Mar 23, 2023 | Termite Control
Laurens Termite Control: Termite Prevention Tips
There are two factors to consider when looking at termite control: preventing them from infesting your home and treating established termite colonies. Termites are year-round pests and can go undetected for a long period of time, causing devastating damage in the process. There are several prevention methods to consider when looking to eliminate or prevent termites from your Laurens home.
Remove Entry Point Access
One of the best and most effective ways to keep termites out is to remove any access inside your home, including gaps around water and gas lines where they enter your home. Likewise, inspect your foundation for cracks or openings and repair them immediately.
Reduce Their Food Source
To survive, termites need wood and moisture. Eliminating these factors can help reduce your chance of a termite infestation. If you place mulch against your foundation for landscaping purposes, you could be attracting termites into your home. Mulch is a great source of food for termites as they retain any moisture. Try to minimize the use and keep it at least 15 inches away from the foundation. Additionally, if your crawlspace is experiencing a lack of airflow, it can create an ideal environment for these pests. Consider enclosing your crawlspace to prevent these termites and improve the overall health of your home by reducing moisture and decreasing humidity.
Consider Annual Termite Inspections
Termites can be tricky to control and eliminate! These pests will cause significant damage to your home, sometimes before you even realize they have infested. Placing preventative measures in your home to reduce the chance of a termite infestation will always help, but sometimes it’s best to leave it up to your local Laurens pest control company. These professionals can perform an annual termite inspection and provide you with the best termite control and prevention options for your home.
Feb 10, 2023 | Termite Control
Termites are so destructive because they eat wood from the inside out, often going long periods of time before they are discovered. For this reason, annual termite inspections are critical to protecting your home. These inspections help spot signs of termites sooner, allowing termite control to be implemented earlier in the termite infestation.
There are several different options when it comes to termite treatments. Here are four of the most popular:
Liquid-Soil Treatment
Liquid-soil termite treatments are applied to the soil around your home to act as a treatment barrier. They last for an average of 5 years. A trench is dug around the perimeter of your home, and liquid termiticide is applied. The trench is then filled in. This method helps to prevent future infestations while also killing any existing termites as they travel between your home and their nests.
Bait Treatments
Bait station treatments are another option for termite control. Bait stations are strategically placed around your home using this method. Each station contains a slow-acting termiticide that the termites take back to their nests and share with other termites. These treatments may take longer to work on termites. They also necessitate regular monitoring and maintenance to ensure that each station contains bait.
Wood Finishes
Wood treatments are an additional termite control option. These treatments make use of either surface sprays and treatments or injected sprays and foams. Wood treatments kill existing termites while also penetrating the wood to prevent future problems. These treatments necessitate direct access to infested wood, which can be difficult to obtain in some cases. Sprays are better for new construction treatments because the wood can be treated while the house is being built. Injected foams are better for use on existing structures because they can expand into cracks and crevices that sprays may not be able to reach.
Pre-Treated Materials
Pre-treated building materials are ideal for new construction. The termiticide can be sprayed or brushed on. Termiticide can also be applied anywhere the new structure comes into contact with the soil, allowing the soil to be pretreated. Using pressure treated wood is another option because termites are less likely to infest wood that has been treated with chemicals.
While these termite treatment options are efficient at eliminating existing infestations, unfortunately they do not provide permanent elimination of termites. There is always a risk that termites will return to invade again. Termite control is an ongoing process, requiring persistent maintenance and prevention techniques to continue to keep them out.
You can prevent termites by:
- Getting rid of water sources by eliminating or reducing standing water around your home.
- Repairing any leaky faucets, pipes, and air conditioners.
- Diverting water away from your house with properly functioning spouts, splash blocks, and gutters that are clear of debris.
- Repairing and replacing damaged roof shingles, fascia and soffits on your house.
- Replacing weatherstripping on doors and windows.
- Routinely inspecting foundations for loose mortar, uneven or bubbling paint, wood that sounds hollow when you tap it, and for the presence of mud tubes which termites use to reach food.
- Regularly inspecting wood in and around your home for noticeable changes, making sure to check windows, doors, and skirting.
- Making sure there is at least an 18″ gap between the soil and the wood portions of your home.
- When storing items in the attic or basement, using plastic storage containers and metal shelving instead of cardboard or wood.
- During swarming season, keeping doors and windows shut as much as possible. Keep outdoor lights turned off at night also, as they will attract swarming termites.
- Keeping firewood stored at least 20 feet away from your home and elevated off the ground.
- Keeping plants a few feet away from your home.
- Making sure there is at least a 4″ barrier between your mulch and the side of your home. You can also use mulch made of rubber, plastic, or gravel.
- Removing any tree stumps from your property.
- Scheduling an annual termite inspection of your home and property to help detect termite problems early before they can cause significant damage.
Contact your local pest control company for a thorough evaluation.
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Dec 16, 2022 | Termite Control
Termites are highly destructive household pests, causing billions of dollars in damages to homeowners annually. Most homeowner’s policies don’t cover termite damage. What options do homeowners have to protect themselves from these pests?
Two options that are available are a termite warranty and a termite bond. These terms are often used interchangeably but they are, in fact, different.
A termite warranty is similar to an insurance policy you take out against termites. It is insured by an insurance company and allows for more coverage against damages. These warranties will also include an agreement for ongoing monitoring and/or maintenance for the length of the warranty term. They also require the termite control company who provides it to treat for termites if they are found on their annual termite inspection during the warranty period. It can also specify if the pest control company will repair any damages from termites or if they will only retreat the home. Some warranties can even be transferred between homeowners (such as during the sale of the home) but others cannot be transferred.
