Five Quick & Simple Ways To Protect Your Jacksonville Property From Termites
Oct 20, 2020
In Jacksonville, it isn't a matter of if your home will be attacked by termites, but rather a matter of when. The easiest and most effective way to protect your Jacksonville property is to invest in professional termite control service. But you might not be ready to make this important investment. If you're in this boat, we strongly encourage you to at least implement the following five quick and simple steps to protect your property the best you can. You don't get a second chance to prevent the devastation of a termite infestation.
1. Recognize A Termite Swarmer When You See One
When termites select your property to infest, you might see a swarmer or two. If you see hundreds, or thousands of swarmers, it is a warning sign of a current and mature infestation. This is not a great way to detect an infestation. It takes years for a nest to produce swarmers—that's years of termite damage that could have been prevented.
What does a swarmer look like? A swarmer is easy to identify because it has white wings that stack on top of each other and are rounded at the tips, forming a stretch teardrop shape. It will be black or dark orange, and have two antennae that create a V shape. One swarmer isn't much to look at since it is only about ⅜ of an inch from head to wing tips. Take notice when a tiny, white-winged insect lands on your skin. It could prevent you from having thousands of dollars of termite damage.
2. Recognize The Signs Of A Termite Swarm
If a dozen swarmers break away from the swarm and inspect your yard as a potential nesting site, some of those swarmers may become the victim of spiders. Checking spider webs around your property can alert you to an infestation. The next time you're tending to your landscaping and you see a spider web, take a quick moment to inspect it for swarmers or shed swarmer wings. You may find shed wings in other places, such as window sills, deck boards, and on the mulch of your landscaping.
3. Recognize Termite Workers
It is rare for a termite worker to ever expose itself, but you can expose workers as you work in your backyard. You may pick up a piece of wood and find them underneath. You may pull up a tree stump and find them inside. You may move cardboard boxes in your garage and find them. You may notice damage at the bottom of one of your fence posts, dig the dirt around it, and uncover termite workers. When you do, it is important that you recognize these insects. Termite workers do not feed on one food source at a time. While workers are feeding on a source of wood, cardboard, or some other objects in your yard, they can also be feeding on your home.
It is surprising how often people refer to termite workers as white ants or pale ants. We hope you know the difference between a termite and an ant. Ants have pinched waists. Termites do not.
4. Recognize Shelter Tubes
Termite workers come up from the ground to feed on your home. When they do, they often create shelter tubes. These are made of soil and saliva. If you find mud structures on your home, it is vital that you recognize them as access tubes for termite workers.
5. Address Wood-To-Soil Contact
Termite workers don't have to create shelter tubes if they can directly access the wood of your home. Take the time to address any areas where the wood of your home touches the soil. The last thing you want to do is make it easy for termites to destroy your property.
Termite Control
It is possible to detect termites before they eat away at your equity. But we strongly recommend that you be proactive about termite damage prevention. Ensure the protection of your Jacksonville property and schedule to meet with one of our certified termite control professionals. We'll help you find the right solution to safeguard your equity from the threat of termite damage.
