How Termites Attack And How To Protect Your Home
Termites are an ongoing threat to your home. They can slip inside your home through tiny cracks and chew up wood all day and night until they are discovered and eliminated. It's possible to have extensive termite damage and not even be aware the bugs are in your home. That's why monitoring and prevention are just as important as treating termites. Here are some things to know about the termite threat to your home.
Termites Attack In Two Ways
There are different types of termites, but the subterranean termite is the most common. It lives throughout the United States so no matter where you live or move to, you'll always have to guard against these pests. Subterranean termites live under the ground and attack your home by coming up from the earth. They tend to stay outdoors in their colony and move back and forth to your home. However, if you have dampness in your home from an undetected water leak, conditions can become suitable for the termites to live inside your house.
Formosan termites are a particular kind of subterranean termite that's found in southern states and are very destructive. They are more damaging than other termites because they live in massive underground colonies and they attack in larger numbers. Dry termites are also found in the southern states of the US but they have a wider range than Formosan termites. They attack your house from above rather than through the soil.
Termite Treatment Approaches
The first step in treating your home for termites is to identify the type of termites you have. Since dry termites live inside a house, the exterminator may recommend tenting and fogging to get rid of them. All other termites that live under the ground have to be attacked through the soil. This can involve injecting poison into the soil in a perimeter around your house. The exterminator can drill holes in concrete to do this if necessary. Bait stations can be placed underground that both monitor for termites and deliver poison bait to be carried back to the nest.
Chemicals used to kill termites are very effective, and when used along with monitoring stations to watch for signs of termite activity, your home can be kept free of these destructive pests. If you worry that you might have termites, call for an inspection as soon as you can so treatment can begin right away if termites are found. Even if you don't think you have termites, hiring a termite control service to install monitoring stations and to perform regular inspections is a good way to protect your home from costly termite damage.
For more information, contact a local pest control company like Budget Termite & Pest Control.
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