What You Need to Know about Termites

We live in a diverse ecosystem inhabited by creatures of all shapes and sizes. Of course, some of those creatures remain unseen to us most of the time. They’re so small that we may already be sharing a home with them without us noticing until it’s too late.

Most insects pose nothing more than a passing threat. Cockroaches and bees may startle people, but they go away quickly without doing much damage.

We at Romex Pest Control can tell you that termites are different. They arguably pose a more significant threat than most insects people encounter daily as they affect the structural soundness of homes.

Lasting damage resulting from a termite infestation may necessitate significant repairs or even a complete renovation of your home.

Don’t allow termites to ruin your dream home by learning more about them and the way to properly address the threat they present.

The Damage Termites Can Inflict

It can be difficult to wrap your head around the damage caused by termites because the figures are so massive.

Citing data from the National Pest Management Association, this article from How Stuff Works notes that termites cause around $5 billion in damages annually in the United States. If that’s not enough to cause alarm bells to start ringing in your head, you should also know that millions of homes are infested by these pests every year.

Termites can also do significant amounts of damage to your home without you noticing for a while. Hunker points out that the damage done by termites can show up in as early as three years or delayed up to eight years.

It’s worth clarifying they are still destroying your home even if you don’t see that right away. Termites can power their way through 2x4-sized pieces of wood in around five months. Don’t rule out the possibility that termites are already chomping away at your ceilings and walls even if they appear solid on the surface.

The Places Termites Often Infest

Termites can do serious damage to any home or building, although some structures are more vulnerable than most.

The location of your home can play a role in determining how vulnerable it is to a possible termite infestation. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, termite infestations can happen all over the country, but there is a particular part of the country that is most vulnerable.

Homeowners who live in southern states such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and Texas need to be extra vigilant when it comes to termites because the pests are known to be quite common. 

Your home is at greater risk for termites if you are in one of those states, but there are other factors that can make a structure more inviting to those pests. 

Termites love warm and moist environments. They also prefer it if their living quarters remain undisturbed for long periods of time.

This is why you can often find termites congregating in basements and crawl spaces that don’t get a lot of traffic. It’s even more likely that you’ll find termites in your home if there are leaking pipes in your basement.

The Signs Indicating Termites Are inside Your Home

You need to guard effectively against potential termite infestations, especially if you are a homeowner based in Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, or any of the other southern states. One way to protect your home better from termites is by detecting their presence as soon as possible.

This is where it helps to seek out potential warning signs.

One of the easiest ways to check if you are dealing with a termite infestation is to inspect your wooden walls and ceilings. You can do this by knocking on the wood a few times. 

Pieces of wood that have been damaged by termites will start to hollow out. Upon knocking on them, you may notice that hollow sound as well. If you can gain quick access to that piece of wood, give it a look to confirm termite damage.

The way your walls look could also be hinting at the presence of termites. As soon as you notice some paint peeling or holes appearing on the wallpaper, you should try to take a closer look as there may be termites hiding nearby.

Small and thin mud tubes may also be indicative of termites. These mud tubes often show up along small openings inside your home.

If you're having trouble figuring out where the termites could be, but you're certain they are inside your home, you may need to seek help from the professionals. That's an inevitable step anyway, as proper handling of any termite infestation will require the intervention of experts. 

We at Romex Pest Control will be more than happy to lend our assistance to address that pressing matter.

The Different Ways to Treat Termite Infestations

You’re going to need professionals regardless of which method you use on the termites inside your home. 

We specialize in handling termite infestations because we know how to properly operate special pieces of equipment and understand how to gain access to spots termites often inhabit without having to disturb the other parts of a home.

We can also utilize different methods to get rid of those termites.

Baiting involves the use of a slow-acting substance. We apply the substance along with food known to attract termites. More termites consuming the food and the lethal substance will lead to their numbers depleting rapidly.

As professional exterminators, we can also use a liquid pesticide to effectively trap the termites.

You need powerful substances to kill termites, but you don't need to worry as we can handle them safely.

Conclusion

Homeowners based in places such as Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, or any southern state may not be aware of it, but they may already be at the mercy of termites. The good news is those pests can still be dealt with correctly.

Contact us at Romex Pest Control to have your termites terminated.