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What termite control actually gives you is peace of mind that your home’s structure is sound. In Manhattan Beach, where single-family homes regularly sell for $1.4 million and above, that matters more than most people realize. Termite damage isn’t covered by standard homeowner’s insurance, and a home with a known infestation history can lose 20% or more of its market value. The cost of a professional treatment is a fraction of what structural repairs or a reduced sale price would run you.
Manhattan Beach’s coastal environment makes this more urgent than it would be in an inland Brooklyn neighborhood. The sandy soil retains moisture year-round, the water table sits close to the surface, and the salt air keeps humidity consistently elevated. These aren’t conditions that slow termite activity down they support it. Getting ahead of the problem with a proper inspection and treatment plan is the most straightforward way to protect what you’ve built here.
Kingsway Exterminating Company has been operating out of Brooklyn since 1971. Richard Kourbage Sr. started the business, and his sons Richard Jr. and Charles have been running it alongside him since the late 1980s. That’s three generations of the same family, the same name on every job, and the same standard of work applied to every home we walk into.
We’re based at 2216 Flatbush Avenue a short drive from Manhattan Beach, Sheepshead Bay, and the surrounding southern Brooklyn neighborhoods we’ve been serving for decades. We know the housing stock in Manhattan Beach. We’ve worked in these homes the older framing, the crawl spaces, the brick foundations and we understand the specific conditions that make coastal properties more vulnerable than most. We hold BBB accreditation with an A+ rating, have maintained it since 1989, and apply only NYS DEC registered materials on every job. Our team collectively brings more than 100 years of hands-on pest control experience.
It starts with a call and we answer 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once you reach out, we’ll schedule an inspection, typically within two business days, with same-day availability in many cases. For a neighborhood like Manhattan Beach, where spring swarm season can move fast and real estate transactions often have tight timelines, that responsiveness matters.
During the inspection, a certified technician walks your property thoroughly foundation perimeter, basement or crawl space, wood framing, sill plates, any area where soil contacts wood. We’re looking for live termites, mud tubes, frass, hollow wood, and moisture conditions that indicate active or past activity. In Manhattan Beach’s older homes, where original framing and aging foundations are common, this inspection goes deeper than a surface check. All technicians performing termite work hold the NYS DEC Category 7C certification, which is the specific state license required for termite and wood-destroying organism control in New York.
If termites are found, we’ll give you a clear explanation of what was discovered, where, and what the treatment options are. We use termite baiting systems and liquid barrier treatments depending on what your property needs not a one-size-fits-all approach. Treatment is followed by documentation, and if you need a Wood Destroying Organism report for a mortgage or property sale, we provide that too. After treatment, you’ll know what was done, what to watch for, and what your next steps are.
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Termite control through Kingsway covers the full scope of what a Manhattan Beach home actually needs not a quick spray and a handshake. The process includes a thorough inspection of your property, identification of the termite species present (Eastern Subterranean Termites are the dominant species in this area), and a treatment plan built around your home’s specific conditions. That means taking into account the age of the structure, the soil type, moisture levels, and any wood-to-soil contact points that give termites a direct path into the framing.
Treatment options include liquid termiticide barrier applications and termite baiting systems. Liquid treatments create a protective zone in the soil around your foundation that termites can’t pass through these typically remain effective for five to ten years. Bait stations are installed around the perimeter and monitored on an ongoing basis, targeting the colony directly over time. For homes in Manhattan Beach where the sandy coastal soil allows termites to move more freely than in denser urban fill, the right treatment method depends on what the inspection reveals not a preset package.
We also provide Wood Destroying Organism inspection reports, which are required for FHA and VA loan approvals and are commonly requested in real estate transactions throughout Kings County. If you’re buying or selling a home on Amherst, Beaumont, Coleridge, or anywhere else in Manhattan Beach, that documentation needs to be accurate, fast, and lender-compliant. We deliver all of it.
Yes and the neighborhood’s geography is a big part of why. Manhattan Beach was built on former salt marsh, which means the soil beneath these homes is sandy, porous, and retains moisture far more consistently than the compacted fill found under most of inland Brooklyn. Eastern Subterranean Termites, the species responsible for the vast majority of termite damage in New York City, thrive in exactly these conditions. They need moisture to survive, and in a coastal peninsula surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean and Sheepshead Bay, that moisture is essentially permanent.
