The Southern California lifestyle seems to attract all kinds. Unfortunately, this attraction extends to termites as well. Everyone’s heard about termite damage. So you probably understand that termites are unwanted on your property. However, there are a lot of misconceptions when it comes to termites, and what you don’t know could end up costing you a ton of money.
Costly, But Only After A While
When termites invade your house, they can take up to a year and a half or longer to do severe damage. The most destructive and efficient form of termite that might invade your home is the subterranean termite, which cost homeowners an average of $3,000 in damage after 18 months.
Other termites that prefer to feed on undamaged wood, like drywood termites, will usually create that much damage in two years or more. The bottom line is that termites can cost you, but not if you spot an infestation early.
Worker termites are very difficult to spot. You usually won’t notice these termites eating away at your home, but you might be able to notice a few other signs of termite activity around your property. The most common signs of subterranean termite infestations include:
- Mud tubes: these typically stem from the bottom of your foundation walls on the outside of your home or inside the dark areas of your basement.
- Tightening around doors and windows: if your doors and windows become difficult to open and close, this could indicate internal damage within the frames, caused by termites.
- Clicking noises in the walls: when soldier termites feel threatened by potential enemies, they can make a clicking noise to warn other termites.
- Visible damage to exposed wood: this is usually most clear in your outdoor areas near the ground in structures like a wooden decks or fences.
If your home is invaded by drywood termites, you’ll have a lot of the same signs, except for the mud tubes. Drywood termites don’t crawl under the soil as subterranean termites do, so they don’t create the tubes along the foundation walls. However, they can leave frass lying around near the baseboards, which is a mixture of sawdust and excrement that they remove from their tunnels as they work.
If you notice any of these signs, don’t try and get rid of termites yourself, as this usually results in prolonged infestations. Instead of spending money on store-bought remedies that rarely work, call a professional pest technician at the first sign of termites.
Five Ways To Avoid An Infestation
While you might not be able to get rid of an existing termite infestation, there are plenty of ways to try to avoid an infestation in the first place.
- Proper lawn maintenance will reduce clutter and moisture that attract termites.
- Controlling moisture issues inside your house will reduce your chances of an infestation.
- Storing firewood and other wooden materials away from the house and up off the ground will steer termites away from the structure.
- Creating a buffer around the house of pine straw or gravel may prevent subterranean termites from entering the home.
- Professional assistance, when done correctly, will protect your home from termites better than anything else.
While all of these methods can be effective, there is only one guaranteed method to prevent termites from invading your home. With thousands of dollars on the line, is it worth taking your chances on DIY termite prevention?
The best termite prevention and control comes with professional assistance from Excel Pest Management. Don’t leave the health of your home to chance. Give us a call today to find out about our guaranteed prevention methods.