Feb 6, 2023 | Florida Pest Control, Termite Control
South Florida Termite Control: Protecting Your Home From Infestation
Subterranean and drywood termite types are popular within the Coral Springs area, looking for homes for their next meal! Termites are year-round pests, making it essential for every South Florida homeowner to be on top of termite control. Check out the top 5 ways you can prevent termites from invading your home and causing billions of dollars in repairs!
Be Mindful of Stacked Wood
If you’re keeping wood stacked against your house, you could be leading termites right inside your home! Leaving woodpiles near your home is not only a great source of food for termites, but it also gives them a safe passage into your home. To avoid the risk of a termite infestation, don’t store any type of wood products in your crawlspace and stack your woodpiles at least 20 feet away from your home. For extra precautions, consider placing wood in a sealed plastic container with a lid and elevating it off the ground.
Repair Drainage
Termites need moisture to survive, and if there’s any improper drainage in or around your home, you create the ideal environment for them to thrive. Inspect your downspouts and divert water away from your home. Regularly check that your faucets and A/C drip lines are not causing water to pool around your foundation.
Remove Mulch & Debris
Did you know wood mulch is a major termite attractant? It’s true that wood mulch can be a great landscaping tool, but it is known to contain moisture that attracts termites. If you’re using mulch, keep it at least four inches away from your foundation. Likewise, make sure it never contacts the home’s siding, window frames, or door frames. Sometimes an overlooked reason for a termite infestation is clogged gutters. Clogged gutters containing debris will collect moisture, attracting termites. It’s important to remove debris and clean your gutters on a regular basis to avoid backup.
Maintain Landscaping
Trees hanging over your home and overgrown bushes can create the perfect shelter area for termites. These areas will often cause moisture to build up and provide an area to build their colony. Avoid termites utilizing your landscape by regularly maintaining it and keeping your trees and shrubs trimmed on a regular basis.
Regular Termite Inspections & Treatments
While the above can help make your home less attractive to termites, the best and most effective way to avoid termites is to do a home inspection and regular termite treatments. There are several termite treatment options, such as bait stations, liquid-soil treatments, and spray/foam treatments. It’s best to contact your local Coral Springs pest control company to provide you with a thorough termite inspection and recommended termite control plan that works best for your situation.
Jan 27, 2023 | Florida Pest Control, Termite Control
South Florida Termite Control: Eliminating Drywood Termites
Drywood termites are seeking dry wood as a food source and will destroy your home in the process. These termites differ from other species, such as subterranean termites, since they tend to create their colonies in wood instead of in the ground and need little moisture to survive. Unlike other species, these termites can create devasting damage to homes, excavating wood and ruining it. To prevent them, it’s best to place preventative measures throughout your property.
Inspect Your Home
The first step in preventing drywood termites is inspecting your home. By investigating your home, you can get a good idea of what repairs are needed or discover that a termite infestation has occurred. When inspecting, write down everything you see that’s a concern, as this will help overall when relaying to a pest professional. When checking the home’s interior, don’t forget to check in darker areas such as your crawl space, attic, and basements. Check around your baseboards, beams, or other wood materials. Likewise, look at any furniture or firewood inside the home too. As you are investigating the exterior of your home, be extra thorough, as these termites haven’t yet entered the home. Check your foundation, old trees, wooden sheds, and firewood.
Seal & Vent
Drywood termites are very small, ranging from 3/8 to ½ inch in length, allowing them to fit in the smallest hole or gap. If you find any openings leading into your home, it’s best to repair them immediately. Likewise, keeping your home’s attic and crawlspace well ventilated will help reduce moisture and the risk of a termite infestation. Consider encapsulating your crawlspace or insulating your attic.
Keep Your Yard Maintained
Drywood termites are looking for any wood materials to inhabit. Make sure you place firewood at least 20 feet away from the home and raise it off the ground. Additionally, trim all shrubs, bushes, or other dense greenery so that it doesn’t touch the side of your home. If you have old trees, lumber, or tree stumps, consider removing them, so these pests don’t infest and make their way inside your home.
Call a Professional
Sometimes, all the prevention in the world can’t stop termites from infesting homes. If a termite infestation has occurred, it’s best to call your local South Florida pest control company for extra help. A termite professional will provide you with a thorough inspection, a treatment plan based on your home’s needs, and recommendations on preventing them in the future.
Jan 13, 2023 | Termite Control
Termites are household pests that can cause significant damage in a short amount of time, leaving homeowners with costly repairs. In fact, most homeowner’s policies do not cover termite damage. There are two major types of termites that cause damage to homes: subterranean termites and drywood termites. The type of termite you are dealing with, along with the size of the colony and extent of the damage all determine what type of termite treatment will be most effective. Preparation of your home will depend on which treatment will be performed.
For liquid-soil treatment, a trench is dug around the perimeter of your home where termiticide is applied and then filled back in. For this type of treatment, no preparation is required.
Bait stations are strategically placed in the ground around your home. These treatments also do not require any preparation.
Fumigant treatments are the most extensive and also require you to prepare your home prior to treatment. During fumigation, a tent will be placed over your home and gas will be released, killing any termites that are present, even those in hard to reach areas. You can get your home ready for fumigation by:
- Finding a place to stay. You, your family and your pets cannot be inside the house during treatment, which can last up to 72 hours.
- Remove perishable and other unsealed items including food, medication, and hygiene products.
- Store clothes, bedding and curtains outside the home.
- Remove indoor plants from the home.
- If products are still sealed (e.g. food), they can be stored in approved bags during treatment; it’s best to double bag them.
- Turn off electrical appliances and unplug them.
- Make sure the gas is turned off to your home.
- Unwrap any plastic covered mattresses, cushions, and other furniture.
- Open all doors between rooms and into closets.
- Leave drawers and cabinets open.
- Leave shutters open.
- Trim back shrubs and trees near the exterior walls of the home.
Termites can be difficult to get rid of once an infestation has established. Contact your local pest control company for a termite inspection and appropriate treatment options.
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Jan 5, 2023 | Termite Control
The new year has begun and although the weather is chilly now, the luxuries of living in the south typically means that warmer weather appears sooner than later. This means that termite swarming season is just around the corner, with the earliest swarms beginning in February. Let’s break down what to expect this swarming season.
What are Swarming Termites?
Termite swarmers, often mistaken for winged ants, are most active during the spring months, when they fly away from their colony to reproduce. These swarmers are attracted to bright, light areas often seen around doors and windows in homes. Fortunately, they don’t cause wood damage, but seeing a group of them around your property typically means a colony is nearby.
Which Species Do I Need to Lookout For?
The southeastern region of the United States is home to a variety of termites, including the subterranean, drywood, and Formosan species. Subterranean is the most common type of termite found in the southeast. They live underground in colonies that can get up to two million members. They are also known to be found in moist, secluded areas above ground. With their hard, saw-toothed jaws that work like shears, they are known to cause significant damage to properties.
Termite Prevention Tips:
- Eliminate Moisture: Repair leaky faucets, don’t let water pool near foundations, keep gutters clear, and use downspouts to divert water away from your home.
- Maintain Landscape: Don’t let anything touch the exterior surfaces of your home (mulch & woodpiles), removing old tree stumps, and keeping shrubbery and tree limbs trimmed back away from your home.
- Repair Home: Replace broken tiles, shingles, etc. on your roof and exposed beams in attics are a great food source and access point into your home.
If you suspect termite swarming activity or just want to get a step ahead at termite prevention, contact your local pest control company and schedule your free inspection.
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.
