Termite Threat Identification | [company]

Here in Georgia, 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 Goergia 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 Georgia 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.

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.