The Ultimate Homeowners’ Guide to Drywood Termite Treatment

Are you willing to spend a considerable amount of money on home repairs? If you didn’t know, homeowners spend a good deal of money each year to repair the structural damage caused by drywood termite on their property.

The good news is that termite damage is preventable through early detection. Unfortunately, it’s possible to miss the signs of a termite infestation in its early stages. Don’t fret. This guide will cover everything you need to know about drywood termites, from basic termite facts, signs of termite infestation to the most effective drywood termite treatment method.

Drywood Termite Facts

Early detection of drywood termites requires correct identification, mainly because these insects are quite subtle, making it hard to detect them easily.

• Dry wood termites, true to their name, live in dry wood. They rely on the cellulose in this wood for their survival.
• Due to their social nature, these pests live in colonies that comprise both female and male offspring.
• Each drywood termite colony has several castes, i.e., soldiers, swarmers, workers, and reproductive termites.
• Swarmers are also known as alates, are ½ inch long, have wings, and are reddish-brown. If you spot swarmers around your house, there’s a high likelihood that you have a drywood termite infestation problem on your hands.
• Reproductive termites consist of alates, kings, and queen termites.
• Soldiers are about ¼ inch long, have large mandibles, and have a cream body color. These members defend the termite colonies against invasions.
• The worker termites are almost 3/16 inches long and are the ones responsible for the damage you’ll see on furniture and other dry wood.

 Signs of Termites in Your Home

How do drywood termites get into your property in the first place? These insects will enter your house through crevices on wooden structures such as your front porch steps or door frames. For an infestation to occur, these termite colonies will first send out the winged swarmers to scour dry wood where they’ll nest and build colonies.

If you’ve spotted swarmers around your home, it’d be a smart move to inspect your house to assess the level of damage. Below are some of the things to look out for.

• Discarded wings – Swarmers shed their wings soon after landing in their new’ home.’ They will then find a mate, then burrow inside wooden crevices as they wait for the eggs to hatch.
• Infested wood – Damaged wood produces a hollow sound upon tapping. Also, infested wood will have smooth galleries that comprise chambers.
• When feeding, drywood termites will create ‘drill holes’ inside the infested wood. They’ll then expel their waste through the holes inside the galleries.
• Termite droppings – Drywood termite waste consists of dry pellets that are rough, close to 1/25 inch long, and light-colored.

Drywood Termite Treatment Methods

DIY drywood treatment

DIY treatment methods are only ideal if you’re confident that these insects are on the exterior part of your house. They include:

• Pouring pesticide around your house to prevent termites from entering
• Installing poisoned bait stakes along the perimeter of your house
• Sprinkling boric acid on the infested wood
• Using nematodes to feed on these drywood termites
• Creating a barrier using diatomaceous earth

Professional Drywood Treatment

While it might seem like a good idea to get rid of drywood termites on your own, DIY termite treatment does not guarantee comprehensive termite control due to these reasons.

• You’ll need to reapply continuously to see changes, mainly because of weather changes. For instance, rains affect the active ingredients in boric acid, making this treatment ineffective
• DIY methods are time-consuming and costly in the long run

Therefore, the best termite treatment and prevention method would be to seek help from a trusted pest control company. A pest management professional will start by performing a thorough inspection using appropriate tools to determine the infestation’s severity.

Once they finish probing, they’ll provide you with a list of treatment programs. Usually, if there’s minimal damage, you may decide to monitor until control measures are deemed necessary.

Therefore, you could opt to replace the infested wood with treated wood that won’t decay and safeguard your property from drywood termites. For widespread infestation, the pest control company might recommend a specialized fumigation treatment program. Other options include whole-structure heat treatment and spot treatment.

Why Choose McDonald Pest Control?

Drywood termites can cause extensive damage that could cost thousands of dollars to repair. Early detection and termite control are; therefore, the best decisions homeowners can make. By reaching out to us, we’ll guarantee you a thorough termite inspection, an inspection report, and a comprehensive and eco-friendly drywood termite treatment plan.

Our specialized programs include spot wood treatments, drywood termite heat treatments, and tent fumigation. What’s more, we provide no-cost consultations, and you can also take advantage of our coupons. To enjoy a termite and pest-free home, call us at 727-734-0963 today!