If you’re having a problem with termites or any other pest control issues, it’s time to call a Tulsa pest control company that you can trust. Termites are an insect that targets the homes and buildings that we live in, do business in and use on a regular basis. They’re a wood destroying insect that feeds upon any kind of wood, paper or dry wall structures. They can be very damaging and do millions of dollars in damage in America every year. In this article, let us take a good hard look at termites, their life cycle and what you and your Tulsa pest control company can do to protect your home from termites.

TERMITE FORAGING, AND TULSA PEST CONTROL

Termites live in a colony. Part of the work that termites must do is to find food. The termite consumes wood in order to get energy from the cellulose within it. The cell of a piece of wood has two parts to it. There’s lignin, and there’s cellulose. Cellulose makes up the majority of the mass of the cell. When termites consume wood, they have an enzyme inside their stomachs that breaks down the cellulose and turns it into energy. This makes them unique amongst most insects, because most other insects cannot do this.

Because of this, the worker termites must find food. They will burrow through the top 6 inches of soil, searching for a dead tree, or a building with wood in it in order to feed off of. These insects are extremely sensitive to the dry air we find above ground. They dry out very quickly. So in order to stay within that humid air that’s found underground, they must build mud tubes up the side of things in order to continue the process of foraging and eventually gather the food that they find. If you’re seeing these mud tubes going up the side of your house, then you need to contact your Tulsa pest control company today for help with termites.

TERMITE SWARMERS AND TULSA PEST CONTROL

Another sign that you may have a problem with termites are swarmers. These colonies grow into very large, super structures. A full grown colony can have a population numbering into the millions. But once they get to full grown status, they will seek to reproduce the colony in another way. They will use Swarmers. 

Swarmers are a special kind of reproductive termite that is unique in the fact that it has wings. In addition to these wings, it’s also very hearty. These termites do just fine in the open air. in the late spring worker termites will build special tubes known as swarming tubes that go up into the above ground area and open to the open air. Swarmers will climb these tubes and fly out, searching for a swarm of other reproductive termites. When they find that, they will pair up male and female, and find a place to start a brand new colony.

Once they land, they will lose their wings, dig out a royal chamber, and then mate. After this has happened, the female will begin to lay her eggs. This new queen now will not stop laying eggs until the day she dies. The king will carry-on for a short time as a worker, until the eggs that this queen has laid hatch, revealing new workers. Then the king was served his purpose, and he will die. The colony has reproduce itself. While the swarmers are very susceptible to predators, in the end, one or two of these pairs will find a way to create a new colony continuing the species. Contact your  Tulsa pest control company for more information

ELIMINATING TERMITES, AND YOUR TULSA PEST CONTROL COMPANY

If you find yourself in the situation that you have either Swarmers coming up inside your house or mud tubes on the outside, it’s important that you clearly identify what these problems look like. Mud tubes will always come up from underneath the ground. If you see mud that’s high on the wall without a path going up the wall, then you know this is not a termite mud tube. In all likelihood you were probably looking at a mud dauber nest. Swarmers are often mixed up with flying ants. Ants have three distinct body parts with waists between each. But termites have one long body without any waists in it. The wings of the termite will be longer than the body of a termite, while the ants wings will be the same length as the body of the ants.

CONTROL METHODS AND TULSA PEST CONTROL

If you see the swarmers in your window sill dead, then you know that you have a problem with termites in your house. Now it’s time to call in a Tulsa pest control company to get rid of them. They will use one of two methods to eliminate termites. The first method is a liquid treatment. This treatment is where we attempt to create a barrier all the way around the building of pesticide treated soil. A trench will be dug around the house and pesticide will be poured into the trench. Then treated dirt will be placed back into the trench. Where there is cement, holes will have to be drilled where pesticides can be pumped down into the dirt below. 

Bait stations are placed around the house at regular intervals. When termites come to the house, they will consume the bait in the bait stations and bring it back to the colony. This will wipe out the entire colony.

GETTING HELP AND TULSA PEST CONTROL

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

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