Pests of any kind can be a major nuisance, perhaps none more so than termites. Termites not only spread quickly and can infest your entire house, but they also destroy your home from the inside. Only termites can single-handedly ruin and destroy a house’s very foundation in just a few short years.
đź“Ś Key Takeaways
Termites can cause severe structural damage by feeding on wood and weakening your home’s foundation if left untreated. Subterranean termites are the most destructive species, accounting for approximately 95% of termite damage in the United States and often entering through a home’s foundation. Early detection is critical. Common warning signs include mud tubes, hollow-sounding wood, peeling paint, discarded wings, buckling floors, and stuck doors or windows. Act quickly after discovering termites to limit property damage and prevent the infestation from spreading further. Several treatment options are available, including liquid termite barriers, poisoned bait systems, and direct chemical foam treatments for indoor infestations. Each termite treatment serves a different purpose, depending on the infestation’s size, location, and severity. DIY termite control may not eliminate the entire colony, making recurring infestations more likely if the source isn’t fully treated. Professional termite exterminators have the expertise, equipment, and treatment methods needed to eradicate termites and help protect your property from future infestations. Routine termite inspections and preventive treatments can help identify problems early and reduce the risk of costly structural repairs. Prompt professional intervention is the most reliable way to safeguard your home and ensure a long-term solution to termite infestations.
Before you contact trusted termite exterminator services, it is important to understand termite infestations and the damage they can cause to your home. So what are you supposed to do if you discover your home is infested with termites?
Subterranean Termites
Subterranean termites, whose colonies are underground, may enter your home through its foundations. As these termites forage for food, they may stumble upon a rich new food source – your house. Subterranean termites commonly build mud tunnels over foundation walls to access the wooden parts of the structure. Subterranean termites are responsible for 95% of termite damage in the United States.
Signs of Termites
Before you can rid your home of termites, you need to be sure that they are there! One of the biggest problems when it comes to termites is that you often don’t know they are there until the damage is done and it is too late. Keep an eye out for the following signs of termite activity:
- Discolored or drooping drywall
- Peeling paint that resembles water damage
- Wood that sounds hollow when tapped
- Small, pinpoint holes in drywall
- Buckling wooden or laminate floorboards
- Tiles loosening from the added moisture termites can introduce to your floor
- Excessively squeaky floorboards
- Crumbling or damaged wood
- Stuck windows or doors
- Maze-like patterns in furniture, floorboards or walls
- Piles of wings left behind after swarms, often resembling fish scales
- Mud tubes climbing the foundation of your home
- Flying termite swarms anywhere on your property
Look out for any of these signs if you suspect there may be a termite infestation in your home. If you are unsure about any of these signs, it is important to contact a trusted termite exterminator service.
How To Kill Termites
Once you have positively identified that your home has a termite infestation, you must act swiftly to minimize the damage to your property. Depending on the type of infestation that you have, along with how large the infestation is, you may have a few different options when it comes to killing termites.
Liquid Termite Barrier
This method will not only kill the termites already present in your house, but it’s a good preventative method too. While it is commonly used around the entire foundation of the home, it can also be used around specific wooden structures, woodpiles, or tree stumps.
Unfortunately, you may need to use hundreds of gallons of the solution in order to cover the entire perimeter of your home, which may be time-consuming and costly. As with all pesticides, it comes with minor health risks (such as slight skin irritation if there is accidental contact with skin).
Poisoned Bait
For those who do not wish to use Liquid Termite Barrier, you don’t have to spray pesticides around your home; the bait will attract foraging termites that will then spread the poison back to the colony. The bait stakes can easily be installed in the ground around the perimeter of your house.
Direct Chemical Treatment
While a liquid barrier treatment or poisoned bait is very effective for the outside of your home, you can’t really use it for the inside of your home. Direct Chemical Treatment is a dry foam, not a spray, since sprays aren’t really effective against termites because they are so rarely exposed in the open.
The foam will slowly evaporate after application and leave behind an invisible residue that will poison termites upon contact. This residue will last for at least a month. The foam is also odorless, a great benefit since it’s for indoor use.
Should You Call a Professional Exterminator?
If you suspect or have confirmed a termite infestation in your home, or want to know how to kill termites, it is important to contact a trusted termite exterminator service. While DIY treatments may seem like a cost-effective solution to your termite problems, only with service from a trusted termite exterminator can you solve the problem for good.
Rice’s Termite and Pest Control is a family – run business with three generations of experience in eliminating termites. We have been Delmarva’s leader in stopping termite infestations in their tracks and minimizing damage to your home or business, voted “Best Pest Control” every year since 2000. If you have any questions regarding termite infestation or extermination, do not hesitate to contact the experts at Rice’s Termite and Pest Control for a free consultation.
