Termites are an issue that you and your Broken Arrow pest control company can eliminate together. Termites create havoc in homes and businesses across the country. Millions of dollars in damage are done by termites every year. These wood destroying insects feed on wood and consume it, creating structural issues in the buildings that we live in. It’s important that you protect your largest investment from these silent killers. So in this article, let’s take a good hard look at termites, their lifecycle, and what you and your Broken Arrow pest control company can do to protect your home and business from these invaders.
TERMITE DIET AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
Termites are unique, in the fact that they can break down wood and create energy from it. They do this with a symbiotic relationship with an enzyme in their gut biome. This enzyme breaks down the cellulose found in wood cells. The typical wood cell has two ingredients. It has lignin, and it has cellulose. The majority the cell is made up of cellulose. By breaking this down, these insects can create energy from wood and other dead plant material. This makes them great for cleaning up dead plant material in nature. Termites are an important part of our ecosystem, even though they can become a pest if they find their way into our homes and businesses. Because we use wood in order to create the structures that we live in, there is often a conflict of interest with these insects.
Termites develop using an incomplete metamorphosis. This means that when they hatch from their eggs, they come out as a nymph, or a smaller version of the adult termite. As they grow, they will molt or remove their exoskeleton from time to time. Every time they remove their exoskeleton, some of their gut biome is lost in the process. So when they need to get this enzyme back in their system, they will use a process by which they will receive this enzyme down from another adult insect. The workers will feed these nymphs, the droppings from their anus. This will give them the food they need plus the gut biome that’s necessary to break down cellulose and create energy from it. If you’re having an issue with termites, contact your Broken Arrow pest control company for help.
TERMITE SIGNS
There are signs that you can look for if you need to see if you have a termite problem in your home. While sometimes these issues can go unnoticed, when they surface it’s important that you identify them quickly and get help. Termites are very susceptible to drying out. If they come up above ground, the air is too dry to support their life needs. They will dry out within a matter of minutes. So in order to stay wet enough, these insects will attempt to stay underground where the air is much more humid.
In order to come above ground to forage for food, they will build mud tubes up the side of structures to carry that humid air up. That means that if you’re seeing mud tubes up the side of your foundation or your building in any place, then you have a problem with termites. These mud tubes must connect with the ground somewhere so if you are just seeing a block of mud on the side of the wall, this is probably a mud dauber.
INSIDE WALLS AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
Sometimes these mud tubes come up inside of a wall. If there’s a crack in the foundation or a seam, sometimes they can find their way through this crack, and come up inside a wall. There’s no way to really identify this because you would have to break down the wall in order to see inside. But if you’re starting to notice weak spots in your drywall, this could be a clue. These insect will build a mud tube up the side of the drywall inside the wall.
They will eat away at the paper and gypsum in the middle of the drywall. Eventually the drywall will become weak and you’ll be able to feel the weak spots in the wall. Sometimes they will even break through the outside layer and have to fill it in with mud. This is a telltale sign that you have got termites inside your wall. It’s time for you to call your Broken Arrow pest control company for help with these termites.
TERMITE TREATMENTS AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL
Once you call your Broken Arrow pest-control company with a termite problem, they will come out and apply a treatment that’s appropriate for your situation. They’re essentially two different ways that they can treat for these insects. The first is a liquid treatment. This is an attempt at creating a protective layer around your house of dirt treated with a termiticide. They’ll dig a trench around the house and pour this pesticide aside in the trench. This will drain down and treat all the dirt that’s up against your foundation. Then they will fill the trench in with a dirt that has been treated with this pesticide as well. Often the tech will have to drill holes in the cement in order to create the same barrier underneath the cement slabs.
The second method is that they will use a termite bait stations system. These are stations that are placed around the home with a bait in them. As the termites find the bait, they’ll take it back to the colony and it will wipe out the colony. Contact your Broken Arrow pest control company for help with termites.
If you’re having an issue with termites or any other pest control problems, then its time to call a Broken Arrow pest control company that you can trust. Here at TermMax pest control, we’re the best in the business when it comes to dealing with termites or any other insects. We service the greater Tulsa area, including Broken Arrow, Jenks, Bixby, Claremore, Sapulpa, Coweta, Catoosa, Sand Springs, Prattville, Owasso, Turley, and so much more. Call today for a free estimate. We’re here to help!