7 Signs You Might Have Termites or Ants in Your Home
Termites may look like small, harmless pests, but they can cause more damage than rodents in the house. They feed on wooden materials and can destroy the structure of your home.
If you have never experienced anything like it before, here are clear signs to spot an infestation and call for professional help immediately. Captain Termite can help safeguard your home against infestation, especially termites and ants. Hollywood is one of the places they provide their services.
What Are Termites?
Termites look like small white insects with wings. They are about one-fourth of an inch in size, and most of the termite problems occur in South America. They can even survive through the winters, and like ants, they are workers. They mostly feed on cellulose, found in wood.
Termites are not harmful to the environment but help restore nutrients to the earth. Most termite colonies are found on old tree barks in forests and help break down old trees and return all the nutrients into the soil. Unfortunately, if you find termites back in your home, they won’t leave unless you call a professional for help.
If you’re spotting some signs of damaged wood, it might be an infestation. Your first response should be to call for professional help.
Signs You May Be Facing A Termite Infestation
If termites find wood in your house, it means an unlimited food source for them. They will soon find their way into all the wood in your house and invite others as well by leaving a trail behind.
Termites stay hidden, and this makes it very difficult to spot an infestation early. Here are a few signs to identify infestation:
A Bunch of Mud Tubes
Mud tubes are a huge sign that termites are in your home. These tiny insects build tunnels of mud by using their saliva to join the mud together. These tunnels are used to travel back and forth to other sources of wood or food.
If you see pencil-width veins like mud tubes in corners of your house or the attic, the chances are that termite colonies have started to form. These tubes will most likely be on the house’s foundation and can even be on the outside wall, so make sure to check every inch of your house.
A Swarm of Winged Insects
If you spot a swarm of winged termites flying in groups, that’s a huge indicator that there are termites present somewhere in your house.
These flying termites are adults and are also called swarmers. Call your local professional pest control team, Captain Termite, to inspect your house for termites.
Discarded Termite Wings
Adult termites with wings, swarmers, are not excellent flyers, and usually, get rid of their wings and resort to crawling. If you spot any discarded wings in your house, this is a sign that termites are living in your house and eating away your house’s foundation.
Termite Droppings
The biggest sign is if you spot Termites droppings. They leave it close to wooden structures and inside of wooden floors. Droppings may be difficult to spot, but if you do spot something like a dropping, it’s a sign that there is some form of infestation in your home, hidden behind the walls. Professional companies like Captain Termite can help inspect and solve this issue for you.
Damaged Wood
One of the most common signs is damaged wood furniture, surfaces, or flooring. Holes in wood and hollow sounds when tapped mean termites have been eating it up, and you need to take quick action before things get too severe. Other signs are softwood that easily breaks with a screwdriver or knife.
Will Termites Go Away on Their Own?
Once termites enter, they stay. They never leave a house that has ample amounts of wood or food. They hide within walls and stay hidden in order to safely eat away your house. That is why it is important to leave this task to professionals who know how to exactly eliminate them from your home.
Steps to Take If Termites Are Damaging Your Home
If you see any signs of termites or ants, don’t panic. Call Captain Termite right away.
They can easily help you estimate the amount of damage and figure out what treatment to use next. It is not something that you can use your DIY methods to eradicate. Professional companies know exactly what to do and don’t even miss one termite in your home to make sure it is termite-free again.
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7 Interesting (and disgusting) Facts About Termites
Termites are a nuisance, which is a fact that everybody who has experienced them knows. However, there are a lot of other facts that people don’t know regarding termites, and we guarantee this information will intrigue you. Don’t forget – when you’re in need of pest control in Fort Lauderdale, FL, contact the team at Captain Termite. We are a family-owned business committed to professional, quality service. We will ensure you feel safe in your home again.
Termites Cause Damage
This fact may not be a surprise, but did you know how much damage termites can cause? If we were to put a value on it, the answer would be they cause billions of dollars every year in the U.S. alone. They are more costly than many disasters, such as fires and tornados combined.
There are a few factors that contribute to termite’s level of destruction, the most common being that they are resilient and produce offspring extremely quickly.
They Promote Soil Health
Termites are extremely beneficial as long as they are not in or near your property. They make the best decomposers, breaking down plant fibers and dead trees, turning them into soil. The action of tunneling aerates the soil, which allows water and valuable nutrients to easily get to plant roots. This makes termites a crucial part of maintaining the health and stability of our national forests. So, as long as termites do not go anywhere near your home, they should be considered welcomed members of the environment.
Termites Feed on Feces
Did you know that termites have a lot of bacteria in their gut? This is the result of eating a significant amount of feces – don’t worry, they only consume their own poop, not that of humans. There is a scientific term to describe this, which is called “trophallaxis.” If this fact could not get any more disgusting, trophallaxis is a constant and important part of a termite’s life. Termites must continuously consume feces to supply the microorganisms in their system. Healthy microorganisms will, in turn, allow the termites to eat more trees.
They are Clean
It may seem implausible that the same critters that consume feces to feed microorganisms living in their gut can also be clean. However, termites do not like dirt. As a result, a lot of their time is spent cleaning each other. In addition to their admirable grooming practices, the dirt that they tunnel through and live in plays a role in keeping them clean by destroying parasites and bacteria.
Termites Avoid Sunlight
An extremely interesting fact many people do not know is that termites must not expose themselves to excess sunlight, as it has devastating repercussions. Why does this happen? Termites are so accustomed to living in the dark (i.e., underground tunnels), they can’t handle too much sunlight.
Keep reading! These facts are about to get even more interesting.
Only Kings and Queens Can See Well
When king and queen termites are young, they leave their nests to search for a mate, which aids in developing their vision. Because they are the only termites with wings, this facilitates the efficiency of their exploration (once they have found their mates and settle down, their wings break off). Whereas termite workers and soldiers do not have wings and also don’t need to explore. They stay within the underground tunnels and become practically blind. When you contact our pest control company in Fort Lauderdale, FL after spotting termite activity, it is the kings and queens you are seeing.
Termites and Cockroaches are Related
Termites share a common ancestor with cockroaches (and mantids). Termites have a close relation to one of the cockroach families. This common ancestor that they share dates back to the cretaceous period, approximately 79 million years ago. However, termites (and cockroaches) are much older than that.
Contact Captain Termite
As interesting as these termite facts may be, they can still cause extreme damage to your property. Termite infestation can result in thousands of dollars in repairs. Our team will eradicate the problem and make sure it does not return. We have over 20 years of experience and knowledge in termite and pest control. We deploy the latest techniques with the most advanced technology and only use the least toxic products on the market. For pest control in Fort Lauderdale, FL, contact Captain Termite. Call (954) 391-1726 to schedule your first appointment.