What To Do If You Spot Termites At Home
Termites are no danger to humans. However, they are an issue for anything wooden. That means the structure of your home, the floorboards, and even your furniture is at risk.
Termites eat wood to survive. The longer they are in the home the more wood they’ll eat. It’s estimated a colony of termites can eat through one foot of 2 x 4 timber within five months. When considering the structural integrity of a building or piece of furniture, that’s a significant level of damage.
It’s why you need to call the exterminators as soon as you realize you have an issue.
Identifying Termites
There are several key signs that you have a termite problem. Being aware of these will allow you to take the best course of action.
The most obvious sign of termites is mud tunnels around the edge of your house. These small holes in the ground are how the termites get in and out from under your home. Cover one or two over and check the next day. They will either be uncovered again or a new tunnel will have appeared next to them. This confirms you have active termites.
You can also look for holes in your wood. This is where the termites have moved inside your wood, eating as they go. The homes are small but represent a criss-cross of tunnels, they will weaken the wood.
It’s also worth noting that termites work together. When a colony is getting too large the female termites will copulate with the male ones and then leave, to find new nest sites. To aid this process these termites will fly. However, as soon as they locate a suitable spot they will discard their wings.
If you see a pile of discarded wings you know you have a termite issue.
The Next Steps
Once you’ve identified the issue the best course of action is to get your local exterminator to handle the problem for you. They have the knowledge and the equipment needed to eliminate the termites for good.
However, if you prefer you can tackle the issue yourself. If this is your chosen route then you should start with termite bait traps. These are small boxes located as close to the nest as possible. You place food in them to ensure the termites see them as a safe and reliable place to eat. It’s then possible to swap the food for poison, which can kill an entire colony in one go.
You can also concrete the area next to your home, preferably at least twelve inches wide. This will make it impossible for the termites to dig their way into your foundations.
Termites can also be killed or repelled by treating all the wood in your house. However, this is a painstaking task.
You can tackle the issue yourself But, you should remember that the professionals know how to locate the nest, exterminate all the termites, and they’ll give you a warranty. This could be one occasion where it’s better to go with the experts.
