Termites can be very problematic for Fort Bragg homes and businesses. They can cause serious damage to homes, offices, buildings, sheds, and other manufactured structures and outdoor greenery, crops, and gardens. If left untreated, termites will ultimately damage a structure beyond repair, and your home or business can be deemed unsafe to enter or live in altogether.
Termites are better left outdoors. In nature, they’re beneficial and play a role in the making of new soil. They inhabit nearly every continent in the world, except for Antarctica, and live nationwide except for Alaska. In Africa and Asia, termites are even eaten as a delicacy and are used in some medications. In the United States, these pests cost Americans more than $5 billion in out-of-pocket costs each year, according to the National Pest Management Association. Many homeowners insurance policies don’t cover property damage caused by termites.
Read on for more about how to tell if you have a termite problem and common albeit unsuccessful methods of treatment.
How To Tell If You Have Termites
Unfortunately, there are few signs to go by with termites—at least until it’s too late. Most termite activity occurs in hard-to-see places, such as in the voids between walls, in crawlspaces, and underground. For this reason, termites can go undetected for years and even decades. However, there are a few signs you may notice if you know what to look for. Here are five:
Winged Termite Swarmers: Termite infestations start with swarmers, which are winged termites that leave the nest searching for a mate. Swarmers can indicate a serious problem, but sightings are rare, as they only come out once or twice a year for 30 minutes at a time.
Termite Wings: When termites finish swarming, they shed their translucent wings, leaving piles of them behind.
Hollow-Sounding Wood: Termites eat wood from the inside out but leave a thin layer of wood, or if it’s painted wood, just the paint. If you knock on it, it’ll sound hollow.
Noises From Inside The Walls: If you have a termite infestation, you’ll be able to hear soft noises from infested areas.
Termite Mud Tubes: When there is a space between an underground colony and an above structure, termites will build mud tubes leading from the soil and up to your home or business.
Termite Home Remedies Don’t Work
So long as they have wood to feed on, termites won’t go away on their own. Even though do-it-yourself (DIY) methods may be tempting to try, none of them will eradicate every termite in a colony, and colonies can house up to a million termites.
What’s worse is that some of these alternatives are dangerous. For example, a widely mentioned DIY treatment is to pour diesel gasoline on termites. This will only kill termites present on the surface, leaving those underneath untouched—and put your home or business at risk of setting ablaze!
Other common home remedies are pouring vinegar or baking soda on termites, which only affects those on the surface and creates an unnecessary mess for you.
If You Have Termites, Call The Professionals; Here’s Why
Because termite activity can go unnoticed for some time, the most effective solution is to be proactive with annual inspections from your local Fort Bragg pest control service.
For over 35 years, the local professionals at Mendo Lake Termite Control have provided termite control services for homes and businesses on California’s Mendocino Coast. Our services include the use of liquid termiticide treatments and a variety of other treatment options to meet your needs. Give us a call today at the first sign of a termite problem or to schedule an inspection.