Pest Question

[Rob Green]

I had an exterminator company come out to look at the house primarily because I have some carpenter bee problems in the eaves. The inspector had little interest in the carpenter bees, but offered to do a free inspection of the house for other pests. In the basement the inspector found evidence of powder post beetle damage. I now believe that this damage is at least mostly old because my dad says that these pencil lead sized holes in the old hand hewn beams have been there at least since

1950 when my granpa bought the house. Does anyone on the list know how I can tell if this pest is currently living in the wood? I just read up a bit on these bugs on the web and apparently they live in the grub stage most of the year and only live as very small beetles for a short while and only come out in the dark so they are hard to see. The exterminator company wants $1,000 to treat the beams, but I don't want to pay if the damage is old and the bugs are no longer there.

The inspector had me real nervous with their description of the potential damage that these bugs do, so I signed on to have this treatement done, but now I'm having second thoughts and might want to try to cancel if the bugs are not currently in the wood....

Any advice from folks who have had experience with this type of bug would be greatly appreciated.....

Rob in Penna.

[Lar]

:) The inspector had me real nervous with their description of the :) potential damage that these bugs do, so I signed on to have this :) treatement done, but now I'm having second thoughts and might want to :) try to cancel if the bugs are not currently in the wood....

Keep in mind the "inspector" is a salesman. The more he sales the more he makes. The company that uses salesmen... er inspectors also now pay another percentage of the total job for commissions to said inspector. The larger the company that the inspector works for the more overhead they will need to cover now expecting their inspectors to make certain numbers each month in new sales. Find a local company (or two) that are used by neighbors or friends who may give you more opinions. You might be able to find other exterminators in your area here

There is also a message board where you can get answers from a number of exterminators that do deal with powder post beetles on a regular basis.

Lar. (to e-mail, get rid of the BUGS!!

It is said that the early bird gets the worm, but it is the second mouse that gets the cheese.

[rck]

In many states, there is a cooling off period during which you may cancel a contract signed in your home. It isn't usually a long time, typically 48 to

72 business hours. It should give you this information on the contract. If not, call your state's consumer protection agency. I lived in your state. As I remember they have some fairly strong consumer protection laws.

Bob

[Ann]

[JMartin]

if that was the only guy to inspect your house, i would cancel the contract right away. for something that pricey you want to get a couple more opinions/estimates.

you can always call them back and decide to use their service, but it sounds like you need some more time to figure out your options.

i never sign a contract for anything on the first visit. always better to go home and think about it, or tell the guy to leave and think about it.

jena