The termites that live in Reno are insects that live in the ground. We call them subterranean termites. When these pests infest your home or business, you're not likely to know it. They're sneaky. They tunnel through the ground and enter structures through wood that touches the ground. If they don't find wood touching the ground, they can create shelter tubes from the ground to the wood of structures. These tubes are often created in hidden areas, and it is usually hard to detect evidence of a termite problem and active termites.
Along with these issues, termites in Reno are active all year long. Join us as we look at how to detect these sneaky pests, the sneaky way they damage structures in Reno, and tips that deter termites. In the end, we'll tell you how to get rid of termites in Reno and keep termites away from home all year, every year. If you'd like to speak to someone about termite pest control in Reno, call Celtic Pest Control. Our certified professionals are happy to assist.
What Are Signs Of A Termite Infestation?
There are many ways to detect a termite infestation. Unfortunately, they're all subtle. You need to know what to look for and where to look if you hope to find signs of termites in your yard.
An Indoor Termite Swarm: If you find a termite swarm in your house, you don't have to wonder if you have an infestation. But we don't recommend waiting until you see a swarm in your house! Most of the time, termite swarmers emerge outdoors. They are attracted to light and prefer daylit outdoor environments to dimly lit interiors. If you find swarmers in your home, it is a warning sign of a severe infestation because it is evidence that the nest is very close to your home.
An Outdoor Termite Swarm: It isn't just bad to find termite swarmers inside your home; it is bad to find them outside too. When you find swarmers crawling on the outside of your home, there are two things you should know. Termite swarmers aren't interested in traveling long distances. They gather in a swarm to find mates, pair off, and get busy establishing nests. They don't travel far from their original nest. They are also not going to swarm for long. A swarm lasts less than an hour. It can come and go in the time it takes you to get groceries.
Swarmer Wings: Often, termite swarms appear and disappear before they're seen. The only evidence is swarmer wings left on the ground or on exterior structures, like your back deck. These wings are white and uniform in length. The wind can easily blow these wings away. We recommend checking spider webs for swarmer wings. Spider webs are like nature's sticky traps!
A Termite Swarmer: A warning sign of an impending infestation is the appearance of a single swarmer. You may see one land on your skin, crawl on your walkway, appear on your driveway, or on some other surface. That one little swarmer is easy to miss. A swarmer is only about 3/8 of an inch long. You'll need to look for details that will help you tell a swarmer apart from all the other insects that crawl around on the outside of your home. Depending on the species, a swarmer is black with white wings or dark orange with yellowish wings. The wings stack on top of each other and have a stretched teardrop shape.
Termite Workers: It is rare to see termite workers, but it is possible. The secret is knowing what they look like and where you may see them. Termite workers hide from view. They have a strong aversion to light. But you may pick up a dead branch in your yard and find these insects on the bottom. Termite workers are about 1/8 of an inch long and look like fat ants. The reason for their portly appearance is that they don't have a pinched waist like an ant. In fact, you may have difficulty telling where the thorax ends, and the abdomen begins. If you see pale-colored, fat-looking ants on a dead branch, those aren't ants; they're termites.
Shelter Tubes: Subterranean termites have a high moisture requirement. The reason is that the skin of a termite worker is thin and easily dehydrated. For this reason, they must create shelter tubes to go from the moist ground to the tunnels they create in the wood of your home—which they keep moist by lining the tunnel walls with soil. You may see shelter tubes on your foundation walls, but it is rare to find these structures out in the open. Worker termites have a strong aversion to light; they don't even like moonlight. Therefore, they create their tubes on surfaces hidden underneath structures or in crawlspaces. You're going to have to get dirty to find most shelter tubes.
Termite Damage: The vast majority of damage done by termites is on the inside of wood. The only evidence you'll likely see is splintering or tiny mud patches created when workers accidentally breach tunnel walls, which doesn't happen often. One way to tell if a wood timber is damaged is to tap on it. If it sounds hollow, that is a warning sign of hidden damage inside.
Termite Noises: It is rare for termites to make noises, but it does happen. The noise you may hear will sound like a rustling or clicking. What you're hearing is soldier termites banging their heads on tunnel walls. Why do they do this? It is a warning to workers and other soldiers that an enemy has entered their tunnels. It is rare for this to happen because soldiers actively plug entry holes into the tunnels with their big heads.
There you have it. Now you know how to detect termites on your property. As you can see, it isn't easy. That is why property owners invest in termite control. When a termite treatment is applied around the structures on your property, it stays in place all year long and continually works to keep these sneaky insects out.
How Termites Silently Destroy Your Home
When termites enter your home, they aren't going to reveal themselves to you until they've grown a nest for several years. It takes three or more years for a nest to produce swarmers. So, in those first three years, workers will secretly eat tunnels in the wood of your home.
We have more bad news. Not only will termite workers silently and secretly feed on the wood of your home, but you can also have a million termite workers feeding on your home at once. Why? Because termite workers can travel as far as the length of a football field in search of food sources. You can have more than one colony feeding on the wood of your home at the same time.
Tips To Make Your Home Less Appealing To Termites
Termites sneak up on you, but you can prevent them from doing this by making your home less appealing. The secret is to remove the conditions that attract termites. Here are a few helpful tips.
- When you pick up dead branches in your yard, store them in a bin rather than on the ground.
- Pick up all wood sources from the ground, such as scrap wood, construction materials, campfire wood, etc.
- Pick up cardboard and paper from the ground. Termites eat any material that contains cellulose, and moist cardboard is like ice cream to termites.
- Replace wood structures with materials that termites don't eat. For example, replace a wooden fence with vinyl fencing or replace wooden flower bed borders with stone.
- Address wood-to-soil contact on structures. For example, wooden deck posts that go into the ground should be pulled out, and your deck should rest on concrete piers. Termites will have to create visible shelter tubes to go from the soil to your deck supports.
- Fix gutter breaks and address obstructions in your gutters that cause rainwater to pour over and saturate the soil near your home. Termites are attracted to the damp ground.
Can you completely control termites with all-natural prevention? No. But these tips, along with routine inspections, can provide essential protection. These tips are critical if you don't have professional termite control installed.
How Do I Get Rid Of Termites In My Home?
When you find sneaky termites on your Reno property, contact Celtic Pest Control for a termite inspection and treatment. We use the most trusted, professional-grade termite control products. These products have a transfer effect, so they don't just eliminate termites. They will work to eliminate the colony that sent them. Once your termite control is installed in the soil around your home, it provides ongoing protection year-round, every year. There is no way to know when termites will attempt to damage your home or how much damage they will do. The only thing we know for sure is that professional termite control is guaranteed to protect your property from damage. Contact Celtic Pest Control today to learn more or request a free evaluation. We're here to help.
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