Termites primarily feed on wood, so they can seriously harm your home’s or business’s structural integrity and also appearance.
Termites can cause structural damage through their ability to penetrate metal siding and plaster, as well as subterranean damage that is frequently misdiagnosed as water damage and dry wood damage that can remain unnoticed until the infestation gets out of control.
Furthermore, although termites normally don’t pose a serious health risk, they can nonetheless infect your house or place of business. Allowing termites to continue building their covert trails and colonies can result in significantly higher expenses for both eliminating the pests and restoring the damage.
In North America, the annual cost of termite control is $1,800,000,000. Trying to stop these wood-eating insects from destroying homes is an expensive nightmare that involves everything from laws and regulations to pesticides and chemicals. The most prevalent and expensive pest that destroys wood in the US is termites.
Learn about termites’ habits, take precautions against infestation, and identify efficient termite treatment solutions with professional help in case your property becomes infested to safeguard your house or place of business from these pests.
Continue reading to understand the true nature of termites!
Termites have six legs and a segmented body because they are insects, not arachnids. Additionally, termites may have wings, which are all roughly the same length.
Termites, also referred to as “white ants,” are frequently confused with ants. A termite’s waist is significantly thicker than an ant’s, which is the primary distinction between the two species. Although termites and ants can occasionally be mistaken for one another, termites differ from ants in a few important ways.
In contrast to termites, which have equal-length wings, ants have longer front wings than rear wings, according to pest control specialists. Ants and termites have distinct antennae. The antennae of termites protrude directly from their heads. Ants’ antennae, on the other hand, are curved at a 90-degree angle, like those of wood ants.
In this case, you must determine whether termites or ants are attacking your home or building. Termites are one of the most destructive pests architecturally and financially.
Accurate identification by a qualified and experienced pest control specialist will aid in additional identification and assessment of the extent of termite infestation. Expert advice can help you avoid wasting time and money.
Although termites are found in more than 50 species in the United States, the two most prevalent species are subterranean and drywood termites. Knowing which type you are dealing with is crucial because different treatment approaches may be needed for each.
Termites can be classified into three main categories: subterranean, dampwood, and drywood.
The wood in the foundation of your house, as well as any dirt or compost you may have outside, will all become infested by subterranean termites. So, they can move around inside your house, they construct mud tubes or roads out of wood and soil.
This type of termite usually causes more damage than drywood termites because of their saw-toothed jaws. If given enough time, subterranean termites are capable of destroying an entire structure. These termites, which are widespread throughout the nation, are accountable for 95% of termite damage in the US.
Subterranean termites are slender and measure between 1/8 and 3/8 of an inch in length. Their “caste” determines their color. Soldiers have brown heads and are the same pale cream color as workers.
There are two types and colors of reproductive termites. Primary reproductives are either black or brown, while secondary reproductives are creamy white. Termites in subterranean colonies can number anywhere between 100,000 and 1 million.
The enormous pincers on the heads of dampwood termites, which they use to ward off predators, make them much bigger than their counterparts underground.
They like to establish their colonies in moist wood that is in contact with the ground, like logs and stumps, and in damp, decaying wood that has a high moisture content, as suggested by their name.
It is rare for dampwood termites to build mud tubes or nests in the ground. When the termites’ wood source is sound, they eat the wood along its grain; when it’s decayed, they eat the wood across its grain.
Compared to subterranean and drywood termites, dampwood termites typically cause less damage.
While drywood termites only live in wood, subterranean termites require soil to survive. They don’t build mud tubes for transportation, and they are typically restricted to warm coastal regions.
The length of hardwood termites ranges from 1/8 to 1/2 inch, and their colors vary. Similar to subterranean termites, white termites directly harm wood.
Wingless drywood termites can be any color, from light brown to yellow-tan. 2,500 termites or more can be found in a drywood termite colony.
Termites live in huge colonies, or groupings. They never stop eating, and they do so day and night. Every variety flourishes in a distinct setting.
Subterranean termites are typically found in yards with lots of soil, moisture, and wood because that’s where they build their nests.
Their preferred food sources are fallen branches and old tree stumps. Certain subspecies of subterranean termites construct tunnels out of mud to get from their nest to their food supply. Termites will use any ground-level entryway they find to enter a house.
