Experts share lessons learned from working on a challenging termite job

We asked Pest Management Professional’s columnists and editorial advisory board members to share what the most important lesson they learned while working on a challenging termite job was. Here are some of their responses from our September 2024 print edition.

PMP’s Editorial Advisory Board and Regular Contributors

Greg Baumann

Greg Baumann: “Look at the job as though you have X-ray vision. Construction anomalies are not about what you see; it’s about visualizing what you can’t see.”

Michael Broder: “Ask questions and measure, measure, measure! On my first termite callback, I didn’t realize the main level had an extension, so there was no basement below that part of the house. I would have caught it on the initial service if I also measured the basement and found the discrepancy.”

Doug Foster: “The most important lesson I’ve learned with pest control in general, but especially termite control, is best summed up by my friend and mentor Paul Bello: Get the bug juice where the bugs are!”

Paul Hardy: “All termite service starts with the inspection, documentation, communication, follow-up inspection and training. Understanding construction is a must in the training of every employee involved in termite services.”

Jerry Schappert, ACE

Jerry Schappert, ACE: “Know basic construction practices. It comes in handy for spotting additions or altered walls and such, and lets you explore further to identify entry points such as expansion joints that are otherwise covered up. Many times, the homeowners don’t know what was done prior to them owning their homes.”

Pete Schopen: “When I was 19 years old, I was doing a solo termite job in the Chicago suburbs for my dad’s pest control company. As I was drilling, my bit got stuck. I tried using several lubricants and couldn’t get it loose. I called my dad, and he told me to drip dish soap down the shaft of the bit and then twist it out with a plumber’s wrench pipe. It worked like a charm!”

Mark Sheperdigian, BCE: “No location can be taken for granted because termites cannot be relied upon to behave as described in the textbooks.”

Desiree Straubinger, BCE: “Just as carpenters measure twice and cut once, during termite service you must inspect twice and drill once.”