Pest Control and Termites: What You Need to Know

What are the key questions you need to ask yourself if you find your household’s wooden materials curiously deteriorating?

1. There are different kinds of termites (Drywood, Subterranean, and Dampwood)
2. You can identify a termite infestation through their droppings, the hollowing of your wooden furniture, and the accumulation of their wings
3. Use termiticide to make your home termite-free
4. Contact your pest control service to eradicate the problem completely

This day and age features highly advanced technology and dexterous innovations in virtually every department of house care; inside and outside. However, it’s still an unavoidable natural occurrence that everyday suburban homes are still susceptible to the dangers of termite settling (which is why pest control matters). The house damage costs of severe cases are incredibly steep (approximately in the 6-digit range, in terms of the Philippine Peso). More alarmingly, termites can cause the infection and spreading of diseases to those in contact with these pests and residing in the supposedly quarantined home.

Termites are pesky creatures because the ravenous and quietly destructive perils of termite infestation are subtly rampant. If you’re an unaware citizen with a household and oblivious to the many warning signs of these pests, it’s incredibly difficult to act immediately and remedy the situation. It may also be the case that you’re lucky enough that your household is currently free of these wood eating pests, but if you’re reading this article, it’s best to somewhat verse yourself on the overall ins and outs that generally touch the surface of all there is to know about termites and termite inspection. Here are the main factors that touch on the basics:

What are Termites and How Much Harm Can They Cause?

First things first, there are many different classifications of termites, each distinctly categorized into their individual breed. In its historic etymology, termites are known as ‘wood ants,’ obviously because of their wood eating diet. Although the termite species as a whole are not purely immediate threats to the environment (Alate termites are even consumed as food in Africa), they are one major threat to any wooden structure.

The average household infrastructure is mainly susceptible to the infestation of Drywood termites (Cryptotermes), which usually thrive in places with humid climate and love to chew through more indoor facilitates and furniture, Subterranean termites (Coptotermes formosanus), which are known to build sheltered homes from mud follicles of dirt and debris, and Dampwood termites (Isoptera), which exclusively feed on pieces of wood that have been in contact with rainfall and/or soil. The rampant spreading of these pests is the most common instance of a home’s long term damage due to the slow destruction of lumber based foundations and structural frames.

How to Identify Termites?

Termites are incredibly tiny and practically indiscernible to spot with the plain human eye. They are measured to be anywhere between 4 – 15 mm in length. Termites are often confused with other pests, such as ants and sometimes mosquitos.

However, some crucial signs of termite threats at home include: miniscule fecal droppings in the shape of mini pellets, hollowing of wood type units, and the accumulation of shed wings from swarmers. Finally, the best decision to assure and optimize safety is to contact a trained eye when it comes to pests. Any inkling you might have on whether or not your home needs to be quarantined is always a safe bet.

What to Do about Termites?

If at this point, you’re absolutely sure that there’s a colony of termites slowly eating away at your household, you can perform immediate and temporary mitigations by clearing all visible timbers of mud, dirt, and moisture. An effective temporary home remedy is if you can get your hands on any pest treatment products, specifically, soil-applied liquid termiticide. Using this substance will temporarily prevent any further spread.

Whether your home has never seen the sight of a single termite or has already gone through a completely quarantined extermination job, the application of liquid barrier termiticide treatment is always a required endeavor that guarantees a step beyond and proves for further protection. All liquid termicides last for about 5 months, approximately.

There are simple everyday things you can add to your routinely rounds to make sure you’re doing everything in your power to keep your home termite-free; for example, constantly removing dead tree branches or any overly exposed wooden material and repairing any water pipe or drainage tube that causes leaks, especially the lumber susceptible to moisture.

Contact Pest Control

If a colony of termites is ‘disturbed’ they will simply just move, regroup, and reproduce to another section the house. To completely eradicate termites, the only reasonable choice is to contact a legitimate and professional pest control service, and fully comply with their process.

Once the pest control service identifies the severity of a home’s, schedule for complete termite extermination. Keep in mind that it is always standard procedure that you leave your house for a few days because these methods are hazardous to a person’s health and are in fact, cancerous when entered the bodily system.

An extreme application of the previously mentioned liquid termiticides means that your home would be sprayed with lethal amounts of these liquid repellants. The other main method used by pest control services is Baiting or setting up laced pieces of paper and/or cardboard that contains a deadly-to-termites substance that assures death and rapid decline to complete eradication of the colony.

Key Takeaway

Indeed, termites are dangerous creatures that are major hazards to the well-being of one’s household state. Don’t hesitate to call a pest control service for an immediate termite inspection and save yourself a pretty penny and more importantly, a lot of the hassle that comes with deteriorated damage.