If you own property and you find suspicious wood damage, it can make you wonder. Do you have termites? Is your home teaming with termites? How much damage can those tiny insects do? As a leading termite control professional in Mooresville, we can help you find the answers to your questions. Today, our goal is to shine a light on termites and help you handle the threat of termites in our area. We'll look at the challenge of finding signs of termites in your yard or home. We'll walk you through the way a termite problem can turn into a costly issue. We'll share our best tips to help prevent a termite infestation and avoid termite damage. We'll end by telling you how termite control works. Termites are mysterious insects that can make you feel uneasy. Hopefully, this article will set you at ease. If you want the kind of ease that only comes from having a termite control professional check your home and apply trusted control solutions, we're happy to help with that as well. Jump to our contact page and reach out to us for advanced termite pest control in Mooresville, NC. Your Lake Norman Pest Control service team looks forward to guiding you toward the right solution for you.
You're Likely Never To See A Termite
Have you heard that termites don't show themselves? How true is it? Our answer is likely to surprise you. There are a few different kinds of termites in a termite colony. Some are incredibly secretive. Some are not. The ones that aren't are still hard to detect, but for different reasons.
Workers: All termites start life as workers, and workers make up the majority of a termite colony. You can have hundreds of thousands of these insects in your yard or home and not know it. Here are reasons why you'll likely never see a termite worker:
- Workers tunnel in the ground. They may travel as far as the length of a football field in search of food, but you won't see them doing it. Keep in mind that you could pick up a dead branch in your yard and find these tiny insects on the bottom. If you do, take a close look. Many people see termites and think they're fat ants, maggots, or some other kind of bugs.
- Workers tunnel in wood. You can have an army of termites feeding on the wood of your home and not see them. Why? Because termites stay hidden in their tunnels to stay hydrated. The skin of a worker termite is thin and requires moisture. Termites do not come out of hiding for long because they get dried out. In fact, the termites in our area create above-ground mud tunnels to keep themselves hydrated while going from soil to wood.
- Workers create their above-ground mud tunnels in hiding places. Why? Because worker termites don't like the light. They avoid light sources, and studies have shown that they avoid even moonlight, so the mud tubes they create on surfaces are often hidden.
Do you see how hard it is to detect worker termites? You need to look closely and get into dark, secluded spaces to find active termites.
Swarmers: These are the termites you are most likely to see. They do not have an aversion to light; they're attracted to it. But don't get too excited. Swarmers are rarely seen. Here are a few reasons why:
- If you find a termite swarm in your house, you won't have to wonder if you have a termite problem. But termite swarmers rarely emerge indoors. Their nests are in the ground outside. If they emerge in your home, it is a warning sign that the nest is very close to your home, and that is not good. A close nest means more damage is likely.
- Swarmers are hard to miss, indoors or outdoors, but swarms don't last long. Swarmers leave their nest with one thing on their mind. They have a job to do. That job is to mate quickly and start creating new nests. Therefore, a swarm lasts less than an hour.
- Most of the time, you'll only see one swarmer. You may see it on a walkway, back deck, on your arm, or in another obvious place. But most people don't know how to quickly detect a swarmer. Keep watch for a black insect that is about ⅜ of an inch long. That length includes the long white wings that extend farther than the abdomen of the insect. These wings stack on top of each other and are rounded at the tips.
Do you see how hard it is to detect termite swarmers? You have to keep watching for them. They can appear and disappear in the time it takes you to run to the store for groceries.
Other Termites: In a termite colony, there are soldiers, wingless reproductives, the king, and the queen. All of these insects stay hidden underground or inside the tunnels created by the workers. Of the four, only soldiers are seen. They protect the workers. When you uncover workers, you may notice the soldiers first because they have big orange heads and black pincers. But they're as elusive as the workers.
The elusive nature of subterranean termites is what allows them to cause extensive damage to homes in Mooresville, but how much damage can they do? Let's quickly look at the way termites damage property.
How Much Damage Can Termites Cause?
Subterranean termites are a multi-billion dollar problem in the United States, but we can't tell you how much damage they'll do to your Mooresville property. All we can do is explain how they damage your property and let you determine for yourself how much of a threat they present.
- Termites damage rotted wood first. If you have wood rot, your property is at greater risk.
- A termite colony can have several hundred thousand workers in it.
- More than one colony can send workers to feed on your home because they travel a hundred yards in search of food.
- A home that has wood-to-soil contact allows termites to enter the home without creating mud tubes.
- Termite workers are simple organisms. They don't require sleep, therefore they are able to stay active twenty-four hours a day.
Termites won't damage your home in a night, a month, or a year. They damage your home over the course of several years. Termite control provides ongoing detection of termite activity and/or installation of a termite control product that works to eliminate termite colonies as workers attempt to feed on your property.
Factors That Attract Termites To Properties
Can you guard your property against termite damage without getting professional termite control? Yes. While it is not the best way to protect your investment, it is better to do something rather than nothing at all. Here are our best tips to help you make your home less of a target for termites.
- Never stack dead branches in a pile on the ground. Store decaying wood in a receptacle.
- Store campfire wood and wood used for backyard cookouts on an elevated platform or a rubber mat. Doing so will make termite workers have to create mud tunnels to get to the wood.
- Remove wood structures and replace them with materials that termites don't eat. For example, vinyl fencing, stone flowerbed borders, and plastic pallets to store items on.
- Remove stumps, logs, and dying trees. Termites can feed on your home at the same time they feed on these desirable food sources.
- Address clogged or broken gutters. Worker termites are attracted to moist soil.
You can deter termites by altering conditions that bring these insects into your yard to feed. Unfortunately, termite workers can enter your yard for no reason at all. They don't need a food source or moist ground. If you want to know your property is guarded, professional termite control is the way to go.
The Most Effective Termite Control For Mooresville Homes
Lake Norman Pest Control uses smart, advanced solutions for termite pest control. If you want to keep termites from damaging your property, there is no better way than The Sentricon® System with Always Active™. Termite Control with Sentricon® provides colony elimination and detection all in one solution.
Detection: The Sentricon® System is a network of bait stations installed in the ground. These stations are checked periodically for termite activity. When termites attempt to feed on your home, you'll know it. That kind of feedback is not provided when you have a liquid termite barrier installed. Knowing when termites try to feed on your property is priceless because it gives you the incentive to keep your termite control current and active.
Elimination: The Sentricon® System is always actively stopping termites. The workers take the control material and bring it back to their colony. As the active ingredient is shared, the colony is eliminated.
When you want termite control 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, Sentricon® is the right choice. Contact us today to learn more about this award-winning, eco-friendly termite control solution.
