Description
The most common termite in our territory is the eastern subterranean termite. Termite colonies consist of three shapes: workers, soldiers and swarmers. Workers are the smallest, measuring around 1/8 of an inch long. They are blind, wingless and soft-bodied and vary in color from creamy white to grayish-white. Workers are more numerous than soldiers and swarmers in a colony and they are the termites that actually eat the wood, causing all the damage.
Soldiers resemble workers, except they are larger and have rectangular heads that are yellow-brown in color and feature a prominent set of jaws. Swarmers are the termites responsible for reproduction. They can be male or female, winged or wingless. Unlike soldiers and workers, swarmers vary in color from black to yellow-brown.
Importance
Termites eat the cellulose contained in dead plant material so if materials such as leaf litter, wood, soil and dung are present then it is possible termites may infest. Also if your neighbor has termites, swarming termites are likely to invade your property in order to make a new colony. Termite treatments at the property next to yours can also push termites onto your property.
While termites are not known to carry diseases they are damaging pests to have around. Termites primarily eat wood, though they will also go after cloth, paper and carpets. The structural damage they can do to a home can go undetected, until, for example, beams and foundational posts collapse.
Control Methods
Guardian uses a non-repellent insecticide called Termidor. This is injected into the soil around and under the foundation of a house. Because it is non-repellant, termites will be unaware they have come into contact with it, which means they will travel through it and carry it back to their colony, beginning a domino effect.
Guardian digs a shallow trench around the house and then inserts a four foot steel rod with openings on both ends deep into the ground. This is then filled with the liquid insecticide, which seeps into the soil both around and under the foundation.
Treating for termites yourself is not recommended as the equipment and pesticides that are most effective are not readily attainable. Hiring pest control professionals like the team at Guardian Pest Solutions is the most effective way to eradicate termites on your property.
Termite prevention centers on hindering their ability to find wood, water and shelter. Make sure downspouts and gutters direct all runoff away from the foundation, use wood types that are naturally resistant to termites, remove old tree stumps around property and avoid using wood mulch near the foundation.
One advantage you have is that termites are not the fastest-moving pests. They feed slowly and therefore expand their territory slowly.
