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.

Tips to Reduce the Risk of Termites, Increasing Your Sales

At Active Pest Control, we take pride in educating our neighbors, and yours, about pests. To help ensure that our communities are well taken care of, we provide a curriculum for real estate professionals to help identify issues ahead of time and close more deals. Read the class recap below to learn about termite damage, how it can affect home sales, and how to get rid of those pests!

Why are termites such an issue for my clients?

The leading reason that termites can halt a home’s sale is that they cause massive, often unseen, structural damage. Each year, over $5 billion in termite damages are reported — and homeowner’s insurance rarely covers it. In fact, termites damage more structures in the U.S. than fire, floods, hurricanes, and tornados combined.

Timing is another issue. A “swarm” is the most immediate and recognizable way to identify a termite infestation; however, a colony can be established for 4-10 years before the first swarms appear. During that timeframe, the subterranean bugs are eating away at wooden parts (subfloors, door and window casings, wall studs, etc.) By the time swarms appear, much damage has occurred.

What do I look for when considering a home for contract?

Termites thrive in damp, dark places. Issues that can foster those conditions include leaky gutters, decaying eaves, poor ventilation and drainage, wooden structures sunk directly into soil (decks, foundations, porches, etc.), and peeling paint. Inside the home, signs are more subtle such as termite tubes along the baseboard and holes hidden by picture frames.

Can legal action be taken for an infestation?

Yes. To further protect you from liability when taking a house under contract, make sure it receives a comprehensive inspection by a certified company. It is important to understand, and secure an Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report. 95% of all termite-related lawsuits arise due to improper use of this “Clearance Letter” report.

What treatment method does Active Pest Control recommend?

Our technicians are trained to use the Sentricon™ Termite Colony Elimination System. It works to attract, bait and eliminate a termite infestation. Stations are placed around the perimeter of the home and loaded with a bait cartridge. When termites consume the bait from a bait tube they distribute the product throughout the colony. We believe the “always active technology” of the Sentricon™ System is the most effective way to eliminate termites from your property without causing additional damage to the structure and driving down the home’s overall price.

My property has termites — how do I get the Sentricon™ System installed?

Simply contact Active Pest Control and your authorized service technician will inspect and install the system at your convenience!

The Active Pest Control’ Realtor Education series is led by Ben Satterfield, Assistant Sales Manager for Real Estate and Builder Services. He works with home sellers throughout Georgia to protect families and eliminate pest issues.

Termites Invading Atlanta Homes

Here in Atlanta, you can count on a few things happening each year: tailgating at the Georgia Dome, trolleys taking tourists to the Fox Theatre and Margaret Mitchell’s house, and termites doing hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage to homes all across the city. Termites are not to be taken lightly. These tiny pests have wreaked havoc across the globe on unsuspecting homes and businesses costing billions in repairs.

For most of us, our home is the single largest investment we will ever make. The last thing we need after we purchase our dream home is to find ourselves with repair bills that we were not prepared for and cannot afford.

We do not live in a climate where you can count on winter’s cold to alleviate the risk of getting termites or other pests. Without the cold temperatures, there is no need for them to slow down or hide deep in the ground to wait for a thaw which means that we are at risk for pests all year long. The close proximity of buildings through much of the city means that every dwelling could be at risk.

As termites reproduce, they are preparing for future kings and queens to establish new colonies nearby. When the colony is big enough, termites create a swarm of winged termites to find their way to their new home. That could mean a new colony establishing in different parts of the same structure or in another nearby tree or building.

If you have termites, chances are you will never see one. These bugs live inside your walls and beams doing nothing but eating their way through your home. Termites eat cellulose, an organic compound found in wood, paper, books, cardboard, drywall, and any other plant based product in your home, including furniture. We all have busy lives, and a lot of damage can be done while we are paying attention to other things. You may not notice for months or even years; until one day, you look up and notice something that looks like water damage, buckling wood, tiny tunnels in wooden beams or furniture, or even a sagging ceiling, which can be signs of termite damage.

The good news is; this doesn’t have to be your home. You don’t have to wait until the damage has been done to call Active Pest Control. Active Pest Control offers you year-round protection from termites and other pests. Give us a call and our certified technicians will be at your door to do a free inspection. If we find that your home already has pests, we will work with you to eliminate the problem and set you up for monthly treatment to keep your home pest-free*.