Add to that a housing stock built primarily between the 1920s and 1960s homes with original wood framing, older foundations, and in many cases wood-to-soil contact points that have only grown more accessible over decades of settling and you have a neighborhood where the risk is meaningfully higher than most homeowners realize. The quiet, residential character of Manhattan Beach means termite activity often goes unnoticed for years. Getting a professional inspection is the only reliable way to know what’s actually happening beneath your home.
The most common early sign Manhattan Beach homeowners notice is swarmers winged termites that emerge in the spring, typically on warm days following rain. If you see what looks like a swarm of flying ants inside your home or near a window, that’s a serious indicator that a colony is already established nearby. Swarmers don’t cause structural damage themselves, but their presence means the colony producing them has been active long enough to reach reproductive maturity, which usually takes several years.
Other signs include mud tubes pencil-thin tunnels of soil and debris that termites construct along foundation walls, basement walls, or floor joists to travel between the ground and their food source while maintaining humidity. You might also notice wood that sounds hollow when tapped, floors or door frames that have subtly warped, or small piles of what looks like sawdust near baseboards or window sills. In older homes with crawl spaces or unfinished basements which are common throughout Manhattan Beach these signs can go unnoticed for a long time. A professional inspection is the only way to know for certain.
In almost every case, no. Standard homeowner’s insurance policies in New York including policies held by Manhattan Beach homeowners explicitly exclude termite damage. Insurance companies classify it as a preventable maintenance issue rather than a sudden, accidental loss, which means even significant structural damage caused by a years-long infestation is typically not covered.
The financial exposure is real. Structural repairs from termite damage in a single-family home can run anywhere from $3,000 on the low end to $10,000 or more when load-bearing elements are involved. Beyond the repair costs, homes with a documented history of termite infestation typically sell for 20% less than comparable properties without that history a significant number in a neighborhood where median home values sit around $1.4 million. A professional termite treatment and annual inspection is a straightforward way to protect both the structure and the value of your property.
It depends on the treatment method used. Liquid termiticide barrier treatments where a termiticide is applied to the soil around and beneath your foundation typically remain effective for five to ten years under normal conditions. In Manhattan Beach, where the sandy coastal soil is more porous than the compacted urban fill found in most of inland Brooklyn, the longevity of a liquid treatment can vary. A technician will factor in your soil type, moisture levels, and the specific layout of your property when recommending a treatment approach.
Termite baiting systems work differently. Rather than creating a chemical barrier, bait stations are installed around the perimeter of your home and monitored on an ongoing basis. Termites carry the bait back to the colony, which eliminates it over time. These systems require periodic monitoring typically once or twice a year to confirm they’re functioning and to replace bait as needed. Both methods are effective; the right choice depends on your home’s specific conditions. We’ll walk you through the options after the inspection so you can make an informed decision.
If the buyer is using an FHA or VA loan, a Wood Destroying Organism inspection report is required before the sale can close. Even in conventional transactions, termite inspections are increasingly standard in Manhattan Beach given the neighborhood’s home values and the age of the housing stock. Buyers purchasing a $1.4 million home or anything close to it are going to want documentation that the structure is sound, and their attorneys and agents will typically recommend it.
A WDO report documents whether there is evidence of active termite infestation, past damage, or conditions conducive to infestation. It’s a formal, written report that lenders, buyers, and title companies accept as part of the closing process. We provide these reports with the accuracy and turnaround time that real estate transactions in Kings County require. If you’re listing a property in Manhattan Beach or preparing for a closing, getting the inspection done early gives you time to address any findings before they become a negotiating issue.
Yes when it’s done correctly by a licensed professional using approved materials. We apply only New York State Department of Environmental Conservation registered termiticides on every job. These are professional-grade products with established safety profiles, applied according to EPA protocols by technicians who are trained in proper handling and application. The goal is to treat the soil and structural entry points not to saturate the interior of your home.
For most liquid barrier treatments, the application happens around the exterior perimeter and beneath the foundation, with minimal interior disruption. Our technician will give you specific guidance before the job which areas to stay clear of during application, how long to wait before re-entering treated spaces, and any precautions relevant to pets or young children. Manhattan Beach is a family-oriented neighborhood, and the families who call us are right to ask these questions. Professionally applied, properly timed termite treatment is safe and far less of a health risk than an untreated infestation quietly compromising the structure your family lives in.
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