Few insects are as destructive (and costly) as termites. Many pests are annoying, but very few actually eat at the structure of your home. Every year termites inflict 5 billion dollars of property damage. Here are some helpful tips for dealing with termites.
1. Termites eat wood, but not every part
Termites don’t actually consume every part of the wood. Termites consume the cellulose within the wood, which is the plant fiber that gives wood its structure. Termites eat it for food. They also use it in building their nests as well as the tunnels. However the end result is damage to the structural integrity of your home, and termites will NEVER stop eating 0nce they’ve started, so when you find termites treatment is the only option as they will not simply leave on their own (although certain termites will hibernate for a period, then come back to eat more).
2. Know the 2 main types of termites
The 2 types of termites common to our area are “subterranean” and “drywood”. They attack the home in different ways, and are treated by different methods. subterranean are by far the most common around here and they attack the home from below often coming up through the crawlspace, but not even homes with a solid slab are safe, as they can enter through cracks in the slab. They then build mud tunnels up into the wood. Subterranean termites like to always be moist, which is why they build these tunnels. These termites are treated which chemical injections far in the ground to create a barrier and also bait stations.
Drywood termites enter the home through swarmers that are looking for wood, and they do not build mud tunnels nor care if they are moist or not (thus the name “drywood”). These are much harder to treat and require the entire home to be tented and fumigated. Big Tom’s Pest Control does not treat drywood termites because they aren’t very common and the method of getting rid of them is much more involved.
3. Identifying which type of termite you have
Beyond simply seeing the termites how can you know if you have them? Well for subterranean termites you have to identify their mud tunnels and for drywood termites you can tell by something call “frass” which is just another word for droppings. The tunnels may not always be a perfect tunnel it can just be dirt being pushed out of the wall in certain places, maybe from pinholes in the surface of the wall or coming out from behind the baseboards or trim, as those parts of the wall are commonly infested.
A very clear example of a subterranean termite mud tunnel. Notice how it bypasses the concrete to reach the wood above.
For drywoods the frass looks like a pile of tiny pellets and will also be pushed out from pinholes or other parts of the wall. So basically for subterranean termites you look for dirt and mud tunnels, and for drywoods you look for frass. These aren’t the only way to indentify termites, but it is one of the ways to do so without tearing the wall open.
Drywood termite frass. This view is heavily magnified. The “pellets” are so small it it looks like sand unless inspected closely.
At the end of the day though it’s always best to have a professional do a termite inspection to verify for sure if you have termites or not.
4. Termites can strike almost any home
Of course the newer your home the better, as there will be less cracks and exposed wood for them to get to, but termites can really strike almost any home. They live in vast underground colonies 20-30 feet underground and then send out scouts looking for suitable wood. The colony can be as far as 100 feet from the home in any direction, so finding the colony is nearly impossible, which is why treatment methods focus on removing the infestation from the home and then preventing reinfestation, because hunting down the colony is pretty much impossible.
5. Things you can do to reduce your chance of termites!
Although termites can strike any home, there are some things you can do to reduce your risk! First off and maybe most obvious is never leave untreated wood directly on the ground for any extended period of time. We have had some customers in the past who have used untreated wood items as decorations in their yard and the termites will infest that item first, then move into the house. If you have a wood pile for firewood keep it very far from the home, at least 100 feet. Another thing to watch out for is moisture. A busted or leaky pipe will attract termites. It’s a good idea to get a spot termite treatment after you discover a leak, as this treatment will deter termites from being able to investigate that moisture. I would actually say that more termite infestations occur because of moisture than untreated wood!
Hopefully you’ve learned a thing or 2 about termites today, and if you’re having any issues with this destructive pest do not hesitate to give Big Tom’s Pest Control a call at 435-586-7337 or click on the link below to schedule online.
