termites Archives - Page 17 of 24 - Arizona Pest Control - Pest Management Services

There I was in the middle of the SWARM!

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So there I was in my car in the middle of I-17 on Sunday afternoon sitting in traffic. Somebody wrecked , actually it was some type of 5th wheel and it blocked the entire interstate. 2 hours of real boredoom until the termite swarm happened. A little bit of rain and I noticed some flying bugs and all of a sudden one landed on the car and it was a termite swarmer.

Desert subbterranean termite – mature colony is about 150,000, each colony can contain multiple secondary queens. The readily build mud tunnels over materials to reach wood. Thanks to ABC15 for the picture posted to FaceBook, check out their story.

Why is a termite inspection important?

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Termites are one of those things that I’ll bet most people don’t ever think about. Over 5 billion dollars are spent on damage every year, so I think it is important. The Office of Pest Management offers this article on termites and Wood-Destroying Insect Inspection Report here in Arizona. If I was spending my hard earned money, I think I would like an opinion about something I may or may not know much about.

Thanks to Univar Environmental Solutions for the picture.

Freaky nature show in New Orleans

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[embedplusvideo height=”281″ width=”450″ standard=”http://www.youtube.com/v/qDTdNBIt158?fs=1″ vars=”ytid=qDTdNBIt158&width=450&height=281&start=&stop=&rs=w&hd=0&autoplay=0&react=1&chapters=&notes=” id=”ep9418″ /]

I have spent many days and many hours in New Orleans, LA working on and studing termites. Termite swarms occur at different times of the day generally on the east coast of the U.S. Subterranean termites generally swarm in eary afternoon, drywood termites usually in late afternoon and Formosan termites in the evening. As an avid bug guy, I have to say that I love swarms. Whether its a Harvestor ant swarm or honeybees, I love them all. It is kind of funny, but many years ago when some of the termite baits came to the market and then Termidor came – many people thought that the termites would just go away. Never happened and probably never will. As great as those products are – the bugs continue to win.

Are termites on the prowl around your home?

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Subterranean Termite Tube

Termites are always on the lookout for water and some sort of wood, so they can eat. In Arizona inspect your home especially in the monsoon season when the rains come. The more irrigation or water increases your chances that you will see termites. They build these little tubes or tunnels to go from the ground up into your home.

About the only way sure way to control these termites is by placing a pesticide barrier between them and the wood, often this means hiring a Pest Management Professional. You need a complete exterior treatment and I suggest Termidor or Transport.

Ahhhhh those termites are at it again……

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Sometimes termites just pop up in the weirdest places, this is an apartment and I believe that the issue is the firewall – stemwall with a floating slab. I always suggest that if you find a crack in the concrete and your going to put down tile or wood, have a termite company drill it first then put the tile down.

What are my Top 4 pests that I run into daily?

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Drum roll please, my Top 4 pests that I run into daily are:

Scorpions
Crickets
Cockroaches
Termites

I get calls daily about scorpions and they are by far the most difficult to deal with, reduce their food source helps and getting rid of any harborages also help to make them move somewhere else. Crickets are just about everywhere and provide scorpions with all the food they need in my opinion. Its also amazing but I can spot termite tubes from the street and often spend hours putting cards on people’s doors to give them a heads up on termite activity.

Is it termites, no its cricket crap?

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Is it termites, no its cricket crap?

Subterranean termites – in Arizona and most other places in the U.S. they build mud tunnels.

Crickets are notorious at getting into the stucco or crack and crevices and living within that space. They fecal material just falls out of those spaces and we have been getting a lot of calls thinking that they have termites.

Close up view, notice the insect leg.

Just to throw you off, the picture below is Drywood Termites – notice the grooves.

Bathrooms and Termites, why?

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Bathrooms and Termites, why?

After learning about termites in Florida (I spent 8 years in Central Florida) I know that they really are drawn to water sources much like any animal or insect. Food, water and a place to live, that’s what they need and that’s what we need. So especially in Florida – abundant with water and bathrooms were the place I had more serious issues.

Here is Arizona I think the one thing that’s helps termites beyond the normal water, food etc is the footprint of homes. This footprint allows heat reduction and some water which allows termites to live within the shadow of us. So keep an eye peeled for signs of termites and you will be one step ahead of the game if they ever invade your home. Here is a list of things to look for:

Tunnels or tubes inside or out, inside could be very small but dirt is always present with Subterranean termites.
Drop tubes coming from your ceiling.
Baseboard that looks eaten from inside out, they won’t eat paint so it looks wrinkled.
I suggest an inspection by a Pest Management Professional – here is a great place to find one http://www.pestworld.org or just give ProBest Pest Management a call at 602-249-7378 or 623-414-0176

Tricky termite treatments

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Tricky termite treatments

Pavers, flagstone and tile always make a termite treatment more difficult. Sometimes it almost impossible, these pavers are in fact put in place with cement or sand. It is possible to drill but it also is worrisome because you might crack the paver. It is essential to the treatment to get the termiticide to the area where the termites may try to get into the home.

I also run across built in cabinets and they pose another obstacle to getting the termiticide to that expansion joint. What other issues do you think we run across on our daily termite treatments and do you have any unusual obstructions at your home or business?

What are some ways to discourage insects trying to enter your home?

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What are some ways to discourage insects trying to enter your home?

One of the things that Pest Management Professionals try to utilize are IPM or Integrated Pest Management techniques. These basic ideas include using non-chemical methods to reduce the bug population around your home.

This can be as simple as removing firewood from close to your home to maybe next to a block wall and making sure its not directly on the ground.
Trimming trees to prevent ants and other crawling pests from just walking right on it.
Using yellow lighting or sodium vapor lights on structures or businesses will help to reduce flying insects.
Keeping stone or dirt away from the stucco of your home so you can clearly see the foundation.
Sealing up any cracks and crevices where bugs love to hide, this may include those block wall bump-outs.
Keep trash cans away from doors where people come and go often.
Check your property often and stay ahead of the insects.

If you store lots of firewood a device like this can keep it off the ground and you can always cover it with a tarp.

All posts in “termites”

Subterranean Termite Tube

Is it termites, no its cricket crap?