What To Do If You Think Your Reno Home Has Termites

For most of us, buying a home is the most significant investment we'll ever make. Because of that, we try to do what we can to make sure our properties are well-kept. It's not an easy task to maintain your home, but it's worth it to prevent problems from occurring or growing out of control. From small repairs to bigger home renovations, there's always something that needs to be done.

However, with a neverending to-do list and a busy schedule filled with work and family commitments, it's easy to let things slip through the cracks. Unless an issue is right in front of your face, there's a high probability that it will go unnoticed. For instance, a broken window demands immediate attention, but a small hole in your siding might go unobserved for weeks or months until you realize that mice have been using it to get into your house.

Another issue that can go unnoticed is a termite infestation. Termites spend their lives underground. When they get into your house, they live in your walls, so they can easily get inside and spend months or even years going completely undetected. Because of that, it's no wonder they cause billions of dollars of structural damage to homes and businesses in the United States every year. If you don't want your house to become part of that statistic, you need to know what to do if you think termites have gotten into your home. Celtic Pest Control provides termite and pest control in Reno. Let our experts provide the information you need to make informed decisions about termites in your Reno home. Learn more below about termites, termite activity, the signs of a termite infestation, how to prevent termites, and what to do if you think termites are active in your house.

How To Identify Signs Of Termite Activity

Knowing how to identify the signs of termites and a termite infestation is important if you want to figure out if termites are active in your house. Unfortunately, the signs that termites are active in your house are often subtle and easy to miss. You not only have to know what signs to look for but also have to take the time to actually look for those signs to determine if termites are active on your Reno property.

You should start by looking along your foundation walls, both inside and outside of your structure. Most termites cannot be exposed to direct sunlight, so in order to get from the ground into your house, they build mud tubes. These tubes are brown, about the width of a pencil, and are usually found along foundation walls. As their name indicates, they look like tubes made out of mud because that is exactly what they are. If you find mud tubes, it's a sign that termites are active on your property.

Another sign to look for, especially in the spring, is a termite swarm. Reproductive termites come out in the open to mate. These termites are larger than the other termites in the colony and look similar in appearance to flying ants. They arrive in a large swarm, pair up, shed their wings, then go back underground to start their own colonies. If you see a large group of termites with wings, or if you find a bunch of discarded wings, you've likely discovered a termite swarm, which is a sure sign of a termite infestation. As previously mentioned, termite swarms often occur in the spring, usually after a rain shower, but they can happen at other times of year as well.

To determine if termites are present on your property, you can also look at any areas where wood has direct contact with the ground. If you have a wooden fence on your property, dig down into the soil to see if the wood has tunneling damage. If it does, you probably have termites on your property.

There are signs to look for inside your house as well. If you have any areas of exposed wood in your house, such as open beams, check them for tiny holes. If you find any holes, you'll also want to look for small piles of frass near the holes. Frass is a substance that looks similar to sawdust. It is the waste of termites that they push out of the holes as they build their tunnels and nests.

Other signs of a termite infestation inside your house include:

Windows and doors that stick or are difficult to open and close.
Wallpaper and paint that appears to be bubbling or peeling.
Walls and ceilings that sag and bulge.
Floors that buckle.
Wood that sounds hollow when you knock on it.

Any of these signs could indicate that termites are active in your house. If you notice any of these signs, you'll want to contact Celtic Pest Control right away to confirm the infestation and provide the services necessary to eliminate it.

Why Termites Infest And Destroy Wooden Structures

Termites don't destroy your house to be mean. In fact, although we think of termites as dangerous, bad pests, they actually have a very important role to play in our ecosystem. When termites remain in their natural habitat where they belong, they help break down dead and rotted trees, which in turn puts important nutrients back into the soil for new, healthy plant and tree growth. Their job also keeps forests from becoming overrun with dead and fallen trees because termites help these trees decompose faster than they would on their own.

Although they perform an important function in the natural world, you still don't want a termite infestation in your home. Termites in nature are good, but termites on your property are bad. Why do they infest homes? The answer is simple: They do what they need to do to survive.

Termite colonies can grow incredibly large. A mature colony can range from tens of thousands to millions of termites. When reproductive termites leave their colony, they'll start a new colony not far from the old one. Because they need food to survive, they'll look for a place that provides the cellulose products they eat, as well as the area they need to nest. If they find those things in your house, that's where they'll stay. Since most houses are built with wood or have wood in them, termites can find the food and shelter they need in your house and will destroy the wooden structures in your home to survive and grow their colony.

You'll Need Professional Assistance To Get Rid Of Termites

Avoiding termite damage means avoiding having termites in your home or on your property. If you think you have a termite problem or if you want to avoid one, you'll need professional assistance. For termite protection in Reno, you want Celtic Pest Control. We offer wood-destroying pest inspections, termite control treatments, and termite control pre-treatments.

As the best termite control company for your Reno home, Celtic Pest Control takes our job to protect your home from termites seriously. We are highly trained in identifying termites, termite activity, and termite damage. If you have looked around your house but simply aren't sure if termites are present or not, let our experienced professionals take a look. We have the training and tools to identify the subtle signs of a termite infestation that can easily be missed. If you have active termites on your property, our termite treatments are comprehensive and effective at eliminating the infestation. If we don't see signs of a termite infestation, you can prevent new termite colonies from forming by taking part in our termite prevention services.

Practical Tips To Prevent Termites From Coming Back

Although the best way to ensure your home stays free of damaging termites is to implement professional termite control services, there are also things you can do to avoid termite problems in the future. Termites are attracted to certain things, and if you know what those things are, you can eliminate them from your property, making your house less likely to be infested by termites.

The following termite prevention tips will help:

Avoid anything with direct wood-to-soil contact. This applies to fence posts, deck support posts, and more.
Store wood piles off the ground and a safe distance from your house.
Minimize areas of moisture around your yard, especially near your house and any wooden structures.
Take care of water leaks right away.
Replace rotting boards with solid, dry wood.
Look for water-damaged wood and replace it with solid, dry wood.
Conduct regular inspections to look for any signs of termite activity.

By taking the simple steps mentioned above, you can make your house and property less likely to be infested by termites.

If you have any reason to believe that termites are already on your property, or if you want to make sure they're not, give us a call at Celtic Pest Control. We offer the expertise and experienced services you need to make sure your house doesn't become one of the many that require repairs due to extensive termite damage. Contact us today!

What Celtic Pest Control Customers Are Saying

"My overall experience with your company was very good. They were on time and professional. They did good work and answered all questions we had. From the first point of contact with your company, we have had a good experience. Great customer service. We will use them in the future and highly recommend them!"

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