Termite damage is a pandemic issue faced by many home and property owners. Aside from costing homeowners or business buildings .As with any other pest, correct identification ensures the use of the most effective control methods and allows you to choose the most appropriate prevention steps to try and avoid problems in the future. You can discuss options such as chemical barriers or other methods to keep termites away.
The alternative to treating drywood termites with fumigation is a spot treatment service. To conduct a spot termite treatment, a technician will drill into the termite galleries in a structure and inject the application directly into the galleries. A spot treatment will sometimes require the use of a borescope to identify signs of termites in inaccessible parts of a home.
Spot Termite Treatments are less invasive than fumigation but will likely involve the drilling of holes into walls.
Owing to their secretive nature, termites can be hard to detect, especially with an untrained eye. You are far more likely to spot the signs of termite damage before you spot termites themselves.
Below are just a few of the reasons why it is best to hire a termite control professional:
Do-it-yourself termite treatments are mostly ineffective and will not prevent termites from re-infesting your property.
Termites are highly secretive creatures that are difficult to identify without specialized training.
A properly trained pest control professional will ensure that the termite treatments are applied in the safest manner possible.
termite control specialists advise that the best way to get rid of termites in a home is for a homeowner to make preparations around their home to stop termites from finding your property attractive in the first place. This includes:
Repair the roof - broken roof tiles can let in moisture and create the perfect environment for termites to start chewing away and setting up their nests.
Watch the air conditioner - if you have an air conditioner unit in a window, keep an eye on it. The moisture that drips from an air conditioner can cause the wood around windows to get damp and create an attractive area for a termite infestation.
Check the wood around your house - during the spring and summer seasons, termites get the most active and you, as a homeowner, need to get proactive. Take the time to check the wooden beams and exposed wood areas around your house. Press your thumb or fingers against exposed wood and if the wood crumbles, you probably have termites. Catch it early and you can get rid of termites and stop the damage
Get rid of boxes - termites love to chew on things like cardboard boxes. If you have a lot of them around your house, you increase the risk of termites finding your home. Store things in plastic boxes instead of cardboard, so if a termite gets inside the attic, they don't start chewing on the boxes.
Get rid of wood - you can keep stacks of wood for your fire, of course, but be careful about where you store it. Stacking wood against the side of the house can be a problem and can attract termites to your home.
Tend the garden - watch the type of mulch you use in your garden. Use a mulch made from alternative materials like gravel or rubber instead of wood. Make sure mulch is not abutted right against your house.
Get rid of moisture - watch for leaking pipes, or any place where there is damp wood.
Seal up windows and doors - when termite swarmers come out, they can get inside through broken window screens and doors with cracks and openings. Seal those places up.
Inspect wood floors and furniture - termites will chew on any wood they find and not just wooden beams. Check for sponginess on hardwood floors, inspect wooden patio furniture. Check decks and other wooden structures on your property.
Get rid of piles of clothing - termites are looking for cellulose and certain fabrics can be just as attractive as wood to termites. Pick up piles of clothes and store them properly and avoid a termite invasion.
People often confuse winged termites with ants, which often swarm at the same time of year. Termites can be differentiated by their straight antennae, uniform waist and wings of equal size. (Ants have elbowed antennae, constricted waists and forewings that are longer than the hind wings.)
The swarmers are attracted to light and are often seen around windows and doors. Termite swarmers emerging from tree stumps, woodpiles, and other locations out in the yard are not necessarily cause for concern, and do not necessarily mean that the house is infested. On the other hand, if winged termites are seen emerging from the base of a foundation wall or adjoining porches and patios, there's a good chance the house is infested also and treatment may be warranted.
Termite Mud TubesTermite Mud Tubes
Other signs of infestation are earthen (mud) tubes extending over foundation walls, support piers, sill plates, floor joists, etc. The mud tubes are typically about the diameter of a pencil, but sometimes can be thicker.
Termites construct these tubes for shelter as they travel between their underground colonies and the structure. To help determine if an infestation is active, the tubes may be broken open and checked for the presence of small, creamy-white worker termites.
If a tube happens to be vacant, it does not necessarily mean that the infestation is inactive; termites often abandon sections of tube while foraging elsewhere in the structure.
Termite WorkersTermite Workers
Termite-damaged wood is usually hollowed out along the grain, with bits of dried mud or soil lining the feeding galleries. Wood damaged by moisture or other types of insects (e.g., carpenter ants) will not have this appearance. Occasionally termites bore tiny holes through plaster or drywall, accompanied by bits of soil around the margin. Rippled or sunken traces behind wall coverings can also be indicative of termites tunneling underneath.
Oftentimes there will be no visible indication that the home is infested. Termites are cryptic creatures and infestations can go undetected for years, hidden behind walls, floor coverings, insulation, and other obstructions. Termite feeding and damage can even progress undetected in wood that is exposed because the outer surface is usually left intact.
http://antscontrol.info/termites-control-protection-inspection-services/
No comments:
Post a Comment