The Bettin Termites

The Bettin Termites

As Narrated by Helen Bettin Years Ago to Michael Rubel

In the year 1879, as close as anyone can remember, my Grandfather asked a man how much it might cost to rid our house of some termites. The price, about three dollars, seemed a little high for the times and Grandfather put the project off. Grandfather died and many years went by before my Father asked for how much it would cost to rid our old house of the termites, probably around 1910. Again the price, around twenty dollars, seemed too high and Father put the project off.

After the First World War we contacted a company for a quote for getting rid of our termites, but the price, around eighty dollars, seemed too much at the time and we put it off. After the Second World War, around 1947, times having been good for the Citrus Industry, we decided to tend to the termites. We contracted the job with a man. He never showed up and Father died and we eventually got distracted on other things and let the project slide. Around 1960 my daughters insisted that we tend to the termites so I contacted a company. They wanted about three hundred dollars and at the time the price seemed too much for us so we put it off.

Footnote: I asked Middle Bear, the daughter of Helen Bettin, several years ago, if the termites were tended to. She said that they decided, after her Mother died, not to do anything because they might sell the property and it would not make any difference then, because the house would most likely be torn down.