Termite Infestation Defense: Early Warning Signs And Solutions For Hattiesburg Homeowners

How To Identify Signs Of Termite Activity

You may only see termites if you notice the reproductive termites (swarmers) flying around lights, windows, or doors on your property in the spring. However, you can determine if they are your property by looking for these early warning signs of termites:

• Swarmers
• Mud tubes
• Discolored wood
• Discarded wings
• Hollow-sounding wood
• Blistering paint or wallpaper

For more details about these indicators, please keep reading.

The queen produces flying male and female termites two to four years after beginning a colony. These swarmers leave the nest after heavy spring rains to search for new satellite colony locations. When they find a suitable location, they land and discard their wings before burrowing into the soil. Search for discarded wings on window sills and at the base of doors.

Subterranean and Formosan termites (a type of subterranean termites) are the most problematic in our area. These termite species live in the damp soil near their food source. Since they cannot tolerate sunlight or high heat, they create mud tubes to protect them when they move above ground between the colony and food sources. Look for these structures along the foundation walls. 

When termites are inside walls, they do not eat through to the outside but leave a thin veneer. Due to the moisture on their body and the wood, the paper-thin barrier begins to bubble, causing paint or wallpaper to blister. Subterranean and Formosan termites eat along the grain inside timber. As they consume the wood, moisture wicks into the hollowed-out area, and the wood turns dark. Also, if you tap on termite-infested wood with a blunt object, it will sound hollow.

If you see these signs of termites, go on the defense and call Havard Pest Control.

What Kind Of Damage Can Termites Cause?

A small mature subterranean termite colony consists of 60,000 worker termites eating wood throughout the day and night. At that rate, they consume about 2.3 feet of a 2x4 board annually. A Formosan termite infestation is worse because these aggressive termites create colonies of two to three million workers that consume about one foot of a 2x4 board every 25 days. 

Warping window and door frames, collapsing structures, and sagging floors and ceilings are damages caused by a long-term termite termite infestation. Avoid termite damage and protect your investment by securing Havard Pest Control.

The Importance Of Quality Termite Control For Hattiesburg Properties

You need a termite service near your home with decades of termite control experience to defend your house against these wood-destroying pests. We will dispatch a certified technician to inspect your home for entry points, attractants, and termite hot spots. Next, we will design a plan to remove existing termites and a defense to stop future infestations. 

Because subterranean and Formosan termites live in the soil and travel via tunnels to and from their nest, we use the Sentricon in-ground bait system. Another method is to deploy Termidor liquid treatments into the ground. When Havard Pest Control investigates the situation, we recommend the best treatment to eradicate a termite problem on your property. 

Simple Tips To Prevent Future Termite Infestations In Your Home

Although you need termite control services from Havard Pest Control to end your current infestation, implementing these helpful tips will deter termites from living on your property in the future: 

• Remove rotting tree stumps, limbs, fence posts, and landscaping
• Divert water away from the foundation
• Repair leaking pipes
• Ventilate the crawl space, basement, and attic
• Relocate firewood 20 feet from the house and elevate it
• Eliminate wood-to-soil contact

Damp, rotting wood attracts termites to a property, so maintaining a clean, dry location will discourage swarmers from landing and creating colonies. 

Contact us at Havard Pest Control today to learn more and to schedule a free inspection.