Termites pose a unique threat to Fairfield homeowners. Not many pests can boast the ability to destroy a home from the inside out, except termites. Using incredible coordination and effort, a colony of termites can destroy a wood structure with their insatiable hunger. What does this mean for your Fairfield home? It all depends on the actions you take to deter termites and ensure your home has the defense it needs.
What Are Termites?
Termites are cream-colored pests that closely resemble ants. Within each termite colony, there are no slackers. Everyone has a job. Workers gather cellulose, the primary component in wood-based products. Soldiers stick close to workers, protecting them from threats like ants. Reproductives are responsible for reproduction. Using food gathered by worker termites, king and queen reproductives lay eggs and assign caste rolls. When colonies reach maximum capacity, some kings and queens grow wings. They then leave the colony to find new locations to establish satellite colonies. The more fully mature colonies there are around a home, the faster termites will be able to weaken its structure and eventually bring it to the ground.
How You Can Make Your Home Less Attractive To Termites
Want to know an interesting fact about termites? They are picky eaters. They prefer the wood they eat to be soft enough to make consuming it easy. Termites will search out wood that has been either damaged by water or affected by rot and decay. If any of the wood around your home is decaying, termites are much more likely to invade.
To fight back, repair any rotted or water-damaged wood around your house. Termites are much less likely to invade a healthy, dry, or treated piece of structural wood. The healthier your home, the less termites will want to come in for a snack.
Here are some other ways you can make your home and property less attractive to termites:
- If you store firewood for winter, make sure to cover it, raise it off the ground, and place it at least 30 feet from your home’s exterior.
- Clear leaf piles, remove stumps and generally keep your yard clear of organic debris.
- Make sure there is a non-wood barrier between the exterior soil and the structural wood of your home.
- Refrain from using mulch close to the walls of your house.
Why Termite Damage Often Goes Unnoticed
Termites are not like other pests that openly crawl and fly through your home. When they get inside, they go deep into the wood of your home’s structure. From there, they do their best to remain hidden and out of the elements. If a worker termite spends too much time out in the open air, its skin can dry out, and it can die. Because they stay hidden, termite infestations and termite damage can go unnoticed.
One thing you can do to watch for termites is to regularly check your home’s foundation for mud tubes. These tall tubes are used by termites to bridge the gap between the soil and the wood of your home. Beyond mud tubes, termites, and the signs they leave behind can be somewhat difficult to spot.
Why Professional Termite Control Is A Must
You may not know this, but your house insurance does not cover termite damage because it is a preventable disaster, which means it is your problem, not theirs. The only way to ensure your home remains termite-free year-round is with professional termite control. At Heritage Pest Control, we offer just that. No more worrying that the squeaky floorboard in your kitchen is a result of termite damage, get your protection today and set your mind at ease.
Reach out to us if you have any questions or would like to get an estimate for your Fairfield home.