ORLANDO, Fla. –– Homes for Our Troops, a nonprofit organization that builds houses for injured war veterans, has completed construction on a new home for Army Spc. Luis Puertas, who lost both of his legs in an explosion in Baghdad, Iraq. Spc. Puertas’ new home in Orlando, Fla., is handicap-accessible, environmentally friendly and being protected from termites by the the Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System with Always Active technology.
    
The Sentricon System was installed by Falcon Termite & Pest Control of Orlando which donated the time. Dow AgroSciences, maker of the Sentricon System, donated the product.
    
“Thanks to the Sentricon System, we can offer our clients a green, extremely effective termite baiting system with proven results,” says Louis Witherington, CEO of Falcon Termite & Pest Control. “We are thrilled to partner again with Dow AgroSciences for another community event. In the past, we have collaborated to install the Sentricon System at Give Kids the World Village in Kissimmee, Fla., and the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida.”

Construction of the 3,000-square-foot home began Sept. 16 by NWC Construction, Inc., of Orlando. Installation of the Sentricon System took place Nov. 9. The keys to the new home were turned over to Puertas in a Nov. 19 ceremony.
    
The Sentricon System with Always Active technology is proven effective against termites.  Continuously foraging worker termites discover the bait, which is constantly inside the in-ground bait stations, feed on it and then deliver its slow-acting chemistry to the colony, to begin the colony elimination process. The Sentricon System has been proven to eliminate the termite colony - not just individual termites.
    
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) presented the Sentricon System with the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, something no other termite control product can claim. This award is one of the federal government’s top environmental honors and recognizes technical innovation that incorporates environmentally responsible chemistry into its design, manufacture and use.
    
Spc. Puertas’ new home is slated to receive the Florida Green Building Coalition Platinum Level certification and boasts maximum indoor air quality, water conservation and energy efficiency. Not only is the Sentricon System environmentally responsible3 but also it earns new construction Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) points toward the U.S. Green Building Council green certification program.

From Left:  Louis Witherington, Cherrief Murray, Glen Donohue, Adam Lopez

Adam Lopez, installing the Sentricon System

By Linda Florea, Orlando Sentinel
9:08 pm EDT, April 12, 2011

For three years, Tarre Beach had lived in her 6-year-old Ocoee home with confidence in the termite baits the original owner had placed around the house.

Only she didn't realize the "traps" needed to be checked at least once a year — until she returned home some weeks ago and found insects in the living room.

"I moved the couch and there were a ton of bugs — I didn't know they were termites," she recalled recently. "I sprayed along the window sill and outside — they were dying, and I cleaned them up, but more came out. They filled up about a 6-foot windowsill completely."

Ideal conditions have triggered an unusual number of early-season termite "swarms" this year in Central Florida after several years of relative peace. Even during an average year, Florida's climate is an ideal incubator for termites, which is why it's one of the top U.S. states for infestations.

Roberto Pereira, an associate research scientist at the University of Florida's Institute for Food and Agricultural Sciences, said this year's quick post-winter warm-up and heavy March rains are to blame for the surge in swarms. Among those hit: the institute's building in Gainesville.

Read the entire story over at the Orlando Sentinel

Spring Pest Proofing from Jess Phelan on Vimeo.