Termite bonds are similar to warranties. The difference between the two is that bonds require the pest control company to hold a specified amount of money in a surety bond.
Some kind of protection against termites and termite damage is beneficial to homeowners. If you are interested in scheduling a termite inspection or taking out coverage against termites, contact your pest control company for more information.
Sep 8, 2022 | Termite Control
An annual termite inspection is a huge part of termite control. These inspections not only look for signs of termite activity and previous damage, they also look for any areas of your home that might be at risk for future termite infestations. Although termite season peaks in spring and early summer, you can schedule your inspection at any time during the year. What’s most important is that you have it done every year; termites can go undetected for long periods of time so annual inspections can help catch this activity early, saving you on costly treatments and repairs.
What’s the Cost?
The good news about termite inspections is that most companies will perform them for free (unless it’s part of a real estate transaction). In most cases, once the inspection is complete then you will pay for either a treatment (if activity is found) and/or to have your termite bond renewed for the next year.
How Should You Prepare?
Once you schedule your termite inspection, the next step is to prepare for your technician’s arrival. Make sure to remove anything under your kitchen and bathroom sinks to allow them to check for any water damage or termite activity in these hotspot areas. In your garage, make sure anything stacked against the walls is pulled out at least 2 feet. The same goes for anything touching the exterior walls of your home. Remove any items that might be blocking the entrance to your attic or crawlspace. Trim any bushes or plants that conceal your exterior walls, crawlspace opening, or foundation.
What Happens During Inspection?
The average inspection will last anywhere from 45 minutes to 2 hours, depending on the size of your home and property. A technician will carefully inspect both the inside and outside of your home, looking for signs of termites including droppings, discarded wings, mud tubes, damaged wood, and live termites). They will also check for any signs of previous termite damage. A termite inspection should include examination of baseboards, walls, windows, crawlspaces, door frames, windowsills and frames, inside cabinets and closets, attics, garages, and foundations. They will take extra care when inspecting kitchens, bathrooms, and utility rooms since termites will often use plumbing that passes through foundations to gain access to your home. They will also check the surrounding property and outbuildings, as well.
What Are the Next Steps?
If termite activity is detected, appropriate termite treatment options will be suggested. If there are no signs of activity or infestation, termite prevention tips may also be recommended to help prevent any future damage. Some things you can do around the house include:
- Eliminating moisture by repairing leaky faucets, not letting water pool near foundations, keeping gutters clear, and using downspouts to divert water away from your home.
- Maintaining your landscaping by not letting anything touch the exterior surfaces of your home (wood debris, woodpiles, mulch), removing old stumps and dead trees, keeping shrubbery and trees trimmed back from the walls of your home, and avoiding wood to soil contact with your home, outbuildings, and fences.
- Repairing roofs and attics as soon as broken tiles, shingles, etc. are spotted. These often expose the wooden beams of your attic providing termites with both a food source and access to your home.
- Replacing cardboard storage boxes with plastic when possible.
If you suspect termite activity or just want to get a step ahead at termite prevention, contact your local pest control company and schedule your free inspection.
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Jul 8, 2022 | Termite Control
Subterranean termites are considered to be the most damaging species of termite of all. These termites can damage the infrastructure of buildings and homes, putting them at risk for catastrophic consequences. Subterranean termites are found in every US state except Alaska.
It can be hard to detect subterranean termites as they eat wood from the inside out, often staying hidden until significant damage is done. They can enter through stucco, slab foundation, or any other hidden area with access to the structure. In order to prevent termites, it’s important to recognize the signs you may have an infestation. Here are 6 signs of subterranean termites:
Swarms
One of the earliest signs of subterranean termites are termite swarms. Termite swarms emerge in the spring or early summer to reproduce and establish new colonies. Seeing a termite swarm indicates the presence of a nearby colony and indicate another colony will be starting up soon, increasing your risk of an infestation inside your home.
Mud Tubes
Mud tubes are another indication of subterranean termites. These are tubes they build to travel back and forth between your home and their nest. They protect them from damage and predators and allow them to accumulate moisture which termites need to survive. Mud tubes are typically about the size of a pencil and can be on walls, ceilings, floors, exterior surfaces, and on the sides of slabs.
Noises
Termites don’t just leave visual clues to their presence – you can also hear them! If a colony is larger and established, you may hear a faint clicking or knocking sound behind your walls or in other voids. The noise is the sound of soldier termites banging their heads against wood or vibrating their bodies to indicate danger is imminent. You can even sometimes hear the worker termites chewing through the wood of your home.
Hollow Wood
During an annual termite inspection, a termite control technician may tap the wooden surfaces of your home. If termite damage is present, you will hear a hollow or paper sound instead of a solid thud when tapped. You can also look for blistering or bubbling paint or other abnormalities in or near wood structures, including window and door trim. Termite damage can often mimic water damage.
Frass
When subterranean termites tunnel through wood, they push debris and waste out behind them through tiny openings. Frass is the name for this waste they excrete. If you notice pin-sized holes with small black marks or dark powdery substance around them, these indicate the presence of kick out holes made by the termites. You may also see piles of sawdust looking material which is the frass.
Wood Damage
Floor, door, and window damage may also indicate a termite infestation. Sagging floors can indicate a well established infestation. Take note of any floors that buckle or sag and have them inspected. Doors and windows are another area that may indicate a problem. When these structures warp or don’t open and close smoothly, it can indicate the presence of termites, as well.
If you have any of these signs of termite damage, contact your local pest control company for a thorough inspection and treatment plan.
