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Pest of the Month
Pest of the month is Termites!
PestWorld For Kids
Termites
No other group of land animals has more members than the class Insects. More than 900,000 species exist, and additional species are identified every day.
No other group of land animals has more members than the class Insects. More than 900,000 species exist, and additional species are identified every day.
The following are several facts about the most commonly found insects in the home.
When the temperature is below freezing, insects and other cold-blooded animals cannot be active. Some, like monarchs, migrate to escape the cold temperatures. But even in the dead of winter in the far north, many insects are still alive.
Some are very active!
Where?
Many are hiding and even eating a little bit in microhabitats that aren’t as cold as the open air. They can be in such places as:
Outside:
Wood Piles (Termites and Ants) Around Dumpsters (mice and Rats) Garage (Mud Tubes, Mouse Droppings, Swarmers)
Inside:
Under Sinks (mouse droppings) Along Wall baseboards (termite Damage)Closets (small brown moths)
Cracks around sinks (black spots = roaches)
What about Termites?
Some warning signs that you may have a termite problem include:
Exterior Examination
· Hollowed wood beneath a finished surface
· Discoloration behind paint or wallpaper
· Examine the foundation of the structure, garage for shelter tubes coming from the soil.
· Pay particular attention to attached porches, connecting patios, sidewalks, areas near kitchens or bathrooms and narrowly confined or hard-to-see places.
· Check the soil moisture around or under the foundation to determine if faulty grade construction creates moist areas next to the structure.
· Check window and door frames and where utilities (air conditioning pipes, gas and electric services) enter the structure for termite infestation or wood decay.
· Observe roof eaves and guttering closely for defects that might cause leakage and eventual wood rot. Inspect behind closely planted, dense shrubbery or foliage.
· Note particularly any earth-to-wood contact such as fences, stair carriages or trellises.
· Open and examine any exterior electrical meter or fuse boxes set into the walls, a common point for infestation.
· Carefully inspect wood next to swimming pools that may be splashed frequently by water.
Interior Examination
· Probe or carefully sound exterior porches, doors and window facings, baseboards, and hardwood flooring. Be careful not to deface finished wood when probing.
· Carefully examine any attached earth-filled porches.
· Examine all known or suspected joints, cracks or expansion joints in the foundation and unusual blistering in paint or wallboard surfaces. Discoloration or staining on walls or ceilings may indicate water leaks that can decay wood and aid termite infestation. Especially inspect where plumbing or utility pipes enter the foundation or flooring.
· Check the floor covering for raised or split areas.
· Carefully examine the plumbing, particularly in bathrooms on slab construction. There should be access to the bath trap area. If none exists, build a removable plumbing hatch for periodic inspection.
· The floor and the underlying soil (crawl space) (Fig. 5). Examine the inside of the beams, chimney bases, hearths or piers for shelter tubes. Crawl-space construction should have a minimum of 18-inch clearance between floor joists and the underlying soil, and a least 12 inches between floor beams and the soil.
· Examine areas underneath or close to earth-filled porches, patios, planters and bathrooms for water leakage and termite damage. Remedial action may be required to control moisture if water stands underneath the house.
· Look carefully at the top of the foundation wall where the floor and the wall intersect.
· Closely examine plumbing and utility lines passing through the floor of foundation walls.
We offer both conventional treatments and termite baiting systems...
| Termidor | Sentricon |
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