I've been noticing termite wings around my front door and near the bathroom. My girlfriend says she has seen them swarming sometimes at night (mostly 2-3 at a time no more than 10) although I haven't seen them yet.
I had two termite inspections that gave different advice.
The first one (Truly Nolan) said he thinks I have subterranean termites and for that he advised a non-tent solution. They would come in and drill little holes near the baseboards every couple of feet and spray in the walls. They would also crawl under the house in the crawlspace and apply poison to all the pedestals that the house sits on. For that he wanted $1550. He also gave the option of tenting for $1700 although he didn't recommend it.
I also had Terminix come out who thinks I have subterranean termites and drywood termites. He advised a tent for $1200 and the application of bait stations for $900.
I'm not really sure what options I should choose. Both of the inspectors were more salesman than anything so I'm skeptical of Terminix's claim of both kinds of termites. Any input would bee helpful.
Edit: I'm open to supplementing or replacing the above with stuff I can buy from home depot if that stuff is actually helpful.
Best Answer
You said both contractors "think" you have termites. They should know and be able to point out evidence like Tester101 pointed out. Both prices seem high for just basically spraying, especially since you don't have a slab that has to be drilled through. Near the front door, they could have just came in under the door. If they are subterranean, their should be evidence of how they got in - typically mud trails coming up from dirt, up the piers and into the house. They can also look for any things that are conducive to attracting them, such as any boards (pressure treated or not) that are in contact with both the house and the dirt. Just because you have seen a few doesn't mean they are already in your walls. A less expensive spraying might take care of it. I would call another guy and see what he thinks.