#1 on our list is the ultra-destructive termite. Each year termites cause over $5 billion of damage to homes and property, according to the National Pest Management Association. Termite control is not something easily performed by laymen. In fact, just the process of identifying the termite can be difficult for the non-professional as they are often misidentified as ants or flying ants. A professional exterminator will help homeowners identify the particular variety you have encountered and will use a targeted method of control to eliminate the threat. The tools, technology, and methods for termite control have continued to improve over the years, especially in the hands of a seasoned professional improving your chances of mitigating any potential damage these awful insects can inflict upon you and your wallet. Subterranean termites eat 24/7, making them enormously and insatiably destructive. Furthermore, damage by termites is typically not covered by a regular homeowner’s insurance policy so contact a termite expert if you suspect that the damage or bugs you see might be this terrible pest.

#2 on our list is the carpenter ant. They build nests inside wood consisting of galleries chewed out with their strong muscled mandibles, preferably in dead, damp wood. Unlike termites, they do not consume the wood. Sometimes, carpenter ants hollow out sections of dead, weakened, or diseased trees, but they’re happy to work their way into a live healthy tree if the habitat suits them. Beyond trees, they commonly infest wooden buildings becoming a major cause of structural damage. They are content to live in hollowed out areas inside doors, behind insulation and even in soft styrofoam insulation. Even so, carpenter ants are only one colony expansion away from destroying your property and are known to show up on real estate transaction paperwork as a potential liability. In the United States, the black carpenter ant (Camponotus pennsylvanicus) is quite common out of a genus that includes over 1,000 species so consumers are bound to cross paths with them at some point.

#3 on our list is the formidable powderpost beetle. Belonging to the subfamily Lyctinae, they are part of a group of seventy species of woodboring beetles. While most woodborers have a large prothorax, the powderpost beetle does not, making its head more pronounced with antennae that appear as two-jointed clubs. These pests attack deciduous trees where, over time, they reduce the wood to a powdery dust. You might discover their larvae, which are white and C-shaped. A headache for homeowners, the powderpost beetle only attacks hardwood. This means that they will not destroy a home but will infest certain areas usually consisting of molding, flooring, cabinets, doors, hardwood furniture, and other hardwood items. An infestation can be found by the presence of very fine sawdust or by discovering small, 1/32 to 1/16 in diameter round, holes in hardwood items with sawdust leaking out. Sadly, most lyctid beetle infestations occur in newly built homes (1-5 y/o) that were assembled with already infested wood. Often, removing infested wood is the most economical solution to remedying this problem.

#4 is the wild honey bee, our next pest on the list. They are great for making honey but when they find their way onto your property, look out! They have no problem setting up shop within the confines of your home’s walls, becoming an expensive nuisance that is best handled by experienced professionals. A typical colony can consist of tens of thousands of bees and their hive may weigh up to several pounds within a few days of construction. If killed by insecticide without a proper extraction plan, the mass of wax, honey, and propolis from the hive will leak fermenting honey, melting wax (the bees work to keep wax from melting when they’re alive), and dead bees, all oozing out into your home or property in the form of a huge mess. Now you have a new problem along with the gooey remains: insect scavengers, moths, and rodents that feed off the dead hive. In some instances, it’s possible to extract the bees alive at a higher cost, but this isn’t always practical depending on the number of affected people nearby and the location of the nest. And to be clear, we’re referring to wild honey bees, not their domesticated cousins who have been endangered.

#5 is reserved for indoor ants. Finding them crawling through your food stores, up the walls, and across counters is unsettling at best. When they find their way into a drain pipe or electrical panel causing backups and burnouts, their true destructive potential becomes acute. Knowing what kind of ant you have is essential to controlling them through treatment. Some ants are only visitors, living mostly outside but stopping to forage, while others are very choosy when it comes to the bait they’re attracted to. Don’t waste your money or spray excessively with over the counter bug spray; not only can they smell bad and make some surfaces in your home unsafe to touch, they’re not nearly as effective as what an experienced professional from Emergency Pest Patrol can bring to bear. We can identify your ants and start the best treatment that will work for you in the most effective manner.

