Do you play Hide and Seek with your children or grandchildren? They run into another room and hide while you count and then try to find them. It’s a fun game for humans. There is nothing fun about the game when the one’s hiding are termites. These wood-boring bugs love to hide in your floor joists and rafters. The problem is these pests are extremely skilled at covering their tracks and staying hidden. When they are ultimately found, they have…
Termites cause damage to homes all year long. If they infest your house, they will continue to eat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Yet, they also have slightly different habits depending on the season. Spring seems to be the most active time for these pests. Summer months bring some issues to a colony. Fall is a perfect time for swarming for some types of these bugs, and winter is a little less hectic but still busy. So…
When you think of the swarmers, what comes to your mind? For those in the pest control industry, it represents thousands of bugs taking over your home. Yet, the term means more than an existing group of pests. It means that a colony of termites breaks off into chunks, enabling more and more termite babies (i.e., larvae) to be born. The more that are hatched, the more trouble your structure may face. In other words, swarmers mean big problems for…
Bugs are never fun to have in your home. Many are harmless like the stink bug, which wants a warm place to live but leaves their aroma hanging in the air. Roaches give many homeowners the shivers. One type of pest that not only takes over your home but can also destroy it, is the termite. These are wood eaters. They love all things cellulose, including your rafters and floor joists. If left to their own appetites, they will be…
When most of us think of winter, we envision cold temperatures and animals hibernating. The whole earth slows down, and some inhabitants sleep. The worst thing to be wary of is bitterly cold and inclement weather. Actually, there is something else you should keep alert for. A nefarious beast is bent on destroying your home 365 days a year. It’s the termite. It eats all the time and does not stop for a long winter’s nap. Just when you thought…
No one wants to hear the words, “You have termites.” You may immediately imagine a cartoonish picture of a massive bug with pinchers ripping through the studs in your walls only to be thwarted by a masked character spraying an even more giant cloud of chemicals. Do you see the termite grabbing its thorax and gasp for air? This image may be an exaggeration; however, homeowners around the country dread hearing that they may have a problem with wood-boring bugs.…
While cleaning your windows one day, you notice some weird wings on the window sill. As you sweep them up, you see a winged bug fluttering about. At first glance, you may think that you have flying ants, but is that true? Maybe not. It is possible that what you see are termites. These wood chewing bugs wreak havoc on homes across the United States. Recognizing the difference takes a trained eye. More importantly, any time you see bugs in…
Don’t we all love summer? The unspoken freedom that comes with school letting out and family vacations ramping up beckons in some of the most beautiful days anyone could wish for. For most of us, this season is our favorite. Unfortunately, it is also a favorite of some wood-boring bugs that may be nibbling away at your home right now. They love the warm weather and set themselves to the task of eating as much as they can during the…
When it comes to ridding your home of pesky termites, you have a few options. Deciding the best course of action depends on many factors. For example, you may not use the same methods to treat dry wood termites as you would subterranean. Each invades a different area of your home and has slightly different requirements for survival. How do you know what will work best? Should you try to eliminate the wood-destroying insects yourself? Don’t put your family and…
When you know what you are up against, it is possible to prepare and mitigate potential damage. We have spent some time getting back to the basics of termites. We have explored the different types that exist, their life cycle, behaviors and habits, reproductive cycle, and what they eat. These wood-chewing menaces live to reproduce, eat wood, and do it all over again. You don’t need them terrorizing your home and family. Take steps to keep these pests away. Get…