If you own your own home and are concerned about termites, you are not alone. Nearly 20% of all people who own a home say that termites are one of their top concerns. People in the United States spend about $2 billion every year to prevent their houses from termites or to control termite infestations. For some species of termites, the female can lay up to 40,000 eggs every day. If you own a home and are concerned about these pests, you have good reason to worry. They can do a lot of damage. Luckily, there are things you can do to prevent needing a house call pest control for a termite infestation.
- Each spring, look for winged termites around your home. Every spring, winged termites set off from their colonies in search of new places to start their own. You should be on the lookout in the early spring for these bugs that may look a lot like winged ants. Winged termites have equal sized wings, straight antennae and a wide waist. If you find these insects inside your house, you should make a house call pest control appointment because this is an early sign of an infestation. Termite control services should be called as soon as you see any evidence of these winged insects.
- Look for mud tubes along your foundation. Termites build their homes out of mud tubing. They construct these mud tubes along a house’s foundation. If you find mud tubing, carefully cut it open. You may want to arrange a house call pest control appointment if you see any kind of mud tubing as more than one kind of insect constructs colonies using mud. When you the tubes open, do not think you do not have a termite infestation if the tubes are empty, though if you find white termites (the color is often described as “creamy”) that is proof of a termite problem.
- Look for hollow tubes in your wood. When termites bore into your wood, they create hollow tubes that are often referred to as feeding galleries. These are often lined with dirt or mud. If you have problems with other kinds of insects, you will see little piles of sawdust, which you do not see with termite infestations. Termites are clever. They do not do anything to damage the exterior of your wood. That way they can stay hidden safely inside your wood as they eat away.
How does termite infestation control work?
When you schedule your house call pest control appointment, the pest control service has to use chemicals that penetrate the soil to a very deep level. The chemical needs to get many feet below your foundation to reach the entire termite colony, which may exist very far below the surface. It takes a lot of termiticide to eradicate a full termite colony. Some treatments use hundreds of gallons of the chemicals to do the job right.
There are two kinds of chemicals that are used by pest control service companies. The first is a termiticide that will just kill the termites. The second is a termite repellent that makes your home less attractive to termites. In the past, most pest control companies preferred to use the repellents. Now, most companies opt for the chemicals that kill the termites directly because they offer a quicker way to deal with a termite infestation. They get rid of the insects right away. When you are talking to different companies about your termite problem, you should discuss the termite control strategy with them. Some companies still use baits to lure out the termites. The food baits are laced with a powerful and slow acting poison. Some companies use a combination of full on application of the termiticide with baits and other kinds of chemicals.
When dealing with termites, spot treatments do not work. When you arrange your house call pest control visit, you need to make sure they do a full application of the chemicals to treat your entire home. These pests burrow deep into the soil around your home and will travel away from the colony to get water and food. For this reason, spot treatments are never effective. Proper treatment can protect your home for five years.