What You Should Know About Termite Control In Cypress
Here in Cypress, it’s not a matter of if termites will infest your home, but more so when will termites infest your home. Termites are among the most threatening and dangerous types of pest infestations homes can get. The good news about termites (if you can imagine) is that they don’t bite, sting, or contaminate your food supply once inside your home, unlike other pests such as cockroaches or rodents. However, the bad news about termites is that they can severely damage the structural integrity of your home.
According to the National Pest Management Association, termites cause over 5 billion dollars worth of property damages every year. This very damage earned them the nickname of ‘silent destroyers.’ Termites will silently get inside your home without you knowing and feed on the wood structures holding our home together, putting it at risk of potentially collapsing if left untreated for too long.
Though there are over 2,000 different termites worldwide, here in Cypress, the two most common termite species you’ll find native to the area are the eastern subterranean termites and the drywood termites. The eastern subterranean termites are most common in Cypress and notorious for their ability to eat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This is why it’s important to get your home regularly inspected for termites.
Did you know that it’s not covered under homeowners’ insurance policies if your home does incur termite damage? This is because you can prevent most termite infestations with regular home maintenance, which includes regular pest control services– and maintenance is the very thing homeowners are responsible for.
There are certain instances where your homeowners’ insurance policy may cover termite damages. For instance, if termites chewed through the wiring in your home and it caused a house fire, your home will likely be covered as homeowners’ insurance policies cover damages due to fires.
Knowing all of this, does it give you a different view of termites and the damage they can cause? Better yet, does it make you see the importance of termite control services to ensure the overall safety of your home and save you thousands of dollars in potential home damages? If you’re unsure if you have termites in your home or not, contact your local Cypress pest control.
What Do Termites Look Like?
Most species of termites tend to look alike, despite having distinct characteristics. For most homeowners, properly identifying a particular species of termite isn’t of great importance, and understandably so. For one, termites tend to be within the structure of your home, where most homeowners have no interest in going. Secondly, if you’re anything like most homeowners, you don’t care; As long pest professionals can get rid of them, you’re happy.
As the two most common species of termites in the Cypress area are the eastern subterranean termites and the drywood termites, we’ll take a bit of a closer look into what each looks like:
Eastern Subterranean Termites: These termites are ⅛ of an inch long with six legs. Their bodies range from creamy white to dark brown or black.
Drywood Termites: These termites are ⅜ to one inch in length with six legs. They have long, narrow-shaped bodies that range in color from creamy white to light brown.
In describing what termites look like, it’s also important to recognize the caste system that they’re under and what they look like:
Worker Termites:
Worker termites help make up the largest percentage of members in a termite colony. A worker's main responsibility is to tunnel through wood and gather food to bring back to the colony. This caste is mainly distinguishable by their pale white bodies. They have no wings; they’re blind and can grow to be around ¼ of an inch in length.
Soldier Termites:
Soldier termites have the responsibility of protecting their colony from outside threats. These termites are similar to worker termites, except they are a little bit bigger and have an elongated yellow head, with strong jaws and short legs.
The Reproductives:
The reproductive members of a termite colony are called swarmers. Their main purpose is to grow the colony by carrying eggs to other locations. Swarmers have dark brown to black bodies and wings and can grow to be ¼ to ½ an inch in length. Reproductives swarm from a mature colony to find a mate and start a new colony of their own.
As a homeowner, you don’t have to know what termites look like; however, it may be helpful to properly identify them to understand better the potential severity of damage they can bring to your home. Of course, if you feel like your home needs to be inspected, call the professionals over at Modern Pest Control.
What Is The Best Way To Identify Termite Damage
Properly identifying termite damage may not come as easily to some as it would to others, and that’s okay. That’s why pest professionals are here to inspect your home. Termites can live on your property or inside your Cypress home for extended periods of time without being detected. It’s the un-detection that leads to the hefty costs of termite damages.
Take a look at some of the best ways to identify termite damage to your home. Keep in mind that some of the damages done by termites can also resemble water damage. Only a proper inspection by pest professionals can determine if it is true termite damage.
Buckling Wood: It is not uncommon for wood floors, crown molding, and more to buckle. This is when your floorboards rise, causing them to become uneven. Wood naturally expands and contracts as different environmental conditions come about; however, wood can also buckle when you have a termite infestation.
