Termites may be less common than the average insect, but they can cause a great deal of damage compared to other pests. The kind of damage termites cause can severely threaten a home’s structural integrity. These insects are so subtle they may not even be noticed until they have gone far in chewing through wood, flooring, and walls. Often, homeowners will deal with three main types of termites, which are the subterranean, drywood, and dampwood termites. Let’s take a closer look at each of these types and the challenges they present.
Types of Termites
Subterranean Termites
These are the most common type of household termites which form large underground colonies and obtain moisture by building mud tubes while they move back and forth between a food source and the colony. They can spread in an underground tunnel, feeding on wood materials in the environment.
Drywood Termites
Unlike subterranean, Drywood termites are not that easy to detect. Their biological makeup enables them to infest homes without even touching the soil. These termites infest wood used in building homes as well as infesting wood furniture.
Dampwood Termites
Dampwood termites thrive in wood that contains high moisture. Most damp wood termites don’t need to come in contact with the soil. These termites are rarely found in the home or other man-made structure, since woods use in constructing these structures are often not high in moisture.
Termite Treatments
Termites can cause extensive home damage if left untreated. These pests bore into wood and can thrive deep in a home’s foundation slowing eating away at its core. The best bet against them is with extermination treatment, which we will look at next.
Monitoring and Bait Station
To get started, the extent of termite activity is determined by setting up monitoring stations at key points around a property. These bait stations will attract termites as the bait station contains chemicals that termites will ingest, then carry back to the colony and spread to other times. This addresses the termite problem from the source and is often the most ideal extermination treatment option when dealing with large populations.
Gas Fumigation
Another great treatment option is by gas fumigation which controls termite infestation as the treatment eliminates them in the home right back to their living area. Once inhaled, fumigants destroy a termite’s metabolism causing it to die. Grand Oaks Termite Control is a highly reputable extermination service that offers termite tenting in Arcadia, CA.
Termiticide Application
Termiticide usage may be necessary for termite infestation as it can help to eliminate the current population preventing future infestation. Termiticides are applied on the surface or injected into compromised wood or added directly into the soil around the home, which makes the environment uncomfortable for termites to thrive.
Moisture Removal
As we have learned already, termites love a high moisture environment. A simple option of exterminating termites is to ensure all plumbing leaks are fixed quickly and ensure proper drainage around the home. Wood touching the ground is at high risk, so ensure woods don’t touch the ground and use pre-treated wood which prevents termite infestation as this wood hardly decays or rot.
If you have termites and need an exterminator, give Grand Oaks Termite Control a call today.
Grand Oaks Termite Control
110 S Worthy Dr, Glendora, CA 91741