Going To Battle Stations Over The Termite Stations

Subterranean termites are a problem in our region. One way that pest control companies will combat termites is by installing plastic feeding stations into the ground all around a home or building. The stations are leased. The pest control company owns the stations and will often remove them if a homeowner discontinues service, sells their property, etc.

A home that our company serviced went up for sale and was vacant for several months. Instead of removing the stations, my boss decided to leave them just in case the new owners wanted coverage. (This way, it would be cheaper because there would be no installation fee.)

Eventually, the house sold, and my boss spoke with one of the new owners. The man didn’t give him an answer right away and just said that he’d call us back. Two weeks passed and my boss reached out to him again, but no answer. My boss sent me to speak with them in person and if they didn’t answer, weren’t home, or didn’t want the stations, I was instructed to dig them all up.

I knew this was not going to go well, and I expressed my concerns about doing this, but my boss insisted that I go and that this was “perfectly legal; we own those stations!”

The wife was home but didn’t answer the door until I proceeded to remove the first station. She rightfully asked:

Wife: “What are you doing?”

I introduced myself and explained why I was there.

Wife: “Oh, no. Let me call my husband before you do that!”

She called, but he didn’t answer at first, so she made me wait. During that time, she started crying and complaining about being in this new house.

Wife: “I’m not used to this! I’ve never lived in a house this big and in a neighborhood like this! I mean, I just don’t know what to do!”

All I could think of was how bad this looked to the neighbors, so I told her that I had been there too long and needed to leave for my next appointment (which was true). This made her more upset. I started walking back to my truck just as her husband called. On the way, she kept getting in front of me, begging me not to leave. Her husband was furious, and I heard him yell at her over the phone.

Husband: “YOU TELL HIM TO LEAVE RIGHT NOW! GET OFF MY PROPERTY! I’M CALLING THE COPS!”

I made it back into my truck, but I didn’t drive off because the lady postured as if she was going to get in front of it. Then, she grabbed onto my side view mirror and kept telling me to lower my window. I called my boss and told him what was happening, and he kept trying to convince me to go back and remove the stations.

Boss: “I have friends who are cops, if they want to go that route. We own those stations, and I gave them ample time to decide on what to do.”

I lowered the window and put my boss on speakerphone.

Boss: “What is she doing?”

Me: “She’s just really upset and won’t let me do anything. I can’t get the stations but she won’t let me leave, either.”

I got tired of being in the middle of the wife, the husband, and the boss, and I finally told them:

Me: “I’m sorry, I’m leaving.”

My boss sent me back about a week or two later, and basically, the same thing happened, but that time I did not stay as long. Believe it or not, he tried to send me a third time, but I refused to go.