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Termites cut into wood with pincer-like extensions near their mouths and break it down into material for building and nutrition. The movement of a single termite isn’t noticeable, but with hundreds of thousands of termites in a colony, small sounds add up. They’ll munch on just about anything containing cellulose, which is found in plant fiber used to make paper and wood products. Termites will snack on all kinds of wood materials, magazines, newspapers, cardboard boxes, and more. They’ll literally eat you out of house and home, and the worst part is that by the time you spot one, the issue is probably pretty serious.
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Similarly, moisture in mulch can attract termites, and having it around the perimeter of the home can direct them to the house’s foundation. As an alternative, consider spreading sand immediately around the home since termites cannot burrow in the sand as easily as soil or mulch. Having gutters cleaned regularly is also good for prevention as the damp environment of a gutter clogged with leaves is attractive to termites and other insects. Termite spot treatment involves drilling holes into the wood where termites nest, filling the holes with termiticide, and sealing the holes. Termites are not able to detect termiticide on the wood and will ingest the poison unknowingly. Not only are termites who eat the termiticide affected, but one infected termite can spread the poison around to the rest of the colony like a viral infection.
How Much Does Termite Damage Repair Cost In 2024? - Forbes
How Much Does Termite Damage Repair Cost In 2024?.
Posted: Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
Insects in the City
Place these bait stations around your property to attract and eliminate termites. If termites have been in your house for a long time, they can cause significant damage. Such damage can cause your home to shift or settle as it reacts to being eaten away. Signs of structural foundation damage in a home include drywall cracks above doors and windows and doors and windows that do not close properly. Hiring professionals guarantees that you not only get to keep your home but that you can eliminate all traces and potential recurrences of these egregious pests. While it’s not recommended, you can use DIY termite control strategies to keep your infestation at bay while you plan for an exterminator to visit your home.
How Long Does a Termite Live?
Subterranean termites live in soil and wood that's connected to the soil. Subterranean termite workers can be found year-round, though swarmers are usually encountered between the months of March through April in Texas. Swarming flights of the most common Texas species, the eastern subterranean termite, usually take place during daylight hours. We use a third-party vendor to conduct a criminal records search in the county in which the business owner or principal works.
Termites often start outside and opportunistically work their way inside. That means, if you notice exterior termite damage early on, you may be able to stop an infestation before it moves to the interior of your home. Boric acid is an ingredient found in most termite insecticides and is a reliable method for eliminating colonies. While this substance will not kill termites immediately, when ingested it prevents their system from receiving nutrients from the wood they eat. Termites who eat wood treated with boric acid or lick the substance from their own bodies will starve to death as the acid takes effect.
Termite Droppings and Other Signs
Termite dust is a combination of wall dirt, wood shavings and termite droppings, and it will fall and accumulate on the floor as termite holes in drywall appear. There are many reasons wall paint may bubble or flake off, and a termite infestation is one of them. Wall termites need moisture to survive, so as they inhabit the interior of your walls, they will bring some moisture inside with them.
Discarded Termite Wings
You will notice signs of a drywood termite infestation when you see discarded wings and tiny piles of sawdust, and even their droppings, which are pellet-like. In contrast, dampwood termites seek out moisture-damaged wood and damp soil in which to nest. Leaking gutters and faucets and humidity in kitchens and basements draw the pests inside. When termites are offered ground-level openings into homes, the pests use these to travel inside. Although individual termites are generally less than half an inch long, their strength comes in numbers—and household infestations can swell to thousands of termites if left untreated.
And the reason I wouldn't buy a home with foundation damage is that the cost to address it could be exorbitant. When you buy a home, you take on more than just a monthly mortgage payment. You also have to deal with peripheral expenses like property taxes, homeowners insurance, and upkeep. But one additional expense that might really throw your finances off-course is the cost of making repairs.
A Guide to Protecting Your Greatest Investment from Wood-Destroying Insects
But one issue I would not be willing to deal with when buying a home is a termite problem. Termites can cause a world of damage, and like foundation repair, the cost to address the problem can vary substantially. Because it can be so hard to estimate the cost of addressing this particular issue, it isn't one I'd knowingly take on. It's one thing if you find out you're buying a home with a failing air conditioning system and it'll cost $7,000 to $8,000 to replace it.
In fact, termites cause an estimated $5 billion in property damage in the United States each year, according to the National Pest Management Association. That’s why it’s good to be aware of early warning signs of termites so you can take quick action. Termites can be a difficult pest to deal with, especially in warmer weather. For smaller infestations, there are many DIY solutions that homeowners can use and apply to get rid of termites. However, when dealing with large infestations, homeowners will want to look up “termite control near me” to choose a termite company that can handle the issue.
Pinpoints areas with high moisture levels — 15 percent or above — which are more likely to harbor some types of termites. It typically takes months or years for significant termite damage to occur. Detecting termite damage can be difficult because termite-infested wood often looks normal from the outside.
If the frass is dropping down from your ceiling, it may not gather in concentrated piles before you sweep the floor, so it may escape your notice. Channels of caked-up mud and termite debris begin in the soil and trail up to the wood of a house. They are typically the width of a standard pencil, and they take some effort to scrape off. Finding dead winged insects by windows or scattered wings without bodies around the perimeters of a home are common indicators of termites. For monitoring, Orkin creates a Continuous Termite Inspection Plan and Re-treatment Program to ensure that if termites return, Orkin will return to combat them at no extra cost. Some methods can be applied directly to infested areas no matter what type of termites you have.
Use this guide to learn more about termites and how to get rid of these pests. Other things, like water damage, can affect the quality of the wood in a home. However, termites also like damp wood, so even if they aren’t the cause of warped windows, noticing the need for repair can help prevent a future infestation. Here’s a handy guide to help you learn how to spot termites in your home and identify their species correctly.
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