With the onset of warmer weather, our attention naturally turns to home maintenance. Many homeowners in southern Utah will be investing in home improvements, decoration, and add-ons.
An important aspect of home maintenance often overlooked in St. George is in need for termite inspections. These insidious pests can hide unnoticed for years, slowly destroying your investment from within.
Let’s explore the best ways to keep your investment safe and secure.
The problem with Drywood termites
Drywood termites can destroy any untreated wood within your property. Termites will attack any building, new or old.
If the damage is not caught in time, the cost of repair can be high. And it may not be covered by standard homeowners’ insurance. Added to the material loss is the worry and anxiety that comes from finding pests munching on your asset.
But how do you know if you have a Drywood termite problem? After all, these pests are less than half an inch long and live their entire life inside the wood of your property.
The solution?
Check regularly for tell-tale signs of termites in your home. You can do these checks yourself but there is a solid case for periodic termite inspections by Southwest Exterminators to find the pesky termites that elude you.
Five signs you might have Drywood termites
You may be familiar with the five main signs of Drywood termite attack. They are:
- Small piles of sawdust-like frass (also called droppings or feces) on the floor below woodwork.
- Small holes (only 1/8” in diameter) in woodwork.
- Discarded wings left by swarmers (flying termites).
- Damaged wood, often evident by the hollow sound when knocked or soft enough to easily push a small screwdriver into.
- Termites making sounds you can hear.
However, if you see signs of a termite attack, the extent of the attack can be difficult to assess. Is it recent? Is it a single colony? Are other, hard to reach, places already being eaten?
In addition, the challenge faced by a homeowner looking for signs of termites is that it’s a bit hit-and-miss. Why so?
Why you might miss signs of termites?
Drywood termites are successful because they are so good at remaining undetected. The signs mentioned above are valuable indicators to look out for. But they are subtle and easily missed.
Small piles of termite frass and the small holes used to expel them from the colony can easily go unnoticed. If the frass and holes are in hard-to-reach locations you are unlikely to see them.
When Drywood termite swarms finish, discarded wings are often found. This can be a good sign of an infestation. Unfortunately, swarming termites will fly short distances and are attracted to light. If the wings have been left by a window, you won’t know from where the termites originated. Or even if they’re left from termites inside the house or outside. The wings may even be shed in an attic or basement and never be seen.
In the right circumstances, you may hear soldier termites banging their heads against the side of the wooden tunnels to communicate with each other. However, the sound is faint and any background noise is likely to obscure it.
Seen the signs but still confused?
While these are good indicators, they are not foolproof. Other culprits may be responsible for them.
Some beetles leave frass piles, holes in the wood may be old, shed wings could be from flying ants and soft wood may simply be rotten. It takes an expert to be certain of the cause.
Perhaps the biggest problem faced by a homeowner is that you can’t be sure you have termites in your home until they’ve already inflicted damage to your woodwork.
It is important to regularly check for termites on your property as a preventative measure. It is equally important to recognize that it takes the experience of a professional to positively identify a threat that thrives on secrecy.
Calling in your residential pest assassins at Southwest Exterminators when you see a problem is wise but the damage may be done by then. Periodic termite inspections can stop the problem before you are even aware you have one.
Why you need the experts
Southwest Exterminators will inspect your property thoroughly, from top to bottom. If there are signs of Drywood termites, we will find them using our years of experience and a range of non-invasive tools.
The search will include the easy to access open areas of your house but also the less accessible places, like attics and basements. If crawl spaces allow us room to operate safely, we will do so.
Where we cannot reach, we use detection devices to reveal hidden termite locations.
Treatment for Drywood termites is normally either localized or whole-structure. What type is used will be determined by the size and location of the colony or colonies. The effectiveness of any treatment, especially localized treatment, depends on the accurate detection of infestation sites which can only come from a professional inspection. It is crucial that every termite colony is found and destroyed or the problem will reappear.
Periodic inspections will spot early signs of infestation, ones that a homeowner may miss. This allows the problem to be resolved quickly and cost-effectively. Without a periodic inspection, an infestation may lurk undetected meaning the treatment will inevitably be more expensive when it is discovered.
Selling your house?
To avoid the risk of after-sales disputes, a periodic termite inspection would remove any anxiety over potential future problems.
Periodic Termite Inspections equals peace of mind
No one is safe from Drywood termite attacks in southern Utah, whether you are in St George or further north. If you see signs of termites, call us immediately. Our termite inspections will find your problem and offer the best way to solve it.
But why wait? A periodic termite inspection will catch the problem early, often before you are even aware of it. The sooner the termites are destroyed, the less damage they can cause and the cheaper it will be to fix.
If the inspection finds you are free from termites, we will advise you on how to prevent the possibility of termite attacks.
When you’re making your list of home maintenance, don’t forget to call your residential pest assassins at Southwest Exterminators about a regular termite inspection. You can then enjoy the peace of mind that comes from knowing your investment is safe from these nasty pests.
