Safe Control against Termites

Many homeowners are taking an unnecessary risk to try and treat a termite infestation by them. On the other hand, a large portion of its work comes from other commercial exterminators Phoenix, AZ companies.

What Are Termites?

Termites are a special type of pest when it comes to controlling them. Most of the pests that householders come across can be very quickly and easily dispatched, often with a rolled-up newspaper or the like.

Termites, however, are a pest that lives in a community with a structure, and that community could be up to one hundred meters from where they are found.

Termites are subterranean in nature meaning that they live (in general) and forage underground, accessing their food source from the ground. When termites have found a food source they will have a tunnel through the soil to it.

You will not be able to see this and in reality, will never be able to find it. This tunnel leads from the termite colony to the food source and can be quite a wide carriageway.

Often, a termite tunnel can be wide enough to enable ten termites abreast (or more) meaning that there is a very large highway with each termite coming into your home to take a bite and return to the colony.

Because of the "connectedness" of the termites to the structure, it is a very difficult job to halt their progress. If you have seen a termite it is probably because you have found some damaged timber and seen some inside it, picked up a piece of timber in the yard and found them on the bottom of it, or bumped their earthen tunnel (shelter tube) breaking it open and exposing them.

The termites that you can see are the least of your worries, these termites are connected to a colony that can contain up to 2 million individuals depending on which species you are dealing with.

The ideal solution for getting rid of termites is to be able to locate their colony and destroy it. This is easier said than done as many species of termite will build their colony underground, inside a tree, under a tree stump or retaining wall.

If you cannot locate the colony to destroy it then you are left pretty much with two choices, either bait the termites where you have found them or use a termiticide to treat soil around the structure to keep them out.

A third but somewhat less frequently used method to eliminate a termite colony is to introduce a toxicant to the live termites at the point that you have found them, hoping that enough of the toxicant will be carried back to the colony to achieve elimination.

It is highly suggested to find a commercial exterminator company for termites that employ experts, is insured, licensed and offers a good guarantee. Here’s what these experts do:

1. Termite inspection. The only place to start any termite management plan. The inspection is how you learn if any termites are present, where they may be in the structure, and where the termites accessed the premises as well as potential natural or physical control options.

During the inspection, you will undoubtedly learn whether there are any inaccessible areas any e.g. under patios or stairwells that may need to have access organized to enable treatment.

A termite inspection is a skill learned over a long period of time and should not be taken lightly, if you intend to carry out an inspection yourself you must research the subject thoroughly and acquaint yourself with the signs of attack.

The biggest trap inexperienced people fall into is looking for the actual insect when carrying out an inspection as the insect is rarely outside of its earthen shelter tubes and tunnels inside of timbers.

2. Identification. Termites have many different species, of which we are only generally concerned with four or five. The differences in the species is extremely important when considering the various treatment options available, and when endeavoring to locate a nesting site, as each species has different nesting habits.

3. Colony Elimination. There are various methods for colony elimination of termites dependent mainly on personal preference and sometimes budget.

1. Application Of Termiticide Dust (low toxicity)

This method involves locating enough damaged active timbers or articles with an activity that small amounts of termiticide dust are introduced in such a way that the termites inadvertently carry the pesticide back to their colony wherever it may be eventually affecting the entire colony and causing its ultimate demise. This method takes great skill and should only be attempted by professionals.

2. Placement Of Bait Stations (very low toxicity)

Bait stations can be affixed to areas where activity exists. The stations are placed in such a way that termites have access to the bait contained within. The termite bait is extremely palatable and termites transition to feeding on this quite quickly. The bait, when consumed, is taken back to the nest, regurgitated and then shared with other colony members, eventually affecting the entire colony causing its demise.

3. Direct Destruction Of The Colony (non-toxic)

Destruction of the colony is often difficult because of the location of that colony. Some termite colonies will be located inside trees, stumps or underground.

Once a colony has been found breaking it up and removing all of the material used for its construction can take some time. If the queen is found and destroyed then the colony will be successfully eradicated.

If the queen is not located then the colony may be able to survive and rebuild.

4. Prevention of Future Attacks. Ongoing prevention can be achieved chemically or non chemically.

No termite prevention strategy is foolproof and all methods of control rely on regular competent inspection of the premises. The reduction of conducive conditions around the property will also play a part in the long term prevention of re-infestation.

5. Regular Inspection Is The Best Way To Avoid Very Expensive Repair Bills If Termites Manage To Re-enter Your Home. All prevention systems can fail and for a myriad of reasons, therefore ongoing regular inspection must be carried out at appropriate intervals, doing so will enable the termites to be discovered soon after re-entry and before major damage is occasioned.

Author Bio:

Digvijay Singh Kanwar is a professional Content writer and Digital marketing expert and he loves to write about Finance and Health based Articles. For more details you can contact him on [email protected]

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors or management of EconoTimes.