Subterranean termites exploit tiny cracks in your home’s foundation. This can be easy or difficult depending on the type of foundation you have. For instance, slab foundations tend to crack easily and are thus easily exploited by termites. Concrete foundations that are reinforced with rebar, however, take a longer time to accrue the cracks necessary to give termites access to your home. Depending on the age of your home, however, you are still at risk if you have a concrete foundation.
One of the reasons why termites cause so much damage every year is that most homeowners won’t realize that there’s a problem until it’s too late. To avoid serious damage caused by termite infestations, you should conduct routine inspections to ensure that a termite colony doesn’t gain a foothold in your home.
How to Identify Termites and Termite Activity
Termites and ants are closely related, genetically. It can therefore be difficult to tell them apart and they’re easily confused with white ants due to their coloring. Termites tend to be lighter than black ants but darker than white ants. Instead of appearing solid, their bodies appear slightly translucent.
If you remember back to high school when you took science, you’ll remember that insects are composed of three segments: The head, thorax, and abdomen. In ants, each of these three segments is clearly defined and easy to identify. Termites, on the other hand, only appear to have two segments (even though they have three). You won’t be able to see a clear difference between their thorax and abdomen.
If you have a termite infestation, you may also notice tiny discarded wings near major areas of activity. The reproductive termites have wings and they use them to fly away and start new colonies. However, once they’re settled in, their bodies discard those wings, so this is a sign that you have a termite colony operating on your property.
You may also notice small piles of “salt” near key areas of termite activity. This is termite poop and a strong indicator that there is a serious infestation.
Lastly, if you’re not sure if you have a termite problem, you can kill one and bring it to Pointe Pest Control and we’ll help identify it for you.
Do Over-the-Counter Remedies Work?
They kill termites, if that’s what you’re asking, but they won’t necessarily destroy the entire colony. They can reduce the colony’s numbers, but you’ll have to continue to deploy the product indefinitely and you may never eradicate the entire colony. Worse, you won’t address the root cause of the problem which is cracks in your foundation allowing easy entry into your home. Pointe Pest Control offers a solution that will eradicate the problem and prevent future infestations.
