Foundation damage is a big deal in your home, as it provides the center of support for your entire house. If it is compromised in some way, such as via termites, you can experience structural damage that is costly to fix.
What Termites Do
Termites -- ant-like bugs that feed on wood and other materials -- can do a lot of destruction in just a short amount of time. While they can not eat through concrete, they can get in through small cracks in the foundation. As such, they can gain entrance t …
When you purchase a new home, you may be willing to take on the minor repairs and upgrades, but there can be some conditions that are not worth your time or money such as termite infestation and the damage they can cause. The 3 reasons below highlight why it is essential to hire a licensed termite inspector before you sign on the dotted line.
The Current Owner May Not Be Aware They Have Termites
Termites are sneaky little creatures, so an infestation can go unnoticed if you do not know wha …
As if there weren't enough species of termites in the U.S. already, a new kind was introduced at the beginning of this century. Nasutiform termites are native to the Caribbean Islands, but in 2001 they were found in Broward County in Florida. Most likely, the freeloaders hitched a ride on a ship.
Nose Termites and a Termite Control Company
The nose termite, as they are popularly called, is a form of subterranean termite, but the soldier ants have a distinctive projection from their hea …
Termites of most varieties must maintain contact with the soil, but this might seem farfetched when they are eating away at wood studs on the second floor of a building. Unless they have the technical capabilities to provide water lines to their positions, how do they maintain this connection to moisture?
The termite tube is an amazing structure. Workers make these tubes as they travel from the ground upwards. They use spit, dirt, and some of the wood they consume to build these compact and a …
"Flying ants or swarming termites?" is an expression used many times in commercials by pest control companies. Most people aren't going to examine insects closely to determine whether they meet the standards as ants or termites, there are some distinctive differences between the two.
Ants, Termites, and Termite Infestations
Ants have crooked antennae, while the termite sports straight ones. One of the more prominent differences between the two is their bodies. Termites have straight wais …
One of the chief ways of controlling animal or insect populations has been through the natural process of predators. An imbalance occurs when too many of one insect or animal is present in a certain location.
Man has tried artificially to affect change to control the population of animals by introducing predators or selectively killing some species. This is the primary reason for having hunting seasons for animals such as deer.
Some of man's efforts to create balance have backfired in case …
Most people don't consider selective eating when they think about termites. It would seem that termites want to eat everything in their path until there is nothing left. Since they eat continually and process their food as they go, it doesn't matter if they are small. Some colonies can number over 2 million, and they all eat.
Still, there are termites who only want certain parts of wood or, as we all well know, our homes. The dampwood termite is a brownish colored member of this insect family …
Wood is the most common structural element for two reasons primarily. It is available almost anywhere in the world, and it is easy to work with. Concrete and steel are much more problematic to work with than wood. Wood is also less expensive to use for buildings than most other materials.
With the exception of the foundation, window glass, and roof, an entire house can be built from wood and wood byproducts. Professional carpenters can erect a building in a matter of days, except for the fini …
Many of the effective termite chemicals have been banned down through the years. The primary reason is that they were about as harmful to humans as they were to termites. Putting people's safety above extermination of pests is a good direction to follow.
At one time, there were few poisons used for insect control. DDT was thought to be one of the best chemicals around for many years, until it became clear it was killing more than boll weevils and other crop insects. DDT was first introduced i …
Does Sentricon work to keep termites out of your home? This is a continuing question from homeowners who have concerns about hungry termites. There have been many articles written about the effectiveness of feeding stations and opinions are widely varied. There does not seem to be a great deal of documentation discounting or supporting this system.
In the 1990s when Sentricon was developed at the University of Florida, the established means of its use was to chemically treat a building first …
