Monday, April 7, 2008
Bait Stations or Liquid Treatment?
You have termites, you call a few companies and each says something completely different from the last. One does bait stations, one does liquid, and one gives you the option of baits or liquid?!?!?! What is the difference? Most companies today using liquid to treat for termites are using non-repellants (Termidor or Premise). Both are designed for colony elimination, and both are excellent products. There are many different bait station choices; Firstline, HexPro, Advance, Sentricon, Exterra, just to name a few. But, they are all the same in the beginning, a stick of wood inside a plastic monitoring station. The difference is the type of bait that is placed inside the station AFTER they find a termite "hit." BUT, one small piece of information you won't hear from companies using bait stations is termites are blind foragers. These bait stations are placed on average 4 feet out from your home and 10 feet apart (different baits have different procedures for how far apart they should be placed). Now, termites can fit into a gap as small as 1/32 of an inch and you are placing these stations 10 feet apart AND termites are blind foragers. So, basically I am hoping like heck they just "bump" into these bait stations before they "bump" into my home. EXACTLY! The common response is, "termites do constantly forage and will eventually find the bait station," but studies have shown it takes 2-3 years for the termite colony to find the bait station. Meanwhile, you are hoping the termites didn't find your garage wall.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Swarming Termites!!
First, you should know that with most of the 2,000 species of these wood destroying insects, the most appealing part of the wood is the cellulose. The typical diet consists of wood and other cellulose-containing materials, such as paper, carpets, and cloth. Termites will build termite mounds, termite tunnels and mud tubes as part of the termite structure damage they may cause in your home. The termite damage is sometimes so severe that nothing is left of a structure but a shell.
Termites have swarm intelligence, and they are most visible to homeowners when they are swarming. But even if you don’t see them swarming, they could still be causing damage to your home 365 days a year. The whole termite swarming process takes less than an hour, so it’s likely that you will not see the swarming. Termite swarming involves hundreds of thousands of termites leaving their nests to create a new termite colony.
Physically, termites have biting mouthparts and small, soft bodies rarely over 10 mm long. Termites have two pairs of long, slender termite wings, which they shed after a flight.
These wood destroying insects inhabit termite tunnels, termite mounds, and termite nests, rarely venturing out into daylight. Some termite mounds take a distinctive wedge-shaped form and can reach a height of six meters. Most termite mounds are less than two meters, tall, however.
Most termites are subtropical insects, with a few termite species living in temperate regions. There are two main types of termites that cause most of the termite structure damage – the wood termites (drywood termites) and the soil-feeding termites (subterranean termites). Drywood termites do not require the humidity that soil-feeding termites do. Instead, these wood termites attack dry wood, such as trees, fence posts, and any other dry wood containing cellulose.
Subterranean termites, or soil-feeding termites, are prevalent in the U.S. and cause $250 million of damage every year. Wood that is in contact with the ground (and close enough to be reached through termite tunnels) is particularly vulnerable to a subterranean termite attack.
The type of termite most likely to cause a termite problem in your home is the subterranean termite. Subterranean termites are social insects that build termite tunnels and termite nests in a large underground termite colony. A subterranean termite colony is made up of several different types of termites living together as castes (these include worker termites, soldier termites, and reproductives).
Members of a subterranean termite colony:
At the center of a subterranean termite colony exists the termite king and the termite queen. The termite king’s main purpose is to continuously mate with the termite queen. Size-wise, he is only slightly bigger than the other termites in the termite colony. The termite queen’s sole purpose is to reproduce – the typical termite queen lays thousands of termite eggs a year – and some termite queens live up to 30 years!
When termite eggs first hatch, they take the form of nymphs, which eventually turn into different members of the termite colony. The largest part of the termite colony is made up of worker termites. The wingless worker termites are blind and most likely to be found in termite infested wood. Soldier termites are sterile, wingless, blind termites whose sole purpose is to defend the termite colony.
Termite colonies also contain winged reproductives and supplementary reproductives. Winged reproductives use their swarm intelligence to swarm to a new location during swarm season, where they shed their wings and pair up to start a new termite colony. Supplementary reproductives serve as replacements for the termite king or termite queen should one of them die.
Termites have swarm intelligence, and they are most visible to homeowners when they are swarming. But even if you don’t see them swarming, they could still be causing damage to your home 365 days a year. The whole termite swarming process takes less than an hour, so it’s likely that you will not see the swarming. Termite swarming involves hundreds of thousands of termites leaving their nests to create a new termite colony.
Physically, termites have biting mouthparts and small, soft bodies rarely over 10 mm long. Termites have two pairs of long, slender termite wings, which they shed after a flight.
These wood destroying insects inhabit termite tunnels, termite mounds, and termite nests, rarely venturing out into daylight. Some termite mounds take a distinctive wedge-shaped form and can reach a height of six meters. Most termite mounds are less than two meters, tall, however.
Most termites are subtropical insects, with a few termite species living in temperate regions. There are two main types of termites that cause most of the termite structure damage – the wood termites (drywood termites) and the soil-feeding termites (subterranean termites). Drywood termites do not require the humidity that soil-feeding termites do. Instead, these wood termites attack dry wood, such as trees, fence posts, and any other dry wood containing cellulose.
Subterranean termites, or soil-feeding termites, are prevalent in the U.S. and cause $250 million of damage every year. Wood that is in contact with the ground (and close enough to be reached through termite tunnels) is particularly vulnerable to a subterranean termite attack.
The type of termite most likely to cause a termite problem in your home is the subterranean termite. Subterranean termites are social insects that build termite tunnels and termite nests in a large underground termite colony. A subterranean termite colony is made up of several different types of termites living together as castes (these include worker termites, soldier termites, and reproductives).
Members of a subterranean termite colony:
At the center of a subterranean termite colony exists the termite king and the termite queen. The termite king’s main purpose is to continuously mate with the termite queen. Size-wise, he is only slightly bigger than the other termites in the termite colony. The termite queen’s sole purpose is to reproduce – the typical termite queen lays thousands of termite eggs a year – and some termite queens live up to 30 years!
When termite eggs first hatch, they take the form of nymphs, which eventually turn into different members of the termite colony. The largest part of the termite colony is made up of worker termites. The wingless worker termites are blind and most likely to be found in termite infested wood. Soldier termites are sterile, wingless, blind termites whose sole purpose is to defend the termite colony.
Termite colonies also contain winged reproductives and supplementary reproductives. Winged reproductives use their swarm intelligence to swarm to a new location during swarm season, where they shed their wings and pair up to start a new termite colony. Supplementary reproductives serve as replacements for the termite king or termite queen should one of them die.
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Infrared Termite Inspections
Have you ever wondered how a termite inspector is supposed to find termites just by staring at a wall? Well, so do we. The days of a flashlight and screwdriver inspection are long gone. Infrared cameras, Termatracs, acoustical devices, K-9 termite inspections (yes termite sniffing dogs), those are the future. Well, to some of us it's the present.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)