Termites are not your run of the mill pests. You will not find these insects crawling across your floors or stealing scraps of food off your counters. They aren’t going to sting you if you look at them funny, and there is a low chance you will look at them at all. Despite all of this, termites, more effectively than any other pest in the world, destroy homes. If you would like to know how these invasive insects might damage your Liberty County home and property, here is what you ought to know.
A Basic Guide To Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites are a world-renowned species of termites that live the majority of their lives underground or inside a wood structure. This pest gravitates towards damp areas and will even carry water with them when harvesting wood or traveling underground. If you haven’t guessed already, these pests eat wood. More specifically, they eat the cellulose found inside of wood and individual plants. For a subterranean termite to feed on a wood structure, the wood must be water damaged, rotting, or in decay.
What Are Mud Tubes?
To search the exterior of a home for softened wood sections, subterranean termites may build mud tubes. These pencil-sized pathways keep termites sheltered from the exterior elements and help them maintain the proper moisture levels while traveling to and from wood. If your home’s structural wood directly touches outer soil or its foundation has extensive cracks, termites might not need mud tubes to get inside.
Termite Swarmers
Once a year, termites swarm. More specifically, fully mature colonies of termites produce what are called swarmers. These winged, reproductive capable members will actively look for suitable places to establish a new colony. If you find what appears to be large white ants buzzing or crawling around your home’s exterior, be aware your home is currently being evaluated. If swarmers find water damage, rotting, or decaying wood to consume, they will likely establish a nest nearby.
How Destructive Are Termites?
Termites are THE most destructive pest on the planet. Just in the United States alone, these wood chewing insects cost homeowners over five billion dollars annually. A massive percent of this figure involves the cost of repairs after termite related damage is found.
One reason termites are so destructive is how they invade, silently and under the soil’s cover. Most often, it takes years for homeowners to become aware of these pests’ presence. Another reason termites cause so much damage is that they never sleep. A worker termite works its entire life, harvesting wood to feed the colony.
DIY v.s. Professional Termite Control
There are two main ways to approach termite control: do it yourself strategies or with professional termite control. Both can be effective, but only one guarantees protection. With DIY, you implement methods that should theoretically deter termites, like sealing your home’s exterior and fixing water damaged structural wood. The only problem is that there is no guarantee that what you do will work as termites are hard to identify without expensive equipment.
Our recommendation is to trust termite control to a professional. At Prestige Pest Control, we have the advanced, industry-leading equipment and treatments needed to effectively track, eliminate, and prevent these invasive wood-destroying pests.
Contact our team today to discuss how termite control works and schedule a date to have your Liberty County home treated.