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Don't Let Your Home Fall Victim To These Sneaky Pests
If you own property in Nashville, it is vital that you understand the threat termites can present to your investment, especially in the summer when termite season is at its height. Nashville is home to the most destructive type of termite in the U.S., the subterranean termite. This classification of termite costs U.S. property owners billions each year. This is due, in part, to the way subterranean termites behave. And this behavior is connected to what makes the subterranean termite a year-round threat. Let's examine the problem together and see how the Nashville pest control professionals at All-American Pest Control, Inc. can help!
When a termite colony matures, it begins to create male and female reproductives. These are winged termites that leave the colony and create a new colony. If they choose your property, they will find a location that provides a food source with cellulose in it, such as wood. But you're not likely to see these flying termites when they encroach. Termite swarms rarely last more than 30 minutes. And they don't travel very far. When swarmers are noticed, they should be considered a warning sign of a current and mature infestation on your property.
Termite swarmers, also called alates or winged reproductives, are only about ⅜ of an inch in length. That's including the length of their wings, which are white and rounded at the tips. These wings will be the most noticeable characteristic because looking at termites from above, the length of the wings account for more than a sixth of the termite's length. And you're likely to see several swarmers grouped together.
When two reproductives (the queen and her king) shed their wings and establish a nest, they do it under the ground. That is why they're called subterranean termites. Often they'll make a nest several feet under the ground, below the frost line. This is why they can make it through the winter without freezing to death. It is also why they can be a year-round pest. They're not concerned about snow, ice, or the wind chill factor.
Once a new nest is established, the queen will begin to produce termite workers. These are the termites that feed on your home. All other termites depend on the workers for their sustenance.
When worker termites go out to feed, they may travel as far as the distance of a football field in search of food sources. That means a termite nest doesn't have to be right up against your home in order for damage to be done to your property. It also means that subterranean termites can come to feed on your Nashville home in the cold months.
Worker termites have an aversion to light, so they come up in dark, moist locations that are often hard to see into or gain access to, places such as underneath a deck, porch, patio, or inside a crawl space. This makes it extremely difficult for an untrained individual to detect the presence of termites. And it is why subterranean termites can cause considerable damage before they are discovered. They are secretive by nature.
When worker termites feed on a home, they continue to remain concealed. Their aversion to light will have termites feeding all the way up to the paint or wallpaper on your walls. So, even while your walls look intact, there could be considerable damage.
The worst behavior of all is the way in which termite workers feed. When a food source is found, worker termites will recruit other termites to consume it but they don't recruit "every" termite. Other termites in the colony will continue to look for food. That means they can attack your home from several points at one time, thus spreading out the damage. When you finally start to notice the damage being done, it is likely that it will be widespread.
As you can see, subterranean termites are a year-round pest control problem that has the potential to do extensive damage to your home. So, how do you protect your investment?
The experts here at All-American Pest Control trust the Sentricon® System with Always Active™, to protect property in Nashville. Sentricon® with Always Active™ is a bait solution that does not require drilling or trenching, the way termiticide treatments do. And, as its name implies, this product is always active. When worker termites come to feed on a home that has Sentricon® with Always Active™ protection, this termite solution immediately begins to use those workers against the colony that sent them. And the best part is that it relies on the behavior of worker termite for its success. Because those workers never stop looking for food sources, they are going to find the bait in the Sentricon® baits stations. When they do, it is the beginning of the end for their colony.
Reach out today to get started and to learn more about our residential and commercial pest control services in Nashville.
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