Contact Emergency Pest Patrol for mosquito control service and ask us for pricing and service call scheduling.

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Termites can destroy houses, wreak havoc on your home, and easily cost thousands of dollars or more if left untreated. Termites can be found all across the country, and there are over 40 types of species of termites, complicating the matter further.

Take into consideration these steps and measures to prevent and apply termite control as necessary:
1) Moisture filled environments are some of the most appealing to termites, in particular, subterranean termites, and there doesn’t have to necessarily be wood involved to attract them. In fact, termites often build their colonies and tunnels away from their main source or food, or in this case moisture, dirt, crumbs, or wood. Many people don’t know this but termites actually feed on the cellulose found inside most wood. So whether it’s your bathroom, living room, or attic take steps to keep environments dry to maximize termite control.

2) Wood comes in all shapes and sizes, from natural wood used to build houses to the nearby tree located outside of your home. It’s critical that you monitor the wood in or around your home, including if your home is built on a wooden foundation. Not only keeping these places clean, but also keeping them away from other (natural) wood sources like trees can also help to keep termites at bay. Always make efforts to trim back your trees and not leave wood piles stacked up too close to your home. They should be at least a good 10-15 feet away from any connecting part of your home – which termites would use as a “bridge” to invade your house.

3) Openings, holes, and wear of wood throughout a person’s home are one of the leading causes of termite infestation. It can be as easy as caulking or filling these holes or having repairs made to and around your home in keeping termites at bay. Doing so will deter the termites and make it more likely that they will search elsewhere to build their colonies and tunnels. Not only wood but any breaches, holes, and cracks throughout your home could easily serve as an entrance for termites, so keep up with your housework and also keep an eye on the condition of and keep clean your shingles.

4) Be aware of the geographic of your home, and if in doubt research and get your hands on the United States Forest Service’s map of Termite Infestation Probability (TIP) zones to maximize your understanding of the likelihood of a termite infestation. Homes in the United States that frequently suffer the most from termite infestations are those which live in rainy, moist, and wet climates such as Florida and other nearby states.

Without increased awareness, necessary home maintenance, and preventative measures termites can take over your home, and your life. In may escalate to the point in which you need a professional to apply termite control methods such as pesticides, but home repairs are often necessary too. Termite control and prevention is serious, so take care of your home, and seek professional services if in doubt.

Image credit: Mr.Smith Chetanachan

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Understanding termite infestations, behavior, and the developmental aging process that incorporates both the evolution of these pesky critters, and their wreaking havoc on your home can be limited – especially if you do not have prior knowledge or experience. A pest control strategy can only be effectively measured and applied once it’s been verified that termites are active, what type, the locations, and to what capacity.

Some of the most common trends and behaviors of Subterranean termite infestations are the building of tunnels – or “tubes” – three to be exact, identified as working, exploratory, and “drop-tubes”. Each of these tunnels are typically developed through the combination of fecal matter, saliva, and mud collected and applied by the termites throughout the interior and or exterior infrastructures of your home. The purpose of these tubes is to transport the food (wood from your home) to their nests (the caves or tunnels in the ground) through an efficient channel or super ant-like “highway”. Understanding this concept and dynamic of termite building is essential to termite control initiatives.

A strong indicator that there is current subterranean termite activity within or on the outside of your home can be demonstrated in the obviously operational existence, and current visual activities of termites such as digging, tunnels, and other common wood destruction throughout or around your home.

With the simple scrape of a box-cutter or icepick one can expose these seemingly “hollow” work-tubes and determine both whether or not termites are currently active in these locations, as well as to what capacity. In some instances however, it can be difficult, as termites rely on the food accessibility and desirability of wood throughout various locations of your home, including hard to reach crawl places or others unknown to you and only accessible by a seasoned pest control professional.

The average subterranean termite is ¼” long, while its superiors the reproductive King and Queens are typically half an inch in diameter. Worker termites are usually of a white color, and do not have wings. The King and Queen termites on the other hand are usually black or brown in color.

