Why Jacksonville Termites Require Professional Services

Many pest infestations are easy to identify as soon as the pest has invaded. Unfortunately, termite infestations don’t fall into this category. Termites don’t crawl around in your kitchen looking for food. Neither do they make any strange noises in your ceiling, nor emit a strong smell when their colonies become large. However, this doesn’t mean they don’t leave any clues behind.

 If termites have infested your Jacksonville property, a few signs you can use to identify their presence include:

• Shed wings around windows, foundations, and doorways
• Mud tubes climbing up your exterior walls
• Termite swarmers flying around your property during spring and summer

How Do Termites Invade?

Termite infestations usually begin when a mature colony sends out winged reproductive members to create another colony nearby. Reproductive termites don’t travel very far from the nest, which means it’s possible to have multiple termite colonies infesting your Jacksonville property at the same time. Termites are more likely to invade if your home or business has areas with direct wood-to-soil contact or places where wood is water-damaged. Termites can also get in through cracks in your foundation or gaps around windows.

How Much Damage Do Termite Infestations Cause?

When termites invade, they begin eating through the wooden elements of your Jacksonville building. Termites create extended networks of tunnels and nesting galleries to raise and feed their young. As the colony grows and spreads further into your home, more and more damage can occur. Termites are known as “silent invaders” because they are capable of infesting your property and causing significant damage before you are aware of their presence. In many cases, it takes several years for homeowners to discover a termite infestation, and by then, the damage is done. Termite infestations cause uneven floors, warped walls, bubbling wallpaper, sagging ceilings, and even the eventual collapse of structures.

Termite Prevention Tips

Professionals should always handle existing termite infestations; however, there are still a few ways you can avoid attracting termites in the first place. Consider implementing the following termite prevention tips around your Jacksonville property to reduce the risk that termites will infest your home or business.

• Remove stumps, logs, and other rotting wooden materials from your lawn.
• Ensure that there is at least a 1.5-foot gap between soil and wooden portions of your property.
• Remove debris in your gutters to divert water away from your home or business.
• Repair leaking faucets, drains, and piping.
• Check your exterior walls for mud tubes.
• Seal up gaps and crevices around your foundations and exterior walls.

If an infestation has already occurred on your property, the best thing you can do is to contact the licensed termite specialists here at Lindsey Pest Services. We have the experience, tools, and products necessary to remove termite infestations from your Jacksonville property and to keep them away. For more information about what our termite control services include, reach out to us today.