Mention the word “termites” to any homeowner and you may detect a hint of fear in their eyes. While other pests may invade your home searching for food or shelter, these cockroach cousins will literally destroy a structure’s integrity if left unchecked.
This is why termite protection and termite control should be of interest to every homeowner. To that end, we’re here to explain a few reasons for this by looking at a few facts about termites and what can be done to keep them away from your property.
Although termites stay active during the winter season, they will typically travel deeper underground to protect themselves from the cold. When the weather is warm, they’re typically much more active because they’re working to store food for when the temperature drops. In areas where it’s mostly warm throughout the year, termites stay especially active, which makes them a grave threat.
Termites may live inside the walls of your home and in similar places, but they aren’t very good at hiding evidence of their presence. When a termite infestation is underway, wood will sound hollow when you tap on it and paint may appear cracked or contain bubbles. You may also see them flying around or notice mud tubes attached to exterior walls or within crawl spaces.
Termites Never Stop Working… Ever!
Say what you will about termites, but they have an excellent work ethic. In fact, termites don’t sleep, so they are working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This is obviously another reason why termites are so dangerous to homes and businesses because they will tirelessly work to destroy a structure from the inside out. If you notice signs of an infestation, you must act right away because every minute that passes, you could have hundreds or thousands of termites constantly eating your property.
Whenever a natural disaster strikes, be it a hurricane, tornado, flood, etc., you’ll see many news reports talking about how much the damage will end up costing homeowners, business owners, insurance companies, and the city itself. People don’t often discuss the fact that termites cost property owners billions of dollars in damage every single year. There have even been estimates that go as high as 30 billion dollars in a single year. By exercising proper termite protection and control, the overall damage costs can be kept in check.
If there’s any silver lining about all this, it’s termite protection and control usually only requires a little effort on your part. When you have a full-on infestation, you should always leave it to a professional exterminator, but there are definitely steps that you can take to avoid an infestation in the first place. You can start by installing screens on exterior vents, eliminating moisture that makes your property more attractive, and routinely removing debris from gutters and downspouts.
Believe it or not, but having an anthill near your home or business could, arguably, help keep termites off your property. Ants natural predators of termites and will wipe them out thanks to their numbers and voracious appetite. However, as we’ve covered in the past, the presence of ants on your property will lead to a whole new set of problems. So, while ants may help the termite situation, a professional exterminator is still a better option.
McDonald Pest Control has tackled infestations of all shapes and sizes. Our pest control services in Clearwater can assist you with eliminating termites, roaches, ants, spiders, rats, mice, and various other creatures that can be damaging to your property or health. To receive a free quote or call (727) 734-0963 to schedule an appointment for termite control in Clearwater Fl.
