Dry wood termites on the rise in the Tampa Bay area this year

By Ivan Penn, Times Staff Writer In Print: Thursday, June 10, 2010

It's like a 911 center at Emergency Pest Patrol Inc. in Tampa. Twice as many homeowners as in previous years call to complain of swarming bugs. At Haskell Termite & Pest Control Inc., fumigation treatments (the ones with the big tents over the whole house) have reached 25 a day — 10 above the usual. Calls for service have reached 100 a day. And pest control giant Terminix says its calls for new inspections and service in the area shot up more than 200 percent in the last four days. The trouble (or sometimes only the fear): swarming dry wood termites. The Tampa Bay area is home to multiple types of the critters. The two of greatest concern are the subterranean termites (which generally swarm earlier in the year between February and mid to late April) and dry wood termites (which swarm from mid April to June or even as late as July). The swarming insects are looking for new opportunities to build nests and breed. This year, subterranean termites, which build nests in soil, seem to have been held at bay, perhaps because of the long, extremely cold winter. But the dry wood termites, which can nest in various areas of a home, seem to be booming. "The dry wood season took off two and half weeks ago," said Terminix regional services manager Joe Garland, who has battled the pest for 19 years in the Tampa Bay area. "We're pressed. . . . I know all companies are ramping up." Added Brad Haskell, owner of Haskell Termite & Pest Control: "It definitely seems like it's busier than last year and the year before." Some of the problem, though, isn't termites at all. "Lots of times it is ants," said Wayne Rudolph, who takes calls and sets appointments for Emergency Pest Patrol. What's the difference? Ants have three segments to their bodies — a head, body and end. Termites have a head and a single, elongated body. Ant swarms have added to the influx of calls, but everyone the Times contacted agreed there's an uptick in the termites swarming this year. "Dry wood termites are a problem in Tampa," said Mike Page, bureau chief for entomology and pest control in the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The reason for the increase in swarms isn't entirely clear. It's not necessarily something that happened this year. It could be the effect of conditions set in motion years ago. It takes several years for a dry wood colony to produce winged "swarmers." Often homeowners don't even know they have a problem until they see a bunch of discarded wings. Page noted that improvement in treatments could have kept termite populations down in recent years. That would make any increase more noticeable. An effective process to kill termites is fumigation, which requires the pest control company to drape a tent over the entire house. The exterminators use toxic gas to kill the bugs — and it kills most anything else in the house during the process. So every living creature you want alive must be removed — people, pets and all. "It's a very dangerous way to do pest control," Page said. "Families have got to move out." The process costs from $1,000 to $5,000, depending on the size of the house. If you suspect termites, Page says don't panic. Pest control companies offer termite inspections for free, and any problem there might be isn't going to destroy your home overnight. "I know the idea of some insect eating their house is unsettling," Page said. But "the house is not going to collapse in three weeks." Ivan Penn can be reached at ipenn@sptimes.com or (727) 892-2332. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/Consumers_Edge and find the Consumer's Edge on Facebook.

Transfer Technology Launches New Subsidiary and Enters Eco-Friendly Full Service Pest Control Business

TAMPA, FL--(Marketwire - April 12, 2010) -  (PINKSHEETS: TTIN) TTI Corp. announces the formal launch of its second wholly owned subsidiary, X-Terminate, Inc., a fully state licensed and full service pest control operation based in St. Petersburg, Fl.

Chris Trina, Chairman and CEO states, "To better service the huge demand of Integrated Pest Management protocol utilizing more low impact and eco-friendly pest control alternatives, especially in the termite eradication arena, we've decided to launch our own pest control division. We have modeled this operation from many hugely successful operations in the state of California and performed extreme due diligence on how to go about this business in our own state. The state of Florida suffers the worst termite infestation in the country and therefore suffers the worst home and building damage as well. We opened X-Terminate specifically to become the anti-fumigation termite service whereby we provide the best known alternative to tenting and the usage of extremely dangerous toxic fumigants. Known as XT-2000 orange oil, an EPA labeled and registered pesticide, this product allows home owners to stay in their homes during treatment and is completely safe for pets and plants. Our clients can brag about being eco-friendly and save hundreds and hundreds of dollars over traditional tenting and fumigation. After interviewing many pest control operators in California who specialize in the use of XT-2000 as their preferred dry-wood termite pesticide we came to realize that Florida is in dire need of such a product and service for our residents. After much consideration and training and certifying the proper personnel we stand quite proud of achievements lately to launch this exciting new division before the termite swarming season begins in May. We have already generated exciting revenue in just a few short weeks and believe we've barely touched the surface of this multi-billion dollar industry thus far. Furthermore it's our belief that this will open the door for other pest control companies to purchase XT-2000 orange oil from our other subsidiary, Organic Product International, where we hold the eastern U.S. master distribution rights." Trina also exclaims, "It's hard to imagine we are in the pest control business but I am extremely convinced we've entered into it at just the right time to serve the needs of Tampa Bay residents who yearn for eco-friendly, non-toxic and less costly methods to control their termite problems. Who knows, if this takes off like I suspect we might just take the business model state wide and franchise it."

Transfer Technology International Corp. acquires, procures and/or funds research, intellectual property and technologies for commercial transfer to world-class business partners. The company generates revenue from transfer fees, licensing and strategic alliance fees and from the sale of intellectual properties. TTI also owns and operates two wholly owned subsidiaries, Organic Products International and X-Terminate Inc. which specialize in the distribution of Eco-friendly organic products and low impact pest control services.

Please visit us at our websites, www.ttinternationalcorp.com, www.opitampa.com and www.xterminatetampa.com for more information. You will be able to find our SEC filings, press releases, stock quotes and corporate updates.

Disclaimer and Forward Looking Statements -- The information contained herein regarding risks and uncertainties, which may differ materially from those set forth in these statements, in addition to the economic, competitive, governmental, technological and other factors, constitutes a "forward-looking statement" within the meaning of Section 27A of The Securities Act of 1933, as amended, Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and is subject to the safe harbors created thereby. While the company believes that the assumptions underlying such forward–looking information are reasonable, any of the assumptions could prove inaccurate and, therefore, there can be no assurance that the forward- looking information will prove to be accurate. Accordingly, there may be differences between the actual results and the predicted results, and actual results may be materially higher or lower than those indicated in the forward-looking information contained herein.