Termite Threat Identification | [company]

Here in Knoxville, termites are a serious problem. When subterranean termites attack a home, they do it silently, feeding on the inside of wood for years, without detection. If you don’t already have ongoing termite protection for your Knoxville home, it is vital that you at least familiarize yourself with some of the ways you can identify a termite threat, especially this time of year when swarmers begin to appear.

How To Spot Swarmers

  • Subterranean termite swarmers are drawn to light. If you see a lot of bugs flying around a street light or exterior light, you may want to take a closer look.
  • Subterranean termite swarms don’t last long. If a swarm does appear on your property, you may miss it. So it is important to recognize shed wings as a sign that a swarm has happened. These wings are translucent to white in color and will usually appear on window sills.
  • If you catch a swarmer, you can identify these bugs by their black color, prominent white wings, and lack of ant-like waist.

How To Spot Termite Warning Signs

  • Subterranean termites are a moisture pest. They need moisture to live. For this reason, they build mud tubes from the soil to the wood of your home. These mud tubes can be found on the outside and inside of foundation walls, in crawl spaces, and on interior walls. They are usually in exterior areas that are shaded by bushes or some other sun-blocking object that is near your walls.
  • If termites have been feeding on your home, you may see some external damage in areas that are near the soil, often moist, or shaded by objects next to your wall.
  • When you see termite swarmers, or wings left by swarmers, you should be aware that this is a sign of an active infestation, not a pending one. Swarmers don’t fly far from their point of origin. If you’re seeing swarmers, especially a lot of swarmers, it is likely that you have a mature infestation on your property.

In the middle of March, we expect to start seeing swarmers in our Knoxville service area. You should be looking for them too, if you’re not already protected with year-round, always active, termite pest control services. These are not an insect that should ever be shrugged off. They are responsible for billions of dollars in U.S. property damage every year.

If you need help protecting your home or business from termites, Active Pest Control offers comprehensive solutions to exterminate termites and keep new infestations from occurring. Contact us today for a free inspection, and we’ll get your property ready to resist those spring termite swarmers.

Termite Inspections In Knoxville

In the southeast part of the United States, termites are ranked very high in the probability of insect infestation. More than one out of five homes in our area will or has already had a termite infestation. Termites mean business. They search day and night for food and find ways to expand and grow their colonies relentlessly. The queen termite is the most difficult to eradicate since she is well fed and protected, and eliminating the queen kills off the colony. If you’ve been wondering if termites are an issue for you, and you live in the area, then read on and take a look at a few of the reasons that you should give us a call. The possibility of a termite attack is very common as well as costly, and no one should take a chance.

First off, spring and early summer is the most common time to house hunt and buy a home, and with June being National Homeownership Month, the real estate market is bustling. There is so much to think about when purchasing a home down to the location, local schools, floor plan, and amenities. Scheduling a termite inspection may be the last thing on your mind, but this article will surely change your mind. When you do an initial look around the home that you are interesting in purchasing, what’s in front of you is the most appealing and the most tangible for decision making. The décor is great, the floors glimmer, and there is a huge walk-in closet. But, what is behind those walls? What areas of the home cannot be visible during an open house? Termites. Missing a termite infestation will turn your once dream home into a disaster and lead to large repair bills.

In turn, when selling a home, a termite inspection needs to be on the list as well. Your potential buyers need to know that their future home is being taken care of. Having a termite inspection before the sale of your home will mean that you are in the clear to take an offer, without hesitation. It is an added bonus to your potential buyers if they know you have taken care of this inspection and that you take care and pride yourself in your home.

If you are not in the market for buying or selling a home, termite infestation could be occurring in your current home without you even knowing. Scheduling an inspection by one of our termite specialists is free, so there’s nothing to lose. Most of the time, when a termite infestation gets to the point where you can see it happening in your home, it’s too late for recovery of the damage and when the damages can can be repaired it can be very costly.

At any time, our technicians can install the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System to eliminate all termites in and around your home and prevent future infestations. This system uses Always Active Pest Control technology and new Recruit® HD termite bait that eliminates all the termites in a colony, even the indestructible queen.

With the Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System, you can set your mind at ease knowing that termites will never be the reason for any disruptions to your home. At Active Pest Control, we strive to provide the best experience to our customers. At your convenience, we can inspect your home and put the Sentricon® System into place to ensure termites are never the reason you don’t buy, sell, or enjoy your home.

