Ernies Pest Control
Termites, roaches, rodents-professional pest control service.
Termites Pest Control Facts and Prevention
Ernie's Pest Control services Toledo, Northwest Ohio and Lower Michigan.
Preventive measures for all pests you can take are :
- Do not leave piles of clothing, papers or other miscellaneous things laying around
- Regular cleaning and maintenance of your home or business
- When cleaning, check under carpet edges and baseboards
- Do not have dirty dishes piled up and sitting for long periods of time, especially not in old water
- Especially in hot weather, put your food scraps in plastic before disposing of them
- If yo notice signs of termites, schedule a termites pest control service call
- If you see one pest or insect, chances are you are not seeing rest. A call to Ernie's Pest Control should be made to schedule an appointment as soon as possible.
General Termites Pest Control Information
TERMITES!!!
Identification
- Termite King and Queen : the male termite helps the female establish the nest and remains with her for a lifetime
- Alternate kings and queens may develop to help increase the population and to be a replacement for injured or dead kings and queens.
- The queen termite is the primary egg layer for the colony, she can lay thousands of eggs in a lifetime
Swarming Termite Map Swarming termites indicate a new colony
Winged reproductives-Swarming termites, their job is to start new colonies
Termite Soldier - their job is to protect the colony against ants and other enemies
Termite Worker
- Most numerous in a colony
- Constructs tunnels, forage for food, and keep the colony fed
- Termite workers are found in infested wood
Is it an ant or termite?
- Ants and termites are often confused with each other
- Subterranean termites are found in the earth and move in lines
- Termites are often called white ants and swarming termites are often mistaken with flying ants
- Both sets of ants wings are different sizes, termites are the same size
- Termites will remove their wings after a period of time, thus you will find several wings after a swarm
- Ants have arrow waists as termites have broad waists and short straight antennae
Termites entering your building
- All termites need is a small crack in a concrete basement, a loose mortar joint or a tiny gap around a pipe
- Termites can pass through a crack 1/32 of an inch
Worker termites destroying a structure
Termite Warning Signs
- Some signs that termites are at work are sagging floors, decayed, loose trim and cracked plaster
- A temporary swarm of winged insects in the ground around your building or in the building
- Wood that sounds hollow when tapped
- Mud tubes on exterior walls, wooden beams or in crawl spaces
Preventative Measures
- Repair leaky faucets, water pipes and A/C units
- Divert water from the foundation
- Keep gutters and downspouts clean
- Ventilate crawl spaces
- Remove excess plant cover and wood mulch
- Eliminate standing water on your roof
- Keep all vents clear and open
- Seal entry points around water and utility lines or pipes
- Keep firewood, lumber and paper away from the foundation or crawl space
- Get rid of stumps and debris near the structure
- Place screens on outside vents
- Check decks and wooden fences for damage
- Wood on your home should not come in contact with the soil
- Termites cause over a billion dollars worth of damage a year
Drywood Termites Pest Control and Information
Drywood Termites (Genera Kalotermes & Incisitermes)
Characteristics
- These termites get up to 1/2 inch long
- There is no worker cast in this termite colony
Habitat
- Drywood Termites create colonies in wood, with no connection to the ground necessary
- They are often found in attic wood and need very little moisture
Diet
- These termites eat wood and occasionally other cellulose material
Reproduction
- Nymphs pass through seven instars before adulthood
- Sexual forms eventually and swarm to form a new termite colony
Signs Of Termite Infestation
- Termites cause extreme damage to structures, often before they are discovered
- Piles of sawdust pellets are a distinct sign of termites
- Colonies may contain up to 2,700 members
Subterranean Termites Pest Control and Information
Subterranean Termites (Order Isoptera)
These termites cause 95% of all termite damage in North America
Characteristics
- Worker Termites : Lighter colored and wingless
- Soldiers : elongated heads with mandibles
- Supplementary reproductives are colored and wingless
- Subterranean termites are responsible for 95% of the $2 billion dollars worth of destruction per year
Habitat
- These termites live underground which they would build tunnels in search of food
- These termites are dependant on moisture to stay alive
Diet
- Wood and other cellulose materials
Reproduction
- There are different rates of growth from egg state to adult maturity depending on the individual species
- Subterranean termites have 1 queen per colony, which can lay tens of thousands eggs in its lifetime
- Most eggs are laid by supplementary reproductives in an established colony