One of the worst animal-related things that can happen to a household is for it to fall victim to a termite infestation. Of course, getting bombed by suicide bats trained by the enemy during World War II would have been much fun, either, but we're concentrating on the times of peace here.
Notoriously tough and resilient little buggers, termites can and will eat throw anything and everything. Wooden structures, in particular, are often the target of the termites' insatiable appetite.
The irritating thing about not only termites, but pests, in general, is that they have an extraordinary ability to hide, so entire colonies of ants or lairs of mice, rats, and even opossums can go unnoticed for years!
Thus, the way many people realize they have a termite situation is renovating their house. Once you start moving your furniture about and sending off dirty rugs for cleaning, you'll see all the little nooks 'n' crannies that insects and other pests might be using for prolonging their stay at your premises.
In this article, we'll give you a couple of pieces of advice pertaining to defending your home territory from these annoying intruders.
Right then, here's the deal.
What Are Termites?
Similar to ants in the way they form their elaborate colonies, termites are a type of highly social insect that inhabits all the continents except Antarctica. The main problem with termite, of course, is that they feed on cellulose – hence their 'infatuation' with wood and paper.
To make matters worse for pest exterminators, certain kinds of termite can survive extended periods of time without any water, so, provided they have enough wood to chomp through, they can remain in your house causing damage for years on end.
There are five types of termite:
- Drywood termite
- Dampwood termite
- Subterranean termite
- Formosan termite
- Conehead termites
Other than each of the species having a slightly different appearance, all of them can be found on all continents and can wreak a tonne of damage if their colonies are not destroyed on time.
Signs of a Termite Infestation
As we said before, figuring out you've got a termite situation going on can be quite tough in the first place. That said, if you take some time to look carefully into the parts of your home you perhaps don't frequent as much, you'll probably see some or all of the following symptoms (If you do have them onboard, that is.):
- Hollowed out wood – One of the most obvious giveaways of the presence of a termite colony would be hollowed out pieces of furniture or other items made out of wood. Termites have a strong tendency toward burrowing through and eating the inner parts of a wooden structure and leaving the outer layers intact. So, if you suspect one of your wooden pieces of the structure has fallen victim to a termite feeding frenzy, simply tapping on it might show if it's hollow or not.
- Damaged paint on wooden structures – As termites burrow their way towards the surface of a wooden structure, they also damage the paint and other protective layers of it along the way. If you see chipped paint or small bubbles of it where they shouldn't be any, you might have some termites in your furniture!
Termites are a big problem in areas with plenty of space where they can build their colonies and find ways into your house. If your termite situation is already getting out of hand and you happen to live in Brisbane, you can call in the folks from pest control Brisbane – they'll know all there is to know about them.
Ways of Treating Termite Infestations
As annoying as they are, termite infestations can be taken care of, if you take the right steps. Depending on what sort of effect you want to achieve, you can approach the process of 'determitization' in one of the following ways:
- Non-Chemical Treatments – Excluding insecticides and other chemicals from the termite-fighting equation means using physical barriers instead. It'd be important to mention, of course, that these should be set up during the construction of the house itself, or perhaps during its renovation!
- Chemical Treatments – These include a variety of termiticides coming in all shapes of forms. For example, baits and liquid chemicals you pour into the soil are some of the most popular solutions in this particular department. The touchy thing with chemical solutions is, of course, that the insecticide has to be approved by the EPA due to health and safety concerns for humans. Other than that, handling them even if they are approved can be tricky, so it's best to call in the professionals if you plan to go down the 'chemical' road.
All things considered, getting rid of termites can be a tough task, but one that can be accomplished. Ultimately, it's best you invest in preventive structures during the renovation process than wait for the pest to come into your home and attack them only then. Hope you found this article helpful and best of luck battling those pesky termites!
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