Termite Control

Termite Control Options

According To The National Pest Management Association, termites cause an estimated $5 billion dollars worth of property damage each year. Let Spence Environmental Services inspect your home to ensure it’s protected.

Eastern Subterranean Termites

Eastern subterranean termites are usually located in the ground below the frost line, but above the water table. Mud galleries or "shelter tubes" are constructed across hard objects in order to gain access to timber food sources.

Eastern subterranean termites constantly search for new food sources. They are known to enter buildings through cracks in concrete flooring or to travel under parquetry or tile flooring through gaps of less than 1/16" wide.

Eastern subterranean termites have a well ordered social system with amazing engineering capabilities and an acute survival instinct; they obtain moisture from the soil and moist decaying timber, and communicate using pheromone signals.

Swarming generally occurs during the spring but occasionally a few smaller swarms may occur during the summer. Swarming most often occurs during the morning following a warm rain shower where the soil temperature is around 70°.

Formosan Termites

Formosan termites are the most aggressive and destructive timber pests in the United States.

They can develop huge nests containing millions of termites aggressively and relentlessly seeking and devouring structural timbers, utility poles and other timber structures, including ships and barges. Infestation can occur to living trees, such as oak, cypress, pine and maple.

They often cause power failures by chewing through electrical cabling. A termite to be feared - it is known to cause major structural timber damage to homes and buildings within a few months. Formosan termites can establish secondary colonies in very moist wood of upper stories of buildings (even several stories above ground) and do not need soil contact if there is a nearly constant moisture source. Where moisture regularly collects inside the wall or other cavities of a building, e.g. from faulty plumbing or broken roof tiles, the Formosan termite can develop a subsidiary colony nest, which may not require contact with the ground to ensure its survival. This is particularly prevalent in areas of high humidity where wood moisture is above average. Due to its size and aggressive foraging behavior, a colony of Formosan termites does more damage than single colonies of other U.S. subterranean species, and can cause significant structural damage to a home within six months.

After your home has been treated for termites, we will have a technician return to your home to do an annual inspection and renew your contract. There are some rules to follow so that your home will stay termite free; a list of these will be provided to you at the time of your service.

Frequently Asked Questions About Termite Control

Q: Do New Houses Need to be Treated for Termites?

Termidor logo A: New homes tend to be the targets of termites. They like new wood much more than they do old wood, although they will turn to old wood if that is the best food source that they can find. The wood is simply fresh, and fresh wood is what is more attractive to termites. Termites will even feed off of wood chips if you have them in front of your home because they are fresh. Termites like wood that is not difficult to chew through. The termites will come from the ground, crawl up your foundation, and make their way into your walls. They will find any hole that they can to access the fresh wood that your home is constructed out of. All homes, new or old, should be properly treated for termites.

Q: How Can I Tell the Difference Between Termites and Carpenter Ants?

Termites vs. Ants: Physical Characteristics

Termites and carpenter ants both have four wings, but the size of their wings is a dead giveaway to which of the two you are dealing with. Termite wings are all the same size, but ants have larger wings in the front than in the back. Termites have straight antennae, while ants have elbowed antennae. Ants have constricted waists, while termites have straight bodies.

Termites vs. Ants: Infestation Signs

Carpenter ants can do a great deal of damage to a home, but they do not have the same destructive power as do termites. There are many ways to recognize a carpenter ant infestation. Sawdust coming from any cracks in the walls or from the ceiling is a sign. A crunching or rustling noise coming from a wall or ceiling (especially in accompaniment with said sawdust) is a sure indicator of carpenter ants. If you spot ants in your home when the ground outside is frozen, your home may be infested. Spotting significant numbers of ants inside in rooms other than the kitchen can be another giveaway.

Q: Should I Use Mulch in Flower Beds That Are Close to My House?

A: Mulch is great for shrubs and trees, but unfortunately it makes the ideal environment for termites. This is not necessarily saying that you shouldn't use mulch around your home. It is true that termites come from the ground and feed on wood, such as tree stumps, and also carry that wood back to their colonies. They especially enjoy looking for food in moist environments. The moisture alone can make the environment ideal for a termite colony, whether they decide to eat the mulch or not. First, you want to make sure you don't let the mulch touch the foundation of your home. If it does, then you are giving termites a bridge into your home.

Q: When Are Termites Most Common?

A: Many homeowners live in areas where termites are a problem. A very common question is about the time of year when termites are the most active. In areas where termites are known to reside, it is good to know these details because you can be more proactive in doing certain things to prevent them from getting established in your home.

Termite infestations can happen at any time of the year, particularly once a colony has been initially established. In many cases you might not even know you have a problem until months after the colony initially sets up and begins to attack your home.

Spring Infestation is the most common time for termites to become active. The warm weather brings expansion of colonies as well as new colonization on a large scale.

Q: What is a termite swarm?

A: A subterranean termite swarm happens when male and female winged termites fly off from the colony on mating flights to start new colonies. These mating flights usually occur once a year on hot, sunny days after a couple of rainy days. Most people become aware of subterranean termites only after they swarm inside their home. Termites can swarm inside of a home if there is an infestation in the walls or ceilings. Swarmers will emerge from small holes made by worker termites and the swarm will last about 40 minutes.

Q: If I don't see termites around my home, does that mean I don't have a termite problem?

A: Unfortunately, no! In fact, you may never actually see subterranean termites because they live in the ground. But they can enter homes through cracks and openings as narrow as 1/64th of an inch, about the thickness of a piece of paper. Termites can also enter through expansion joints in the slab, around plumbing pipes and behind stucco, siding and brick veneer. Once introduced into the wood inside your home, termites can cause enormous amounts of damage before you ever know they are there. That is because they eat wood from the inside out, making them extremely difficult to detect. The vast majority of their destructive work is invisible.