Special to the Star-Bulletin
Slice off a section of drywall and cover the
opening with Snap On Baseboards.

Baseboards that
snap on and off make it
easy to check for termites

All the water that fell around your home recently increased the chances that termites will find wet wood, and move through cracks to get inside the walls.

But now you can easily inspect inside your walls to find out whether termites have penetrated your home. First you must cut out a strip of the drywall at the baseboard. Then install the "Snap On Baseboards" made of plastic which remove easily and give you access to the wooden studs.

If you find that the termites are inside, you can either use termite spray or bait stations for spot-problem areas or call a pest control operator for a complete treatment.

Zane Watson, president of PIM Development Inc., invented Snap On Baseboards. The product has been written into the St. Johns County, Fla., building code and Purdue University wants to use it on 1,200 homes, says Watson.

"I've been fighting termites for eight years at my house (in Kaneohe)," says Watson. A periodic inspection program is required to kill termites because they keep coming back, he says.

Snap On Baseboards are carried at Hardware Hawaii True Value, Midpac Lumber Co. and Eagle Hardware & Garden, he says. If a homeowner does the installation, cost of materials for a typical home is $300.

Watson said that, in a few cases, installation of Snap On Baseboards has uncovered termite activity "shortly after fumigation and ground treatment."

"Many projects have requested the installation of the baseboard system prior to inspection and treatment, allowing maximum accessibility and effectiveness to determine the correct application of termiticides or other eradication programs," he added.

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Jerry Tune, Star-Bulletin