Termite Awareness Month: Protecting Your North Carolina Home From Termites
Fun fact: Did you know April is termite awareness month? That’s right: it’s so important to know the ins and outs of these little guys that a whole month has been dedicated to learning about them.
Clegg’s Pest Control has been tackling termite infestations for a long time now, and we’ve played a significant part in making North Carolina homeowners feel safe and secure in their homes, free of termite influence.
We want to use this April to provide some of our most essential insights into termite prevention techniques and strategies you can use starting right now and what to do if you’ve identified a dangerous termite infestation that may compromise the structure or comfort of your home.
Then, we’ll give you a solution so that you can get rid of termites permanently.
Common Signs of Termites
Let’s begin with identification. Before you can appropriately combat any pest problem, you must make sure you know exactly what you’re dealing with so you can respond in the smartest, most effective way!
Termite Characteristics
While you’re more likely to notice termites in the aftermath of their presence than by catching them in the act, you still ought to know how they appear so you can identify them when needed.
Termites are typically between one-quarter and one-half inches in length, with some variation for differences between species. They are an amber brown, with two pairs of clear, white wings, six legs, and straight antennae.
If you find grooves in your support beams or furniture and suspect termites might be responsible, check to see if there are any broken/discarded wings or termite droppings (oval pellets about 1 millimeter in length) around the area of damage. These are common signs of termite activity, and if you find any, you can be confident you do, in fact, have termites that need to be dealt with.
Structural Damage
Hopefully, it never reaches this point, but if it has, you’ll be able to identify it pretty easily.
If you have termite damage in your home, you’ll notice it without ever needing to look at the wood directly. Sometimes, you might even mistake it for water damage. A long-term presence of termites might include sagging or swollen floors and ceilings, warping support beams, visible mazes carved into walls and furniture, wood with cracked veneer, and more.
You may also be able to pick up on termite occupation by the smell, which has been described as similar to mold or mildew.
Termite Prevention Strategies
The next thing we want to talk about is termite prevention. If you’re lucky and don’t yet have termites, you don’t want to tempt fate by willfully neglecting a few things that can dramatically reduce the risk of ever needing to deal with them in the future.
Termite Prevention Strategy #1: Inspections
Routine inspections conducted by pest control professionals like those found at Clegg’s can go a long way to early termite activity detection. Professionals are able to identify signs of termites and the conditions that are ripe for an eventual infestation, which gives homeowners an opportunity to take action before their house receives significant damage.
Termite Prevention Strategy #2: Moisture Control
Termites need water to survive, so keeping your thumb on the moisture levels inside your home is crucial for termite prevention. If you find any standing water, leaky pipes, or moisture build-up anywhere else, take immediate action to fix what you can, and add dehumidifiers to remove the dampness. This can include basements, crawl spaces, and other low-traffic areas you wouldn’t normally come across.
Termite Prevention Strategy #3: Treatments
In some cases, the best termite prevention strategy is to deploy a chemical treatment, like a soil treatment that uses liquid termiticides or termite baiting systems. This essentially creates a barrier that stops the progress of or eliminates termite colonies in a perimeter around your home.
Turn to Clegg’s for Effective Termite Protection
Do you need termite protection?
At Clegg’s Pest Control, we’ve seen the worst of it. We know exactly what kind of damage termites can do to a home if left unchecked, and we don’t want that for you. Hopefully, the actions you take to protect your home are enough, but in case you need additional support, there’s no alternative to professional experience.
It’s hard to get rid of termites permanently, but fortunately, Clegg’s has been doing this a long time, for homeowners all across North Carolina. We will take advantage of our termite expertise to identify and eradicate any termite threat facing your home. Then, we’ll empower you with customized knowledge and insights for your home so you can help make it termite-proof in the future!
Today, you might suffer termite fear and frustration, but with just a couple of steps, you can make tomorrow termite-free. Reach out online for a free inspection, or give us a call, where one of our customer support representatives will help.