Observing “swarmer’s” or (flying) worker termites and even reproductive king or queens around the wooded infrastructure of your home outside does not necessarily indicate that termite control is necessary – they could just be ‘prospecting’ the area. Since the actual development of tubes, breeding, and effectively feeding on wood by termites can be so slow and take years to have an obvious impact, detecting them earlier on will undoubtedly lead to the most effective pest control measures.

Not all subterranean termites are created equally, so a handful of considerations should be in place before making any final judgement calls, or determining whether or not to call for a pest control professional.

Finding tunnels and rows of mud, feces, and other signs of tube-building such as tunnels or weak wooden infrastructure with holes in them throughout your home, as well as fecal matter inside likely indicates the need for termite control. If the tunnels or “tubes” crumble easily, and no termites are to be actively observed inside, it is possible that they have moved on, died off, or are perhaps located in other places throughout or outside of your home.

Image credit: Michael Pettigrew

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Removing wood damaged by termite infestation in house

Termites are a menace to the development of civilization of mankind.  They used to be a food source but as men used wood to build their homes and other structures, they attracted termites to dine on them thus causing severe and dangerous damage.  This is where termite pest control comes in.

People have been seeking for and using whatever hey could get their hands on to get rid of termites. Some of these substances are harmless to humans and their pets and some not so. Today’s modern approach to pest control regarding termites involves more safe and effective means, thus the need for a professional.

Termites are no joke. Once established in your home, it’s a slow degrade to destruction that could leaf a family in constant peril. A compromised structure could injure or kill.

Finding out that termites are infesting your home may be too late. The variety of the types of termites means they attack differently and need to be handled in such a manner. Without foreknowledge of their assaults, the homeowner will find themselves at odds at which they may become overwhelmed. When this occurs, all is not lost, but it is definitely the need for a termite control specialist.

What the termite control specialist does is analyze the situation and prepare a battle plan. If your home is moderately infested, the specialist will use a variety of techniques to not only contain the present danger but also point out the the preventative measures that should be taken to keep the buggers from trying it again. Should your home be of more intense invasion, then it’s time for some heavy duty termite control and could end up with floors opened up, walls, ceilings, likewise. The specialist has to figure out how deep the infestation is. Now it’s time to not only rid the property of the termites, but also repair the damage done. If it turns out that some moderate to heavy structural damage has occurred, you’ll be glad to know your professional and certified termite control specialist will know how deep the damage goes. This information will help greatly in insurance coverage because insurance companies know that termites can do far more damage than meets the eye. Getting both the termite control specialist’s evaluation, an insurance company assessment, will give a better precise assessment as to how much reconstruction the structure needs.

You do not want things to get this bad, but it’s tough to know. That’s why the moment you see just one termite, you need to go into action. You cannot afford to wait one second longer as these creatures will embed themselves in great numbers and get inside a structure in just a matter of hours. Once inside, they’ll engineer a colony where the queen termite can settle in safely and lay eggs. Using the sugars in the wood for food, they’ll first establish a stronghold, then venture out to get as much space as they can. You won’t normally be able to see this but by the time you do, you can bet they’re dug in pretty good.

Mind you, damage to your home is damage to the equity you’ve invested and more importantly a danger to one and all in the domicile. Floors and walls can give way, ceilings collapse, from the ravenous hunger of termites. This is not a joke and buildings that normally looked sound have been known to collapse right before people’s eyes only to find out later that the supporting structure had been compromised by termites.

You can’t always see them, you can’t always hear them, you can’t always smell them, but they can infest and grow to dangerous proportions in a relatively short time.

Termites, a major pest problem throughout time, don’t fall victim to them.

Image credit: Barbara Reddoch

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Drywood termites swarm at night in the late spring through summer.
They readily infest the structure and when they swarm, they infest the contents too. When this happens, tent fumigation is sometimes recommended, however only as a last resort.

Below is the photo of Emergency Pest Patrol specialist working on a Drywood termite interior application.

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