Termites are sneaky pests, who might be sharing your home right now. They are difficult to spot. Superficial termite inspection might not be thorough enough for your home since they are great at hiding. It is their nature to remain low, operate undergrounds without creating much noise and propagate throughout the house. In most cases, subterranean termites create mud tracks, but it is easy to mistake these for ant nests. It is a good idea to check your door frames, window frames and built-in cabinets to detect their presence in the house.
What are the different termite species you are likely to encounter at home?
Since they are difficult to notice, professional help is often necessary to address increasing termite issues. A proper termite inspection is imperative to confirm their presence in the house. At any given stage, there can be more than possible termite species invading your home. The subterranean ants live below the ground, and they depend on the mud tubes to travel and feed. The drywood species live inside cabinets, wardrobes and wooden frames. They burrow through wood instead of mud.
Ants look similar to termites. They act similarly and might even leave the same mud tracks around the house. They have completely different food sources and their colonies look different from termite colonies. In most homes, carpenter ants cause equal damage to the wooden floors and cabinets. Hence the homeowners easily mistake them for termites.
Should you opt for professional termite control?
One needs enough experience to tell the difference between termites and ants that use the same sources of food. The identification process is necessary since each pest commands a unique line of defense. These include baiting, post-construction termite protection, and fumigation. However, fumigation is the last line of defense and experts only recommend it when the termite problem is rampant.
Is DIY termite control enough?
You may have heard that orange essential oil is perfect for driving termites and ants away. The presence of d-limonene makes an environment with orange oil unbearable to these species. However, you must remember that it is a solution with limited efficacy. Colony control is not achievable with these DIY solutions. In fact, if you have children and pets at home, such homemade solutions for termite and ant infestations can be hazardous to the indoor environment.
How do professionals exterminate termites on the property?
Soil Termite Treatment is very effective in controlling termites inside and around a house. In several cases, we have seen homes suffering from recurring termite problems since they do not remove the colony entirely. Bait stations are the next best solutions when you do not want to opt for microwave treatments and fumigation.
Thanks to the rising research on pest control, it is possible to control the population of all termite species with minimum effort and minimum expense. Most families are scared of the prospect of fumigation, but several other non-invasive processes can locate and eradicate pest populations. With termites, you need to be very careful about the treatment you are choosing. You should not pick a method that is harmful to your home. At the same time, it should be effective enough to eradicate the colony from the roots.