Termites: The Silent Destroyers

It is safe to say that no one likes or appreciates household pests of any type. Insects are never welcomed into the home. Capturing the top honors of the most dreaded and disliked of all household pests is the eastern subterranean termite. The termite, known as a silent destroyer, will feed on the cellulose material of many things from the wooden structure of your home to paper, books, and wooden fixtures. Termites never rest and will work around the clock, 365 days a year.

At Active Pest Control, we realize that every home throughout the entire Southeast area is a target to the destructive eastern subterranean termite. In these high infestation regions, it is estimated that 1 in every 5 homes will be attacked by termites. Our goal is to provide your family, your home, and your property with the appropriate protection they need.

When you contact Active Pest Control about your concerns of possible termite infestation, the first order of business is a free inspection. Our highly trained and experienced termite control experts will provide a thorough examination of your home and property, determine the extent of infestation and damage, and will then recommend the most efficient and safe plan to solve your termite problems.

Our technicians use an integrated system of protection from subterranean termites called the Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System. The Sentricon system is designed to be an on-going program of protection. Your Active Pest Control technician will strategically place Sentricon stations around the home with Always Active Pest Control technology, new Recruit HD termite bait. Termites will begin feeding on it the moment they find a station. This not only starts the elimination process sooner; it also provides continual protection from any future infestation of termites. The beauty of this process is that the interior of the home is never disrupted. Our professionals can install and service Sentricon stations without ever entering your home. We understand that the entire termite colony must be eradicated to fully eliminate your termite issues. This new advanced technology and bait is actually more desirable to termites than the cellulose found in the wood. The moment a termite ingests the bait, the growth process and reproduction abilities are disrupted.

Our Sentricon Termite Colony Elimination System is environmentally friendly and is now trusted by more than one million homeowners and commercial entities. Sentricon is the only termite treatment system to earn the Presidential Green Chemistry Challenge Award, and the first to become registered under the Environmental Protection Agency’s Reduced Risk Initiative. Remember, it all starts with a free inspection.

How You Can Know If You Have Termites

If you are like many Americans, spring is an ideal time for cleaning, but did you know it is also a good time to look for signs of termites? Well, how about combining the two? While you are doing all those tasks to give your home a fresh, new look, keep your eyes open for signs of termites as well.

Termites Signs to Look For

  • Mud tubes. Subterranean termites (termites that live in the soil) build mud tubes that serve as bridges from the soil to the wood of a home. These are made of soil, wood and debris, are about the width of a pencil, and typically are found on basement or foundation walls. These keep the termites from being exposed to the elements and predators.
  • Wood damage. Termites eat the cellulose in wood and leave nothing behind but the wood grain. These signs can remain hidden for years and may only be apparent if you embark on a new remodeling project. Sometimes they excavate the wood so only a thin layer of wood is left, but then they will cover the holes with the same mud-like material they use to make mud tubes.
  • Buckling paint. Painted walls, floors, or ceilings with buckling paint occur when termites invade the wood and push the paint up. The paint may also have small holes where termites have broken through to reach the wood.
  • Swarmers. When a termite colony matures, it produces something called swarmers, or termite reproductives. This typically happens in spring or fall and they are only visible for a short period of time. So, they can be easy to miss. They are also sometimes mistaken for flying ants.
  • Discarded swarmer wings. If there have been swarmers that have disappeared back into your walls, they may leave discarded wings behind. Usually, these wings can be found in small piles in spider webs or on window sills. If outside, they can be found on surfaces of your home’s foundation.
  • Termite droppings. If you have drywood termites, you may find the droppings that they leave behind, which are called frass. These tiny fecal mounds often indicate a nearby termite infestation.

Now that your home has been spring cleaned and you have looked for all the signs of termites, what should you do next?

That is a good question. Did you find any of the signs listed above? If you did, it is important to take action. Termite damage costs U.S. property owners billions of dollars each year.

What if I didn’t find any of the signs listed above? Am I safe?

We wish we could say yes, but the truth is, termites are called silent destroyers for a reason. Sometimes they don’t leave any signs of their presence.

When spring cleaning is done, whether or not you’ve found signs of termites, the best course of action is to get a free termite inspection from Active Pest Control. Don’t let termites destroy your property and eat your equity. Make termite protection a part of your spring cleaning with Active Pest Control.