The Best Termite Protection For Your Birmingham, AL Property
One of the homeowners’ worst nightmares, termites have long been a source of quiet destruction for property owners the world over. Though they do have many environmental benefits and are a vital part of many ecosystems, that doesn’t mean you want to roll out the welcome mat and have these voracious six-legged devils devouring your walls. Fortunately, there are lots of things you can do to keep that from happening. Let’s take a look.
Benefits Of Termites
As we said above, termites are actually a vital part of the environment. One of the termites’ most important jobs is the decomposition of dead trees. Termites eat cellulose, so they make their homes either inside dead logs or the soil around them for easy access to food. When they digest wood, termites excrete nutritious waste that goes back into the soil, fertilizing it for future generations of trees.
Termites also provide nutritious food for many animals. Arthropods like centipedes, scorpions, and spiders, as well as vertebrates like lizards, frogs, toads, rodents, and birds all, consume termites. These animals, in turn, provide food for larger predators. That means termites are one of the building blocks of the food chain without which many species might not survive.
Dangers Of Termites
Despite all their benefits, termites are also destructive little denizens. Because they eat wood, they can and often do consume one of the most vital parts of your house: its support frame. Termites also can destroy other components of your home, such as door and window frames, decks, railing, stairs, and molding. If left unchecked, termite colonies will proliferate, creating multiple satellite nests near the site of the original and exponentially increasing the amount of damage the infestation does.
Signs Of Termite Infestation
One of the worst things about termites (besides the havoc they can wreak on your home, that is) is the fact that you might not ever see them. Termites rarely leave their nests for anything other than reproduction, so that means you can have an infestation for months or even years before you recognize there’s a problem. In that time, termites will often have quietly done a significant amount of damage. That means you need to be vigilant for signs of termites. These include:
Wood rot that looks like water damage
Visible tunnels in wood
Rustling sounds inside walls
Walls that sound hollow
Pinholes in walls
Carton/frass – a mix of termite droppings and sawdust
Wood damage like warped floors/walls/ceilings or doors and windows that don’t fit their frames anymore
Another termite sign that could signal you have a major established infestation is a termite swarm. To make satellite nests, mature termite colonies send out winged reproductive males and females called alates. The job of the alates is to pair off, mate, and create new nests where they’ll produce the next generations of workers, soldiers, and alates.
To find a mate, alates will swarm by the hundreds or even thousands. If you see a swarm, it’ll be obvious because you’ll see large clusters of small, dark insects with long, white wings. If you miss the swarm, there will still be signs that it happened. Piles of discarded long, veiny wings indicate that a swarm recently took place.
What To Do About Termites
If you see any of the signs of termites, it’s important to contact a professional right away. Termites do so much damage that they’re not a pest you should risk trying to handle yourself. The good news is, we’ve got all the latest tools and techniques for termite termination right here at Superior Pest Management. We can help you get rid of any termite infestation, no matter its size, and ensure it stays gone for good. So give us a call at (205) 462-7001 or visit our contact page to schedule your service today!