Adelaide's Best Termite Control for Beginners

Last updated: June 11, 2018  Out of all the pests which homeowners face, there are none which are as expensive and as damaging as termites. These insects feed on cellulose, the organic fibrous substance in timber and plants, meaning they will literally eat your house, so youll need to get rid of them fast. .

There are two main ways that termites may come to infest your house (assuming they werent already there in the first place); from air and through the ground.

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Even a drywood termite infestation typically occurs when an existing colony sends out flying termite swarmers. Once these swarmers find a wooden crevice in your home, they lose their wings, carve out a little nest, and begin laying eggs to initiate a brand new termite colony.

On the other hand, subterranean termites, whose colonies are underground, can enter your house through its foundations. As these termites forage for food, they may stumble upon a rich new food source your home. Subterranean termites commonly build mud tunnels over foundation walls to access the wooden areas of the construction.

Note: While you will find different species of termites, these are the two most common species responsible for the majority of the damage to peoples homes.

One of the main reasons that termites can be so damaging is that by the time that many homeowners find the infestation, acute damage has already been done. A termite infestation is similar to cancer; detect it early and chances are pretty good, catch it late and the treatment will probably likely be painful and intensive. .

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Because of this, it is extremely important that you learn how to identify the signs of a termite infestation. Keep a look out to the following:

If you see a swarm of winged termites near or around your house, thats a sure sign that a termite colony is nearby. Similar to winged ants, these winged termites are more very likely to swarm around a light source. They also look quite similar, and the layperson will not be able to tell them apart. .

Termite swarmers dont keep their wings long. Once they shed their wings, they're in search of areas to construct new nests.

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If you notice small piles of lost swarmers wings on areas like window sills, or captured in spider webs, there may be a termite colony nearby; or even one about to begin.

Mud tubes are small tunnels built by termites to transport meals back to their colony. Source: masseyservices.com

Subterranean termites build mud tubes (occasionally known as guardian or foraging tubes) as links between their food source and their colony. All these are made of dirt, debris, and timber, and they help protect the colony against predators and conserve moisture.

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In case have a peek at these guys you have a subterranean termite infestation, you will find these tubes at the foundations of your home or in its own substructure.

As subterranean termites eat through the timber of your dwelling, they produce termite galleries. These are the empty spaces left in the timber as they burrow through it. Normally, termite galleries run parallel to the grain of the wood.

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Drywood termites leave behind their fecal droppings as they munch through the wood in your house. Their droppings, known as frass, are pellet-shaped, and seem like thick grains of sand or sawdust. If you find mounds of termite droppings in and around your house, you probably have a drywood termite infestation. .

Termites will eat your home from the inside out; thats what makes them so insidious. A piece of wood could look perfectly normal on the outside but be absolutely infested with termites on the inside. If you imagine that a termite infestation at a certain place, tap or puncture the wood to see whether its hollow.

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Coupled with other signs of termite infestation, swollen wooden floorboards can mean there is termite damage underneath them.

Termites enjoy dark and moist areas. Thats why they live just under the surface of the wood and bring in helpful site moisture into their termite galleries. This moisture can often cause the wood to swell. In case you have termites in your wooden floors, the floors will likely start to swell. Likewise the moisture can also result in the paint on wooden surfaces to peel or bubble; especially if the termites have eaten all of the way up to the paint coating. .

As these signs are similar to the signs of general water flows (since theyre both due to moisture), be sure that you rule out any water flows first. If you've determined that water escapes are not the reason, you can inspect further by seeing if the timber has become hollow.