Gulf Construction Online - Masa guarantees pest control for years

Timber & Playwood

Al Shieshakly ... Masa staff “fully trained for the job”.

Masa guarantees pest control for years

01 May 2009

TERMITES are the most destructive insects to wood structures around large expanses of the globe and the damage they cause, plus the cost of controlling them, probably costs Saudi Arabia more than SR1 billion ($267 million) per year, says Mousaied S Al Shieshakly, owner and general manager, Masa Establishment.
Masa, an integrated pest management company, is amongst the largest groups of pest control firms and has fully-trained and experienced staff to render services in a professional way. The company provides a five- to 10-year guarantee for its termite-proofing jobs. This is important as an adult termite of some species in a colony can live up to 20 years and the queen can live up to 50 years.
“Of course, a chemical is ultimately expected to last the guarantee period. Hence to ensure customer satisfaction, the company is always seeking approved chemicals and equipment with the help of its research and development department for specific jobs, be it the initial services for general insects and pests, rodent control, fumigation or termite proofing and termite control jobs,” says Al Shieshakly.
Masa always uses integrated pest management tools and equipment to restrict the use of pesticides at homes and villas.
Talking about pests that attack wood, Shieshakly says that among the wood destroying insects, there are a few species that attack healthy trees, used for timber and plywood in construction. These include bark beetles and ambrosia beetles, some weevils and snout beetles, the flat headed borers, most round-headed borers, some caterpillars, and the wood wasps of the family Siricidae.
“The larvae of some of these pests require many years to develop, and the adults may emerge from seasoned wood in buildings or furniture long after construction.
“Other groups of insects can infest dry and seasoned wood. These include the termites, powder post beetles, false powder post beetles, deathwatch beetles, carpenter ants, and the house borer. These insects may be very damaging because they can reinfest timbers until the wood is completely hollowed out, leaving only a deceptive outer shell,” he explains.
There are other insect species that do superficial or only occasionally serious damage to wood such as the spider beetles and hide beetles, which can bore into wood when seeking a place to pupate. They sometimes severely damage structures used for storage of their principal food materials – grains, hides, and offal, he says.
Fungi probably cause as much damage as termites to wood structures. They require about the same environmental conditions for their growth and development as the subterranean termites (Reticulitermes) and dampwood termites (Zootermopsis) do. The elimination of these conditions results in control for both termites and fungi.
Structural timber would appear to be, from a physical and nutritional standpoint, a particularly adverse habitat for insects. But, as indicated, many species in several orders have successfully adapted themselves to it. Therefore, it is not surprising that many of these insects are dependent upon, or have taken advantage of, various types of symbiotic relationships with bacteria, fungi, and protozoa.
Representatives of all the class of fungi are associated with termites. Termites feed on wood, and throughout a large area of the world they are the most destructive insects to wood structures. They are critical pests of agricultural crops, forest nursery seedlings, and grasses, and also damage vast volumes of stored food and household furniture and commodities, including even most plastics, he adds.
Masa is also a regular and active participant of the exhibitions and seminars being held by the different organisations in the kingdom.