Every year in Lancaster and York, PA, a healthy colony of Subterranean Termites release thousands of reproductive swarmers that try to emerge and start a new colony. These can sometimes be confused with Ant swarmers. It takes a trained eye to know the difference, so you might want to let a pro look at it if you have a swarm. The other way you know if you have termites is if you find mud tunnels stemming out of wood.
Usually termites will manifest on the basement sill first, but sometimes they can be found in the garage door frame or any place you have wood-ground contact such as basement stairs that have poured concrete around the base. Termites may be in a piece of wood and not build mud tunnels or "shelter tubes". Probing with a scratch awl is one way to determine termite activity; the awl will easily go into the wood if termites have been there for awhile.
If you need a termite treatment, you may not want to wait too long before calling a pro; termites do quite a bit damage quickly. This is your home we are talking about, one of your greatest investments literally being eaten! In my professional opinion, it is important to use a non-repellent insecticide on termites so they do not move down the road to the neighbors, but instead, die right where they are. Using technology that allows the termites to transfer the product one to another, we can shut down a termite colony with one-million members within three months! Not only will it kill the current termites attacking your home, a non-repellent treatment will kill any other termite colony that comes in contact with the treatment for over one decade! Now that's taking control!
Due to the nature of termites, it is not a good idea to treat them yourself. This is not just my opinion; recently I heard a home improvement talk radio show host tell a caller, "It's best to leave it up to pros when it comes to termites, because homeowners don't have access to the professional products that are effective on termites." He is right, and more than that, it takes special equipment to pump the product into the ground around your home. Also, you cannot see the termites underground, so you cannot be sure that you eliminated the colony. This is why it is rare for a homeowner to try a termite treatment. An experienced termite technician such as Dominion Pest Control has, will have no problem eliminating a termite colony. Also, most professional companies offer some type of warranty so should you have a re-infestation, it does not cost a fortune to have a termite re-treatment.
If you want to know more about bugs or you live in Lancaster or York PA and want professional help for your termite or pest problem, go to: http://www.dominionpestcontrol.com
To view the difference between ants & termites go here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n6thvUijB2M
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Sunday, February 24, 2008
Termites
After returning from a nine day short-term missions trip to Central America, my wife told me the story of an excursion they took to the highest mountain of Honduras to view some of the most incredible sights of nature.
While enjoying a natural bird sanctuary, their native tour guide stumbled upon a nest of termites hanging on a tree. He then craftily removed his handy machete and chopped it in half. The amused group looked on until, as to their horror, he reached down and picked up a scrambling termite, and ate it.
As you might expect, this drew mixed reactions from the crowd including gagging, laughing, and heads nodding in disbelief. Embarrassed, the guide tried to regain the group's respect and quipped, "Tastes like chicken!"... I don't think it helped.
Well, thankfully, you won't find one of these termite nests dangling from your neighbor's tree over your property line here in the northeastern US. However, what you could find is even scarier--Subterranean Termites. These kinds of termites work under the cover of darkness--actually, more like--under houses!
The subject of termites seems to be taboo, unless of course, you or one of your clients has had them infest a structure. The saying, "out of sight, out of mind," might apply. That is, until your walls look like they are moving from just the 1st wave of termite "swarms". While they may be equivalent to an indoor hurricane, one should not panic, these guys are not the ones doing the damage; it's the rest of their family you need to worry about: the workers--underground and in the structure. Bite by bite, they can literally "eat you out of house and home". But don't ever assume that everything that swarms inside a structure is a termite: many species of ants will swarm inside a home. A little while ago, a soon-to-be-client called me and insisted that he had termites in his country-club home. When I arrived, I had a hard time convincing him he did not need a termite job; he had a good swarm of Citronella Ants (named for their citronella-like odor). In the end, he was thankful for my honesty and became a routine general pest customer.
This leads me to my final piece worth noting: never assume someone is an expect on Wood Destroying Insects unless it's what they do for a living. Not all wood damage is from termites. There are Carpenter Ants, Powder Post Beetles, and even Old House Borers. If any of these are suspected, it may be worth a second opinion. Just like you would not go to a podiatrist for advice about that nagging toothache, make sure you talk to someone in the Pest Control industry when it comes to Wood Destroying Insects. While some of us may be entertaining, I don't think you will find us eating termites.
If you live in Lancaster or York PA and want professional help for your termite or pest problem, go to: http://www.dominionpestcontrol.com
While enjoying a natural bird sanctuary, their native tour guide stumbled upon a nest of termites hanging on a tree. He then craftily removed his handy machete and chopped it in half. The amused group looked on until, as to their horror, he reached down and picked up a scrambling termite, and ate it.
As you might expect, this drew mixed reactions from the crowd including gagging, laughing, and heads nodding in disbelief. Embarrassed, the guide tried to regain the group's respect and quipped, "Tastes like chicken!"... I don't think it helped.
Well, thankfully, you won't find one of these termite nests dangling from your neighbor's tree over your property line here in the northeastern US. However, what you could find is even scarier--Subterranean Termites. These kinds of termites work under the cover of darkness--actually, more like--under houses!
The subject of termites seems to be taboo, unless of course, you or one of your clients has had them infest a structure. The saying, "out of sight, out of mind," might apply. That is, until your walls look like they are moving from just the 1st wave of termite "swarms". While they may be equivalent to an indoor hurricane, one should not panic, these guys are not the ones doing the damage; it's the rest of their family you need to worry about: the workers--underground and in the structure. Bite by bite, they can literally "eat you out of house and home". But don't ever assume that everything that swarms inside a structure is a termite: many species of ants will swarm inside a home. A little while ago, a soon-to-be-client called me and insisted that he had termites in his country-club home. When I arrived, I had a hard time convincing him he did not need a termite job; he had a good swarm of Citronella Ants (named for their citronella-like odor). In the end, he was thankful for my honesty and became a routine general pest customer.
This leads me to my final piece worth noting: never assume someone is an expect on Wood Destroying Insects unless it's what they do for a living. Not all wood damage is from termites. There are Carpenter Ants, Powder Post Beetles, and even Old House Borers. If any of these are suspected, it may be worth a second opinion. Just like you would not go to a podiatrist for advice about that nagging toothache, make sure you talk to someone in the Pest Control industry when it comes to Wood Destroying Insects. While some of us may be entertaining, I don't think you will find us eating termites.
If you live in Lancaster or York PA and want professional help for your termite or pest problem, go to: http://www.dominionpestcontrol.com
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