George Lycurgus was born in 1858 in Vasara, Greece, which was near Sparta. Sparta as we know from the movie 300 was home to fierce Greek warriors who were known as the Spartans. Their claim to fame is that 300 Spartans and 7,000 other warriors held off an army of 300,000 Persians in the battle of Thermopylae.

An Accidental Voyage to Hawaii

Lycurgus, accidentally came to Hawaii for the first time in 1889. While loading a cargo boat that was bound for Hawaii, he was invited aboard for a poker game. It must have been an exciting game because he didn’t notice that the ship had set sail with him still aboard it.

The Duke of Sparta (Who Lived in Hilo)

He opened one of the first resorts in Waikiki and one of his frequent guests was the Kalakaua family who were Hawaiian Royalty. His friendship with the royal family was how he was nicknamed the “Duke of Sparta”.

In 1894, he landed in Hilo for the first time aboard the USS Philadelphia on his way to visit Volcano for the first time. He liked the Volcano so much thoughts of business opportunities there spun in his head.

Hilo Resident Accused of Treason

After the 1895 Counter-Revolution of Hawaii, Lycurgus was accused of smuggling guns for the Royalists and charged with treason. He was put in jail for 52 days, but nothing came of the charges.

Throwing Gin into the Volcano

In 1904, Lycurgus and his nephew took control of the Volcano House Company and in 1906 he worked with Lorrin Thurston to have the volcano area developed into Volcano National Park. One of the traditions that he started was tossing bottles of gin into the volcano. Obviously not everyone was happy about this.

He died at the grand old age of 101 in the year 1960.

Two of the biggest termite control companies in Hilo are Hilo Termite & Pest Control and Bowman Termite & Pest Control. They have both been serving the residents of Hilo for a number of years and quite a number of homes over this time. Clearly both are good companies, but they each have their individual pros and cons so this article will review both of these companies to see how they compare to each other.

Category 1: Number of Years in Business

One good sign is that a company has been around a long time. Word about bad companies eventually gets around, so either you hear about them and can avoid them or they eventually go out of business, so if a company has been around a long time it is a good sign.

On this measure, Hilo Termite wins. Hilo Termite has been in business since 1963, which is a very long time, while Bowman Termite was started in 2001. This might not seem like a long time, but this is Bowman’s second termite control business, he started his first business in 1978 and did so well that a corporate entity decided to buy him out. So Bowman has more experience than its 2001 start might indicate.

Category 2: Size of Business

The bigger a business and the more employees it has, the better able it is to serve you. On this measure Bowman and Hilo Termite run almost neck and neck and based on the number of employees that they each have they will be able to serve you well. Bowman Termite has 26 employees, while Hilo Termite has 28 employees, so either has the team to get big jobs done. One difference is that all of Hilo Termite’s employees serve the Big Island, while Bowman’s workers serve Maui and Oahu too.

Category 3: Services Offered

Both Hilo Termite and Bowman Termite offer a full range of termite and pest control services from fumigation to ground treatments and inspections. Both companies offer free estimates for their services, so either should be able to meet your needs.

Category 4: Customer Reviews and Ratings

Neither Bowman Termite or Hilo Termite have much in the way of reviews and ratings of their service on their websites or on yelp or yellowpages. Since they have been in business for so long the absence of negative reviews is a good sign for both companies as word would get out if they did a poor job.

Category 5: Quality of their Website

This measure is more subjective, but I would give the edge to Bowman Termite. The reason is that they provide more information on the termite control problems that you may be facing and how they can be solved.

All My Articles on Termite Control in Hilo, Hawaii

• Hilo Termite Control Information Center
• Who are the Best Termite Control Companies in Hilo?
• How much does Termite Control Cost in Hilo?
• Top Five Termite Control Problems in Hilo
• Hilo Termite Vs. Bowman Termite: Which is Better?
• Akamai Pest Solutions
• Hilo Termite & Pest Control
• Mason Termite & Pest Control
• Veteran Termite & Pest Control
• Will Kill Termites & Pests

Discover more about Hilo, Hawaii

In my not so humble opinion, Hilo is the best small town in the world. Discover more about the people, places and things that make Hilo so special. Click to read more about Hilo, Hawaii

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If you own a home in Hilo, you probably know that termites are a big problem. Left untreated they can destroy your property value and even completely destroy your home, given enough time. The point of this article is to address the top termite control problems that you are likely to run into, here in Hilo, and how you can resolve them.

