Are Termite Swarmers Dangerous In Nashville?

There are many ways insects can be dangerous. Some insects sting, and the venom from a stinging insect can cause a dangerous allergic reaction. Some insects bite and transmit diseases that can make us sick. Termite swarmers don't do either. Some insects get into trash and pick up harmful bacteria or parasitic worms and then transfer those tiny organisms to stored foods. Termite swarmers don't eat the foods we eat. And termite swarmers don't even eat wood. The female and male swarmers that mate and start a colony will live off the food provided by the worker termites. If swarmers don't find a mate or a suitable place to establish a nest, they will die. This is one reason why you may find dead termite swarmers on the window sills inside your home. It is also why termite swarmers aren't dangerous to your belongings, like a clothing moth, silverfish, carpet beetle, or rodent can be. But termite swarmers can be dangerous to your home if they establish a nest in the ground near your property. Let's talk about how this works.

Termites In Nashville

In our area, we have subterranean termites. They rarely, if ever, establish a nest inside our homes. These insects prefer to be in the ground. In their ground nests, they will produce worker after worker, and send them out in search of food. If those workers find the wood of your home, you could have some problems. Slowly, over time, worker termites can nibble on your home and create a lot of damage. They do this in a way that is very secretive. You can have hundreds of thousands nibbling on your home and not know it.

Before They Nibble

If you would prefer to not have thousands of worker termites secretly nibbling on your Nashville home, there are a few ways you can stop them.

• Learn to recognize a termite swarm. While swarms last less than 30 minutes, you might see swarmer termites. If you do, you'll notice their white wings. The wings of a swarmer stack on its back and are twice as long as the swarmer's body. These wings look rounded at the tips and don't have a cleft like the wings of an ant.

• Learn to recognize one termite swarmer by itself. Termite swarmers are small and easily brushed away. But, if you see a ⅜ inch-long, white-winged insect with a black body, land on your arm, take notice.

• Look for wings. Termite swarmers shed their wings after they mate. If you find white wings scattered on the ground, or stuck in cobwebs underneath structures on your property, or lying on a window sill inside your home, contact a licensed professional.

• Remove wood from your yard to make your property less attractive to swarmers and worker termites. Pay particular attention to stumps, logs, and rotting wood. When you remove decaying wood, you remove a preferred food source.

• Address moisture. Termites are attracted to damp areas. Make sure your gutter system is clear and working properly. Repair any plumbing leaks. And remove leaves and other organic debris that can capture moisture underneath.

• Invest in termite protection. There is no better way to stop secretive termites. The two forms of termite protection used by licensed professionals and experts are liquid termiticides and termite bait stations.

At All-American Pest Control, we trust the Sentricon® System with Always Active™ to protect Nashville properties from termite damage. If you'd like to learn about how this effective, award-winning control product uses bait to eliminate colonies that come to feed on your home, we'd love to tell you about it. Reach out to us today and talk with one of our knowledgeable agents. We're here to help.