Termites are a problem that you and your Broken Arrow pest control company can handle. These wood destroying insects are a huge structural liability to our homes and businesses. Every year millions upon millions of dollars of damage is done to buildings in America. Your home is your largest investment. It’s so important that you protect this investment from parasites, such as termites and other wood destroying insects. So in order to do this, it’s important that you understand these insects and what you need to do to protect your home from them. So in this article, let us 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 from termites.

TERMITE FORAGING AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL

Termites are a eusocial insect that uses a colony. Part of that colony are workers. There are millions upon millions of workers in a mature termite colony that perform many different tasks that they need to do. One of them is to forage for food. The way that they do this is, they will fan out from their colony searching for any deadwood that they can feed upon. It’s important to understand that in Oklahoma, the most predominant termite is the Easter subterranean termite. This termite must stay underground in order to survive. All termites are susceptible to drying out. So in order to stay in the moist, humid air, they will stay underground and not come up above ground where they are in danger of drying out.

So, as they fan out from the colony, they will inhabit the top 6 inches of the soil. If they find a structure such as a tree roots, or the foundation of a building, they will follow it up the side by building mud tubes. These mud tubes will carry the humid air up so they can continue to survive above ground. Once they find food, they’ll start to build mud tubes over the top of it and scrape away the wood on the floor of their tube. It will then bring this back to the colony and feed it to their young. If you think that you’re having a problem with termites then contact your Broken Arrow pest control company for help.

CONTROLLING TERMITES AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL

So understanding their foraging procedures, we can see plainly what needs to be done in order to stop them from eating the wood in your home. A barrier needs to be created in the top level of your soil. In order to do this, there are two methods that we use to create this barrier. The first process that we use is a liquid treatment. This treatment consists of digging a trench all the way around the outside of your home, and filling it with pesticide. 

After it’s been fully drenched with pesticide, the dirt that used to backfill the trench will be treated as well. This creates a sort of curtain of pesticide of treated dirt surrounding your foundation. The pesticide will drain down about 4 feet from the trench, protecting the home on all sides. If there is cement, then holes will be drilled and pesticide will be pumped down into the dirt below.

TERMITE BAIT SYSTEM AND BROKEN ARROW PEST CONTROL

The liquid treatment is an effective treatment, but very labor-intensive. Another way to deal with these insects is by using a termite bait station system. These bait stations are about a foot deep buried into the ground. They have a bait in them that is made of a pure cellulose material. Cellulose is the actual substance that termites get their energy from inside of wood. So because this is a pure form of cellulose, it’s like candy to them. 

Of course, the cellulose is laced with an IGR. This insect growth regulator is a kind of pesticide that doesn’t kill the bugs initially. It simply makes it so that the young cannot develop. So as the older ones die off and the second generation come up, they die before they ever get to the point where they can be a viable part of the colony. So over two generations, these insects will die out. Contact your Broken Arrow pest control company for help.

TERMITE SIGNS AND BROKEN PEST CONTROL

So there are a few signs that you can see that will let you know if you have a problem with termites. The first one are those mud tubes. If you see them coming up from the ground around the base of your home, then you have a problem with termites. But sometimes these termites will come up inside a wall. When this happens, they will build mud tubes on the inside of the drywall. 

The paper on the outside of the drywall and the gypsum in the middle is something they love to feed upon. After a while, the outside drywall will get thinner and start to get weak. In some spots they will actually break through and have to put more mud in there in order to seal off their mud tubes. So if you’re seeing weak spots in your drywall or places that they have  broken through, and had to put mud in, then you know that you have a problem with termites.

Termite colonies will also will seek to reproduce the entire colony. They do this by releasing a special kind of termite called a swarmer. These are winged termites that will go off into the night to try to find a mate and create a new colony. If you find swarmers in your home, then this is another sign. You may have a problem with termites.

ELIMINATING TERMITES

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