It’s that time of year again! Termites in Lexington will start showing up when the days are warmer and the gentle spring rains appear. Subterranean termites will begin to swarm during the day, anywhere from February through May. Don’t panic, there are things that you can do, and the first step is deciding how you're going to handle them this year.
Basically, you have two choices concerning termites:
- Wait for an infestation and be reactive after damage has been done.
- Plan ahead. Be proactive and stop an infestation before it starts.
With the first choice, you are likely to incur expenses for costly repairs. This is because termites are very elusive; and by the time you realize they are there, the damages are likely to be extensive. You could be looking at hundreds or thousands of dollars in repairs to your home that could have been prevented; and once all of that has been taken care of, without an effective monitoring system in place, new foraging termites will eventually be back. With the second choice, you can avoid termites altogether and skip the devastating damages that they can cause. The choice seems pretty simple!
Now in order to be proactive and take preventative measures, you should know a little about what the termite looks like and what it is capable of doing. 90% of damage done in the U.S. by termites is done by the subterranean termite. These termites live in large colonies in the wood they are consuming or in colonies deep beneath the earth. They are attracted to the moist environment in rotting wood or other areas around your home and yard that are damp. You may even find them in exterior walls and in basements. Pale worm-like termites with 6 legs and 2 antennae are the workers. Black termites with white wings are the swarmers. The swarmers are the ones that will reproduce. After they mate, they lose their wings and establish their own colonies not too far from the original.
To locate termites you would look for the mud tubes that they create as they go to and from the colony outside to your support beams inside. These are typically found running along the ground and up the side of the foundation of your home. Look for the swarmer’s shed wings that are left behind. Crack open that old stump or pull up piles of wood to look beneath to find termites. They will try to avoid you as best they can, and you may only see traces of their existence rather than the termites themselves. That’s a good reason to hire a professional termite control service in Lexington to locate, eradicate, and keep termites at bay. Another sign of termites will be damage to the wood inside your home. Your doors and windows may start to stick and walls, ceilings, and floors may begin to buckle, bulge, and dip. If you have wallpaper, you may notice lines and marks of a termite trail begin to appear in it. These subtle marks may appear in other fibrous items inside and outside of your home as well. Now is the time to contact that trusted Lexington pest control company to take control and stop the damage before spring swarms begin. Certainly, if your neighbors have termites, you will need protection right away. Termites reproduce rapidly and spread out creating numerous colonies over large areas.
In any case, you will want to contact Action Pest for a termite inspection or to sign up for a plan that best suits your needs. Our professionals will take care of the rest, and you can be assured that your Lexington home will be termite free.