water, electrical and puso negro pipes.

 

·     Perimeter drilling distance is one (1) meter apart and six (6) inches close to the wall.

·        With this service, we can inject only approved NCUPC Registered Environment-friendly termiticides solution with no health risks and proven effective against the target pests through soil injector using the power machine deep under the surface to penetrate the hidden areas so susceptible to subterranean termites with a rate of two (2) gal. solution per hole. This gives greater structural protection.

·         Treatment Frequency:   One (1) Treatment Only.

       C.   WOOD DRENCHING (WD)

·          
   WD is designed to treat all infested parts of the building and structure, concentrating on the floors, walls, baseboards, cracks and crevices by direct spraying of only approved NCUPC Registered Environment-friendly termiticides with no health risks and proven effective against the target pests at a correct dilution rate.

·      This treatment is to control the surface infestation on the spot and help minimize further infestation in the building and structure.

·         Treatment Frequency:  One General Treatment (GT) Only.

     D.   TERMITE  ABATEMENT MAINTENANCE PROGRAM (TAMP)

·          
   TAMP service is properly accomplished and done by dusting or trophallaxis method. Treatment of the infestation by injecting only approved NCUPC Registered Environment-friendly termiticide powder with no health risks and proven effective against the target pests at a correct dilution rate in the doorjambs, electrical outlets, panel boards, double walling, and cabinet.   Either a rubber or plastic applicator may be used in order to treat the infested areas and other possible susceptible areas for termite.

·     If the building and structure is already termite infested, there’s nothing like a regular termite check-up. During the General Treatment (GT) and Quarterly Treatments (QT). Only National Committee on Urban Pest Control Certified Applicator shall conduct the inspection and treatment to minimize the possibility of an infestation by drywood termites, dampwood termites as well as subterranean termites.

·         Frequency:  One General Treatment (GT) Only, and

    Quarterly Treatment (QT) per quarter for a period of One Year.

     E.   BUKBOK ABATEMENT MAINTENANCE PROGRAM (BAMP)

·       Wood-boring beetle or “bukbok” make pinholes on the walls causing sawdust on your floors and eventually damage the building and structure. Although not as numerous as the termites, this pest is much harder to control. 

·    Depending on the severity of infestation, BAMP may be done in the following manner:  Spray or brush the infested area thoroughly, inject every pinhole with a termiticide concentrate or conduct fumigation to wipe out the infestation.

·         Treatment Frequency:  One General Treatment (GT) Only.

     F.    MOUND DEMOLITION (MD)

·    Termite mounds are the homes of subterranean termites. These colonies are where the queen lays eggs and the king, secondary reproductive, soldiers and workers live.  Termites attack and penetrate the building and structure even if these mounds are 200-500 feet away from the building and structure. 

·    Only National Committee on Urban Pest Control Certified Applicator shall search for these termite mounds in the surroundings, demolish them, retrieve the queen, and thoroughly treat the surroundings using only approved NCUPC Registered Environment-friendly termiticide with no health risks and proven effective against the target pests. 

        Treatment Frequency: One General Treatment Only.