Problem 1: Drywood Termite Infestation

Drywood termites are a common problem in Hilo. These nasty critters fly through the air in big swarms and attack just about anything made of wood, including your home. The most harmful species is the Cryptotermes brevis which is also known as the West Indian termite.

Often these critters can infest your home and you won’t even know until they have done significant damage and you start to see the tell tale signs of their sawdust like droppings.

Because they don’t come from the ground like subterranean termites, they need to be treated differently and the two main ways of solving drywood termite problems are store bought treatments or fumigation (also known as tenting).

The advantages of store bought treatments are price, convenience and quick results. But the disadvantages are that they only produce localized results, they may miss the source of the infestation, they are temporary and they involve working with harmful chemicals.

Tenting or fumigation has a number of disadvantages, but it is the only way to completely erradicate a termite infestation. The biggest disadvantage is cost and the inconvenience of having to vacate your home. But it’s biggest advantage is that it will kill just about every single termite in your home.

Problem 2: Subterranean Termite Infestation

Subterranean or ground termites are an entirely different beast. As their name implies they attack your home from the ground, rather than the air. They are quite a problem because they can attack your home for years before your notice anything. Some signs you have a ground termite problem are sagging floors, warped walls and mud tunnels.

Solving ground termite problems involve treating the soil around your home with chemicals that kill or repel ground termites. Also bait stations may be installed around your home to kill existing termite colonies and prevent new ones from getting started.

Problem 3: The Inconvenience of having your home tented

Having your home tented is a big inconvenience and can be a big problem. Unfortunately if you have a really bad termite infestation, this may be unavoidable. However, one alternative is spot treatment, which consists of locating the termite colonies in your home and applying chemicals like orange oil to kill them. If you have a light termite infestation, this may be a viable solution.

Problem 4: Not knowing you have a problem

Not knowing you have termites is one of the biggest problems of all. Termites can silently cause thousands of dollars of damage to your home without you even knowing it. When it comes to termites, simply knowing that you have them and not letting a small problem turn into a big problem can make a huge difference.

To solve this problem, you either need to learn the signs of a termite infestation and keep a watchful eye or you need to have a termite control company perform an inspection. An inspection can be really cheap insurance against termite damage.

Problem 5: The termites keep on coming back

Just because you take care of termites one time, doesn’t mean that your termite problems are solved permanently. Without sufficient preventative measures they will eventually come back.

One of the solutions is to keep your eyes open for them. Another is have a termite control company perform periodic inspections and maintenance. Sure, you will have to spend a little money each year, but this will catch problems before they start and you won’t have to worry so much about having to pay a gigantic bill when what would have been a little job turns into a big one.

Other Termite Control Articles

• Who are the Best Termite Control Companies in Hilo?
• How much does Termite Control Cost in Hilo?

 

Hilo such a rainy old town
I listen to the rain coming down
don’t it fall so free

Take a walk in the rain
and let the rain wash away our pain
you can start all over with me

Went to a party on Big Island
everyone was having fun and styling

The band began grooving
all the people got up and started moving

Soon the clouds rolled in
and it began to rain

They were dancing, dancing in the hilo rain
Dancing, dancing in the Hilo rain

I met a wahine she looked so fine
she had a nice smile you know da kine

So i waited for my chance
that’s when i asked if she’d like to dance

She took me by my hand, it began to rain again
Dancing, dancing in the hilo rain
Dancing, dancing in the hilo rain

And she said:
Do you know the place to go to see the stars in the sky?
Just a little hideaway together you and I

And we might spend the night if you a naughty child
Hilo rain and I, no, no, no, no, no

Soon the clouds will lift and it began to rain
Dancing, dancing in the hilo rain
Dancing, dancing in the hilo rain
Dancing, dancing in the hilo rain
Dancing, dancing in the hilo rain

by Luke Kaa Morgan

Source: Aloha Ke Akua Ministries