Your Broken Arrow pest control can protect you from the number one pest that can destroy your home. These pests consume wood in the building materials that creates our homes. They literally can tear apart the structural integrity of any building that you can find piece by piece. These insects are called termites. These wood destroying insect will feed on the cellulose found in all the wood and paper in your home. In this article, let’s take a look at termites, their lifecycle and what your Broken Arrow pest control company can do to protect ourselves from these insects.

TERMITES EATING AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL

Even though termites eat wood, the real thing that they’re after is cellulose. Wood is made up of two materials. The first materials lignin and the second is cellulose. Cellulose makes up the majority of the material inside of the wood. Termites have a special enzyme in their stomach that helps them to break down cellulose and use it for energy. This enzyme must be passed from adult termites to the infants through a process called trophallaxis. Trophallaxis is where the adult termite will feed the young nymph some of the droppings of the adult termites. They consume the enzymes that are used to break down cellulose and now the nymph is prepared to eat wood just like the adults are.

Many people believe that if they have a metal building then they are safe from termites. But even though the exterior and the main supports are made from metal, these buildings can also be susceptible to a damage. Termites love to eat the paper off the back of gypsum boards. These boards are what make up our walls. Also known as drywall, the paper on the outside has plenty of cellulose for them to consume. They also will consume the center section of the board until they wear through to the other side. This creates soft spots in the drywall where these insects have fed upon the gypsum board. Your Broken Arrow pest control company can help.  

TERMITE MUD TUBES AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL

Termites are actually a quite fragile insect. Here in Oklahoma, we have the eastern subterranean termite. These insects are not suited to be above ground because the air is too dry. Underground, where there is more humidity, these insects can thrive and do what they need to do. If they’re found above ground for more than 20 or 30 minutes, they will dry out and die. Because of this, when they have to come above ground, they will use mud tubes to travel and forage for food. These tubes that they build carry the humid air above ground so that they can function where they need to. They use the small tubes to climb up the side of building until they find a food source that they can utilize. They will also climb up the side of dead trees to feed on them.

FORMOSAN TERMITES AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL

One species of termites that is found in some places in America is the Formosan termite. These termites are greatly feared, and for good reason. They are an invasive species that come from the from ocean islands, where they have natural predators. But here in America, they don’t have any predators, other than your Broken Arrow pest control company. They’re unique in the fact that, not only do they live underground, but they come above ground as well, making their nests inside of trees and walls. They build a paper like nest known as carton. 

The dry air above ground doesn’t bother them at all. Because of this, there are no known treatments for Formosan termites by your Broken Arrow pest control company. The number of individuals in these colonies are also much larger than your average termite colony. The average eastern subterranean termite colony can number from the 50,000 to 100,000 individuals. The Formosan colonies can have several million termites. This means that they consume much more within the average termite colony.

GETTING TERMITE HELP FROM BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL

If you suspect that your home has been attacked by eastern subterranean termites, it’s time to call a Broken Arrow pest control company for an inspection. But there are some things that you can see on your own to identify a problem. One of those things would be to look for the mud tubes. If you’re seeing mud tubes coming up from the ground, this denotes that there is a termite attack upon your home. Often if you see rotted wood with dirt inside it, this is where the termites come up inside. They will use this dirt to build tubes within that rotted wood. Termites do like to eat rotted wood because the damage makes it easier to harvest the cellulose. In nature, termites are tasked with removing deadwood from forests and other places.

Another telltale sign are weak spots in your drywall. As stated before, these insects will come up inside a wall and start to feed on the paper on the inside of the drywall. They will work their way through until there are soft spots in the drywall. Of course, they will also eat wooden studs, and other wooden object inside the wall. Also, if you’re digging outside in your garden or anything of that nature, sometimes you can dig and find these insects just under the surface of the ground. They’re usually a whitish yellow in color and are about the size of ants. Unlike ants, these insects don’t have a waist at all. They’re the same width or the length of their body. If you’re not sure it’s time to call your local Broken Arrow pest control company to take a look and make sure that everything is OK.

TREATING TERMITES WITH YOUR BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL

If you’re having issues with termites or any other pests, then it’s time to call in a Broken Arrow pest control company that you can trust. Here at TermMax Pest Control, we are the best in the business when it comes to termites or any other pests that you might be dealing with. We service a greater Tulsa area, including Bixby, Owasso, Claremore, Jenks, Broken Arrow, Sapulpa, Sand Springs, Prattville, Catoosa, Claremore, Turley, and much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!

to top