Mold or Mildew Scent: Termites tend to emit the scent of mold or mildew. If you have had mold or mildew removal services done and still smell the foul odor, you likely have termite activity in your home.
Peeling Paint: Subterranean termites live just below the surface of the wood. As far as your home is concerned, any painted surface that holds moisture behind it can be impacted by termites, including your walls, causing them to peel or bubble.
Overly Squeaky Floors: It’s not uncommon for homes to have squeaky floors, but when the floors squeak in excess, there’s likely a deeper problem: termites.
Stuck Windows And Doors: Termites love windows and door frames because the wood is exposed and easy to get to. As the termites feed on the wood around your windows and door frames, the wood begins to warp, making it more difficult to properly open and close the windows and doors.
As mentioned earlier, the signs are very similar to water damage. If you are experiencing any of these signs, call a pest professional first to ensure they’re not the results of termite damage.
Is There A Way To Prevent Termites For Good?
The only way to prevent termites and their damage for good is to invest in regular ongoing termite control services. However, once your home has been treated professionally, there are some maintenance efforts you can implement that work well in ensuring your home remains termite-free.
Here are a few:
Remove foliage and landscaping that touches the exterior of your property.
Replace wood that has been damaged by water.
Repair leaking pipes and appliances.
Seal all cracks or openings along the foundation and elsewhere on the exterior of your property.
Limit soil to wood contact on your property.
Address moisture and ventilation issues that could cause wood to rot.
As a homeowner, termites aren’t a one-and-done type of deal. You may have termites now and get treated for them and then never get your home inspected again, which is the case for many homeowners. They end up with another termite problem down the road due to neglecting ongoing inspections and preventive measures.
While homeowners lose over 5 billion dollars in property damages every year from termites, you don’t have to be part of that statistic; you need a company you can trust. At Modern Pest Control, we have everything you need and more to ensure the safety of your family and home against termites. Just give us a call, and one of our professional technicians will come out to inspect your home for free.
Professional Termite Control In Cypress
As termites are responsible for damaging over 600,000 homes in the United States every year, having a team of professionals who can protect you against such destructive pests is exactly what you want by your side.
At Modern Pest Control, we have served Cypress and surrounding counties for 70 years and counting. We’ve taken advantage of the advancements in science from the very beginning by utilizing the latest pest control strategies and methods to provide reliable, safe, and effective pest control services. You can expect the same quality services with termite control, including Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions.
The ‘Modern’ Process:
For every customer we have, whether commercial or residential, our expert technicians take the time to thoroughly inspect your property, checking for signs of termite activity, how they’re potentially getting inside your home, and conducive conditions that allow them to thrive on your property. This inspection is specific to your property and ensures a custom treatment plan.
Once your inspection is complete, we will go over our findings and devise your custom treatment plan with you. This is the time you can ask any questions or concerns. If you agree to our treatment plan, we’ll proceed. We utilize the SentriconⓇ installation methods. With SentriconⓇ, we install stations in the soil around your property at precise intervals. It is a system that takes advantage of termite behavior, acting as bait for termite workers to leave a trail for other nestmates and carry the bait back to their nesting locations, which will eradicate the entire colony, including the queen.
Once the active termite infestation has been completely exterminated from your property, the SentriconⓇ system will remain in place and continue to monitor your property for new termite activity, giving you continuous protection. Of course, implementing the prevention methods above will also go a very long way in helping you keep a termite-free home.
What’s even more attractive about Modern Pest Control services is that not only do we provide free inspections of your property, but our services are extremely affordable! Just as you pay for security systems to protect your home from outside intruders, you must do the same for invasive termites with the only goal of literally ‘eating you out of house and home.’
Our treatment plans start with the following:
Modern Plus: Starting at $34/Month
Signature: Starting at $62/Month
Signature Plus: Starting at $92/Month
All three services include quarterly pest services to ensure your home is protected, our service guarantee, and year-round protection from ants, roaches, millipedes, crickets, silverfish, pill bugs, and earwigs.
We stand behind our work, so we’re so confident in our service guarantee. If you receive treatment from us and have problems with pests covered in your program in between services, give us a call, and we’ll come to your home and re-treat at no additional cost to you.
To get your termite control services started, go with the team you can trust. Go with Modern Pest Control.