Dampwood termites are drawn to damp environments such as basements and kitchens, as well as leaky gutters and faucets.
The preferred habitat of drywood termites is areas with dry wood, and they typically dig their nest deep within wooden objects such as furniture, buildings, or trees that are close to building voids and cracks. The preferred locations for termite nests are moist soil and decayed wood.
Termites eat plant materials that are cellulose-based, and sadly, they are unable to distinguish between trees and your house or place of business. Termites can obtain food in the form of cellulose from any type of building.
Any building with any quantity of dry or water-damaged wood runs the risk of becoming a nesting site for dampwood and drywood termites, who reside inside their food sources.
Because subterranean termites travel underground in search of food, yards with a lot of wet soil are susceptible to becoming a nesting site. High moisture content and the presence of wood in furniture or the building’s structure are some elements that raise the risk of a termite infestation.
Termites can get into residences and commercial buildings through foundation cracks or any wood that is fastened to the structure but is open to the elements. In addition, termites that feed on dry firewood or worn or outdoor furniture brought inside can enter a house.
According to termite pest control specialists, termites can significantly reduce the value of your house or place of business because they consume wood and plant-based products without discrimination.
Many buildings are held together by their wood, which serves as a system of framing components. All the other beams, posts, and supports that rely on one of these components are also impacted when it weakens.
Termites may weaken your property permanently, necessitating the replacement of significant portions of the framing, even though their damage may sometimes be gradual, taking months or even years to complete.
However, the long-term value of the building can be preserved if the termite infestation is discovered promptly.
Termites are not limited to destroying the framing of a building; they can also target siding, windows, and doors. Termite exterminators clarify that termites can endanger energy efficiency and the smooth functioning of doors and windows in addition to causing unsightly damage to these portholes.
Termite damage can also result in a significant decline in your home’s market value. Buyers may move on to the next property even if there are indications of a prior infestation.
Furthermore, if termite damage is discovered during the inspection process, it may occasionally be sufficient to impede or even completely prevent a sale.
Sadly, it’s not as easy as noticing a termite scuttling along your wood grain. Examine your home’s fuse boxes, attic, and all the gaps and crevices surrounding it first. Then keep an eye out for these indicators to determine whether the foundation of your house is being targeted.
Mud Tubes: To get the wood they eat into the soil, subterranean termites build their way out of mud tubes. These mud tubes are made of wood and dirt and are about the width of a pencil.
Peeling Paint: Termites cause damage to drywall by letting moisture seep into the gap between the paint and the surface, which makes the paint bubble or peel. Your paint may bubble for other reasons, but if it does so in addition to other indications, you may have a termite infestation.
Hollow Wood: If your wood makes a hollow or thudding sound when you tap or knock on it, termites are probably infested. A screwdriver can be used to test your wood as well. It is not a good sign if the wood yields easily when the screwdriver is pressed. Another sign of an infestation is when wooden structures start to blister or darken.
Frass: Termite droppings, also known as frass, can show up on your windowsills, baseboards, and door frames as tiny, granular oval pellets. Any that you notice in your home’s surroundings is a sign that a termite infestation is imminent.
Clicking Sounds: There could be a strange clicking sound coming from within your walls. Termites make these strange noises when they tremble violently and bang their heads against the wood to alert their fellow termites to approaching danger.
With their extensive experience, Titan Pest Services’ experts can handle even the most severe termite infestations. Because Titan Technicians are local residents of the areas they service, you can be sure that they are knowledgeable about the pest trends that are specific to your area.
Titan offers good plans like Termite Inspection, Colony Elimination Baiting, Pre-construction, and Post-construction Termite Protection.
If there is termite activity, a termite inspection plan can help to monitor and increase awareness of it. In order to target areas where termites are actively active, baits are strategically positioned underground or above ground as part of a colony elimination baiting plan.
In the event of a pre-construction termite protection plan, one way to prevent termites is to build an anti-termite barrier on the soil beneath the property. After an infestation happens, prevent additional termite damage by getting rid of the termites with a post-construction termite protection plan.
Make an appointment with Titan right now to solve your termite issue and all other stress-inducing pest problems in your house or place of business!