Why is it difficult to control termites?

Termites are difficult to control for several reasons. First, termites can enter your home during mating season when reproductive termites swarm to find mates. Drywood termites can squeeze into a very small crack in your home’s wood and nest, growing their new colonies in hard-to-access areas of your home such as attics, wall voids, and other low traffic areas. Aggressive and invasive Asian and Formosan subterranean termites find access to your home through wood to ground contact. These super destructive termites do not live in your home but in the soil near your home. Subterranean termites construct mud tunnels that they use to transport the wood in your home to their massive colonies, with populations in the millions. With a lot of mouths to feed, Formosan and Asian subterranean termites eat any type of wood, including live wood, utility poles, and just about anything containing cellulose in and around your home. These invasive termites can damage your home in as little as six months, half the time it takes for drywood termites to cause damage.

Often, homeowners are completely unaware of termite activity until, or unless, they see frass (sawdust-looking substance) or discarded wings on windowsills or furniture. Some homeowners may not notice until walls, floors, window frames, and doorways look warped or appear water damaged, with blistering paint. Hollow-sounding walls that you can easily poke a hole through are also a good indication of termite activity.

Termites are difficult to control because they are typically eating away at your home unbeknownst to you. And, attempting to eliminate termites with DIY (Do-it-Yourself) commercial products just is not as effective as professional termite elimination treatments. Contacting a professional pest control company, such as Pestwise is the only way to effectively rid your home of termites. After inspecting your Clearwater home or business, our trained and certified team of termite experts will make recommendations about how to treat drywood termites (tent fumigation and/or no-tent solutions) and subterranean termites (baiting system or traditional liquid treatment depending on the type of structure, level of infestation, and the location of the infestation in the structure)