Termites are dangerous pests that can cause a huge amount of property damage to your home. Even worse, most homeowners insurance policies don’t cover termite damage, so you will have to pay for the repairs yourself. Termites can cause so much damage to your home that it becomes unlivable, so if you live in termite territory, it is very important to have your home checked for termites on a regular basis. A good pest control company will have many options for treating your home for termites, including termite traps.
Termites feed on wood and will feed on either damp or dry wood. Damp wood termites are more common and these are the termites that you find in the basement. Termites will eat your foundation and if you don’t catch them early enough, they will cause serious damage that you will have to pay for. You will need a pest control company to eradicate the colony.
Sometimes you can see the signs of termites yourself, but in the early stages of infestation, the termites are difficult to find. You might find holes and damage to the wood in your home and the wood may have a musty smell. You might see what looks like thin streaks of mud on the wood. These are mud tubes that the termites use to travel through. They often start their colonies deep in the wood and you won’t know they are there unless you have your home inspected by a professional.
Once the damage gets to the visible stage, you are looking at expensive repairs to your home. You can take steps to prevent termites from finding your home attractive in the first place, like keeping wood and mulch away from your foundation and making sure you don’t have any leaks that can dampen the wood in your basement. Termites love moist wood and they also love to infest wood that is touching the dirt. When it comes to termites, you have to do everything you can to prevent wood contacting the soil, so you don’t want shrubs or trees too close to your house.
If you live in an area that is known for termites, you should have regular pest inspections done on your home. If the pest inspector finds termites, you will get a custom treatment plan that is going to eradicate the termites along with follow-up inspections. The pest control company might recommend traps as a course of treatment.
Termite traps will kill the entire colony and they are a very effective form of termite treatment. The exterminator will install termite monitors into the soil which will detect areas that have high concentrations of termite traffic. These high traffic areas will be the places where the baits will be placed. It takes a few weeks and possibly even a few months to kill the termites, but once they are gone, they are gone for good. The pest control company will perform follow-up inspections just to make sure they are gone, and they can also add barriers that will make your home less likely to get future infestations.
