Grass eating termites love old decaying wood or cellulose. This can be cactus or just plain grass .
Normally speaking these seldom make their way into structures but keep an eye out for mud tubes on your foundations wall on inside on the drywall.
Yep it’s termites, not surprising to anyone in the business. If there is a crack in the foundation slab then it is probable that you might get termites breaching the slab. That slab crack serves at a gateway right into your home and very little except termiticide will stop them for good. I suggest Termidor HE,
State-of-the-art molecular technology dramatically improves the transport of the Termidor HE Copack active ingredient into the soil creating an Enhanced Protection Zone.
It utilizes an advanced nonrepellent, or “undetectable,” liquid technology that termites cannot see, smell, taste, or avoid.
Two things caught my attention about this article “Tree falls on home and kills woman“.
- This article is from Illinois, generally not known for big termite infestations.
- You don’t often hear about deaths related to termites, mosquitoes or ticks maybe but not termites.
Termite photo by PPMA
Photo by FMC
So just how much pressure is on your home, that question is important and many factors play into this equation.
- If you live on the East Coast or Gulf of Mexico the pressure will be greater than if you lived up North. Yes you do have termites in the North but because of he extreme cold the pressure will be reduced.
- Water plays a big part of the pressure round your home. When people started to settle in Arizona they brought in non-native plants which required more watering. Flood and drip irrigation = humidity level goes up.
- We sometimes play right into the termites hand by building structures right where they live in the ground. We also allow wood to touch the ground, this really makes it easier on the termites.
- If you add onto your home insist on a pretreat, even if your build a shed pretreat the soil before the concrete slab goes into place.
Sometimes when addressing a termite issue in a home, it really pays to know your stuff. I look at distance from the outside of the home, I look for cracks and often times I have an idea of where they are getting access. I usually write notes to the technician to give my opinion because the adage is generally correct – 2 minds are better than one.
I have mentioned before if you are replacing carpet or tile and you find cracks in the slab – it is better to be proactive dealing with termites. Always better to drill before the new floor goes down. I really hate messing up a newly installed floor – call and ask for our opinion. ProBest Pest Pest Management 602-249-7378
They are munching at wood 24/7/365 and frankly speaking you know it’s just a matter of time before they get to your home. Termites consume wood or cellulose and convert it into energy to live. So what should you look for:
- Mud tubes on your foundation.
- Mud tubes or small little holes in your
From almost the dawn of man, rodents and bugs have been trying to stay close to us. Why you ask, I think the main reason is that we tend to want to stay dry and we collect things like food. Animals, bugs and us want the same things:
- Food
- Water
- Shelter
So when we moved into caves, they followed. When we moved into houses, they followed. So as we became smarter so did they. Bed Bugs probably were Bat Bugs to begin with, they moved into caves because we did. When we moved into houses they followed.
With that movement came pest control, OK a version of it somewhat. When early man found Bat Bugs they might have thought of moving or washing the antelope skin they were sleeping on. Da da pest control, we might never really know who was the first to step on a bug but Pest Control it is!
Photo by PPMA
I think the question I get asked the most at this time of year is “Why am I seeing more bugs in my house than any other time of year”?
So lets imagine that you are a bug and all of sudden it rains and I mean it rains hard. Your home becomes wet or flooded, you react by trying to go higher and that might be your home. You see the bug doesn’t know your house from a tree or a rock.
OR
It doesn’t rain and the bugs that you feed upon aren’t coming by your place, so you have to go out looking for food. That bug comes to your home and climbs and climbs just looking for food.
So if we can think like a bug, attack you where you live or hangout – then we stop you. If I was a bug this is where I would hangout and this is one area we treat.
Those termites will find any way into the house, sometimes it just works out that it is a pipe. Originally a pretreat was done and this should work for many years, if the pretreat was done correctly. So as you are doing your monthly inspection, it would be wise to check any pipe penetrations through your foundation slab. I actually found one swarmer (reproductive) or alate termite walking around inside the shower.
It’s monsoon season here in Arizona so termites are usually a little more active, so please check your home or give us a call at 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176.
Rant and rave post:
First off this story is out of Canada but could be taken right out of the news here in the US. “Homeowner wants city to cover the cost of termite inspections” and ultimately corrective procedure measures and the cost.
Here is my opinion: you own the house it is your responsibility – where and when did it become part of the Governments responsibility? Just this last week my truck windshield was hit by 2 rocks or stones in one day. I think the Government should reimburse me for the cost of replacing my windshield. It is their highway and they put the rocks on the side of the road. See the difference, oh wait there isn’t a difference – sh– happens folks and it is the cost of driving or owning a house.
Now with that said, I can see maybe the local extension office getting involved with opinions and advice but this clearly is the role of a homeowner. Come on people, the Government is too BIG as it is – where does it stop. Comments please.
Photo by PPMA