Home and business owners in Orange County are calling for help because they are finding hundreds or even thousands of drywood termites swarming around their properties. When you see termites swarm, you know it is their mating flight. Swarming of drywood termites usually occurs during the months of September and October.
Drywood termite swarms are triggered by bright sunlight and temperatures of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Another real important factor to consider is:
If you see drywood termite swarmers,
you know the colony is at least four years old.
This is a very important fact for you to know. Let’s say you had your home treated for drywood termites one, two or three years ago and now you see them swarming around on the inside of your home or business, again. If that is the case, you know for a fact that the previous treatment of your structure was probably not effective. There is no way a new termite colony can move in, start a family and began producing new swarmers that quickly!
Fortunately, drywood termites are extremely poor fliers and most of them will start settling down after they fly for just a few feet. A majority of these termites will fall prey to birds, reptiles or other insects. Many of the others will die of dehydration or injury.
After the swarmers land, they shed their wings and start the mating process. Then, they start looking for a piece of wood to enter. Cracks, knot holes or joints between pieces of wood are the easiest access points. The king and queen will remain in their small nest and build up the colony. Drywood termite colonies are usually small but when you combine multiple colonies in a single piece of wood, you may have over 10,000 members. When there are that many termites eating 24 hours a day for 365 days a year, you’re going to start seeing a substantial amount of damage.
Locating the nests of drywood termites can be very difficult. For example, many people will see a large collection of wings and even dead termites located around doors and windows. And, some will make the mistake of thinking that the termite nests are located in these areas. DON’T LET THEM FOOL YOU! Drywood termites are attracted to light and it is very normal for them to fly from another area of the room toward a door or window where there is bright light. The termites are trying to escape! But, what usually happens is that they run into a piece of glass or a window screen. This is why you’ll often find a lot of wings and termites in those areas.
Bright electric lights can even trigger termite swarms at night. AGAIN, DON’T LET THEM FOOL YOU! Just because you see termites and wings around a light does not mean the nests are located in that area. They are probably coming from another part of the room.
When you see evidence of drywood termites, the first thing you should do is to order a thorough inspection of your home or business.
Sometimes, you’ll get lucky and find termite pellets (fecal droppings) and/or corresponding termite damage. Carefully inspect those areas and you may find the nests.
Probably the most frustrating situation for termite inspectors is when they know you have termites but they can’t find the exact location of the nests. In those cases, your best solution is to have the entire structure fumigated with Vikane gas. Heat treatments may also be an effective choice. With heat treatments, the entire structure can be heated up to a lethal temperature of 130 degrees or you many only need to have a portion of the structure heat treated.
Some termite inspectors will recommend you have your home “spot treated” instead of doing a fumigation or heat treatment. If you can locate the nests and you have full access for treatment, spot treatments can be very effective.
What Should You Do If Your Termite Man Says,
“Trick Or Treat”?
It is very important you know that spot treatments will not work if you can’t find the nests or if the infestations lead into areas which are not fully accessible for treatment.
Over the years, we have seen many, many home and business owners get tricked with a “spot treatment”, only to find out a short time later that they still have a termite problem. That is really unfortunate because these people often wind up paying another termite company to fumigate their home or business, later.
The reason why fumigations and heat treatments were invented was because so many people had termite problems that could not be solved with a localized treatment. Back in the old days, many people had to open up ceilings, walls and literally take their roofs off to try and locate all the nests. Big construction projects like this can be really messy, time consuming and very expensive. If done properly, fumigations and heat treatments will do little if any damage to your home and property. They are often much less expensive (especially in the long run) and you’ll find them to be a pleasant “treat”.
At “Termite” Terry Pest Control, we also have a very special “treat” for you that no one in California can offer:
“We’ll Get Rid Of All Your Termites Or Your Treatment Is FREEEEEE!
We challenge you to ask any other termite company if they will match our guarantee. And, you already know their answer. They will tell you that there is no way they or anyone else could possibly offer a guarantee like that. (We’ve even heard some say that we’re going to go out of business by offering a money-back guarantee!). Little do they know . . . We’ve never even came close to having to refund anyone’s money!
How can we offer a guarantee like this when no one else will dare to do so? The answer is simple! All you have to do is MEASURE up the structure carefully, install and seal up GOOD fumigation tarps and put in a FULL TANK of gas. Here’s a fact:
“If you don’t measure a home correctly, you use scrap tarps with lots of rips and tears and you only put in a little bit of gas – YOU CAN’T OFFER A MONEY BACK GUARANTEE BECAUSE THE FUMIGATION WILL NOT BE EFFECTIVE!”
Do you have a termite problem and want to have the peace of mind knowing your fumigation will be done the right way? Leave the “tricks” for someone else. Instead, give yourself a very special “treat” and call us at (949) 631-7348. We’ll be happy to schedule an appointment at your convenience.
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