Get Rid of Termites
What are Termites?
Some household pests are simply annoying, but others can do some serious damage. Termites are among those that can damage your home. They eat away at wood and can ruin your homes framing structure. One of the biggest ways to fight termites is to stop them before they come, but once they are in your home there are some steps you can take to get rid of them and save your home. Termites are the scourge of American home owners. They live in every area of the U.S. and they cause extensive damage to houses (more than fire and storm damage combined). A termite colony can contain more than one million termites.
Termites build their nests in the soil because they like moisture but they also gravitate to wood that is wet. They will invade wood that is in contact with the ground, whether it is the wood from which your house is built, a firewood pile or other wood supply. They build mud tunnels and tunnel up through the wood, reaching heights that would not otherwise be accessible to them.
What do Termites Look Like?
Termites are small, and they look rather like ants. Some have wings but they don’t fly far so you may or may not see them outdoors and this may or may not mean you have an infestation in or around your home. In any case, you should investigate further and call an exterminator if you see ANY signs of termite damage in the wood in or around your house.
How do you Know if you Have Termites?
Identifying termites presence should start with a little looking around. You may notice rotted wood or damaged wood. You may also see the termites during warmer months when they come out of the wood. You may not actually be able to see damage, so tapping or drilling with a probe of some sort on the suspected infested area can help you to find hollow spots where termites have been.
Types of Termites
There are dry-wood termites, damp-wood termites and subterranean termites.
Unlike the dry-wood termite, the subterranean termite does not push wood out through bored holes. Instead it uses the particles of wood to build its tunnels, making a kind of plaster to coat the walls.
Subterranean termites feed on wood or other items that contain cellulose, such as paper, fiberboard, and some fabrics derived from cotton or plant fibers. Termites have protozoa in their digestive tracts that can convert cellulose into usable food.
Dry-wood termites do not have to live in or near the soil. They can live in wood that is not rotting and the nest does not need high moisture content.
Only the reproductive dry-wood termite has wings (four to be exact). These termites eat furniture, dying trees, utility poles, orchard trees, stored lumber, and houses!
The damp-wood and winged damp-wood termite does not require soil to build a nest, but they do need high moisture content, so they will look for decaying or rotted wood and a cool, humid area to nest. The ‘rotten wood termite’ is most prevalent in California, Oregon and Washington states.
The Nevada damp-wood termite is a little smaller than its Pacific sister. It lives in a dry mountainous area and attacks forest trees and mountain cabins alike.
This termite is subterranean and often looks for only decaying or rotted wood to make its nest. The Florida damp-wood termite lives in the southeastern counties of Florida and in the Florida Keys. It nests in damp logs near the salt water.
They are most often found in wood that is partially or totally buried, and in fallen tree branches and tree stumps, and old wood piles. Damp-wood termites often nest in wood buried in the ground.
In general, the damp-wood variety of termite is larger than the dry-wood or the subterranean termite and it can measure up to three quarters of an inch in length. Damaged wood is characterized by a rather velvety surface inside the tunnels.
What to do if you have Termites in your Home
Once you have confirmed you have termites you need to get to work at getting rid of them. It is best to have a professional take care of getting rid of them. However, there are some things you can do to help. Fixing outside faucets that are worn out or leaky will help to keep moisture spots away, which provide ample ground for termites to live. Additionally, clean and repair gutters to help keep moisture away from your house. Stack firewood or other wood products off the ground. Fill in cracks or other openings on the outside of your home.
You should do everything you can to aid the professional exterminator. Your combined efforts are the best way to get termites out of your home for good. Once they are gone you will need to repair any damage they may have done, but you can expect to be free from them for at least five years after the professional extermination.
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