Termite Control Is so Essential Because, Homeowners or Renters, Will Often Not See the Signs of Termite Activity until Damage Starts to Show. This Is Why Doing Annual Inspections for Termites at Your Client Accounts Are so Crucial. As a Professional Pest Control Company You Know the Signs to Be Aware of, and You Can Catch the Problem Before the Damage Has Gone Too Far. So What Are the Signs to Watch out For?
Mud Tubes
Mud tubes are small tunnels of soil and wood stuck together by termite saliva, which are about the width of a pencil. This is one of the most obvious signs of subterranean termites, but just because these don’t appear to be present doesn’t mean your clients premises is termite-free. There may still be plenty of underground activity, excluding mud tubes, that are visible to the naked eye. Remember that drywood termites don’t create mud tubes, so you may still have issues with drywood termites even if you’re free of subterranean termites.
Frass
Hello, termite droppings! “Frass” is the professional term for termite excrement, which you’ll find plenty of when your client account has a termite infestation. What does frass look like and where can you find it? If you see small, granular oval-shaped pellets near windowsills, baseboards, door frames, or other cracks and tiny openings in your home, that is a sure sign of termite activity. If you don’t know what you’re looking for, it can be easy to miss, but in order to be aware of a potential termite problem, frass is an obvious sign you can look for.
Wood Damage
Both of the major types of termites cause damage to wood, burrowing into it and causing the wood to lose its structural integrity, but it can also take on a cracked or rippled appearance. The first thing you can do is knock on the area you’re inspecting to check for damaged wood. If the sound is hollow, that’s bad news. You can more thoroughly check for termite damage by poking the affected site with a screwdriver — this will confirm the presence of termites by revealing their characteristic tunnels.
Evidence of Swarms
Swarming is when hive insects like termites leave as a group altogether to search for a new home, or in this case, a new piece of human real estate in which to wreak havoc. This is a behavior exhibited by subterranean termites, and when it happens, the individual termites shed their wings, leaving them behind.
Live Termites
What does a termite look like? Many people think that since they can cause such serious damage they must be quite large insects, but that isn’t true. In fact, termites are about the size of flying ants. Unlike flying ants, which are dark in color, termites have a creamy-white color, making them easy to distinguish. Flying ants also have bent antennae, whereas termites have straight ones. Termites, like flying ants, have two sets of wings; however, they are all equal in length, while flying ants’ front set of wings are larger than the back set. Finally, termites are chunkier than flying ants, having a thicker middle and body overall.
*Article source: housemethod.com
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