By now, most everyone has heard about termites and the dangers they pose to homes and businesses. It is fairly common knowledge that these wood eating pests cause over $5 billion annually in repair and restoration costs to U.S. property; most of which is not covered by homeowner’s insurance. But some people do not realize why it is important to get a termite inspection. After all, you would know if you had termites! Right?
Wrong! Termites are called ‘silent destroyers’ after all. These elusive little pests can crawl into your home unnoticed and cause thousands upon thousands of dollars worth of damages before you even realize they are there. How can this be? Well, it’s really quite simple. Let’s take a closer look at these little beasts.
First of all, termites cannot survive for long out in the elements. They must remain moist and hidden from the sunlight, wind, and cold. Because of this, they spend most of their lives beneath the surface of the earth or deep inside buildings. They create mud tunnels, small tubes about the width of a pencil, which they use to traverse between the ground under and around your home into its walls to eat. Occasionally, you may see the reproductive cast of this species swarming around your home – especially on warm days in spring and fall after a rain. However, this only happens when a colony has matured and grown to the point where they need to send members off to form new colonies in order to expand and survive. The queen instinctively knows when the time is right and begins to birth this special cast of termite whose sole responsibility is to go out and find a mate, drop its wings, and begin a new colony. The trouble with relying on seeing swarms to determine whether or not you have been infested with termites is that they don’t start new colonies often and when they do they don’t last very long. Your chances of missing a swarm of reproductives is very high.
Secondly, these little creatures don’t exactly advertise that your home has become their favorite eatery. The signs they leave behind are subtle and easily missed, which is why damage done by them is usually quite severe before anyone even knows it has happened. After all, they are inside your walls chewing away at the structural beams. It’s not like you can look inside those wall voids yourself to check for these critters. Surely you should be on the lookout for shed wings on window sills, in spider webs, and around sinks. You should also periodically check around your foundation for signs of the mud tubes they use. You should also be on the lookout for wood, especially in your basement that looks blistered, appears crushed, or sounds hollow when tapped upon. These are all important signs that you may have been invaded and that your home is in danger. Again, these signs are very subtle and you would have to be extremely diligent and observant to notice them – especially in the early stages of an infestation.
Lastly, there is really on one sure way for you to know if termites are silently eating away at the beams in your home, and that is to have a trusted pest control specialist take a look. Here at Active Pest Control we have some of the best in the termite business – Experts that can spot an infestation practically in the blink of any eye. Through extensive training and experience they have become the ‘Sherlock Holmes’ to your termite colony. Those very subtle signs that are easily missed by most are quickly noticed by our termite specialists; and, the sooner an infestation is found, the less damage will be done.
So why is it important to get a termite inspection? The peace of mind of knowing that termites are not silently eating away the equity in your home is priceless. Give us a call today to schedule your inspection and see how Active Pest Control can help you rest easy from the worry and stress that termites can cause.
The Importance Of Termite Inspections In Knoxville Tn in Georgia
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