Homeowners in Orange County are calling for help because they are finding hundreds or even thousands of drywood termites swarming around their homes and businesses. When you see termites swarming, you know it is their mating flight and this usually occurs during the months of September and October.
Scientists believe that swarming is triggered by bright sunlight and temperatures 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 fact is really important 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 inside of your home or business, again. If that is the case, you know for a fact that your previous treatment was probably not effective. There is no way a new termite colony could have moved in, started 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 them will fall prey to birds, reptiles or other insects. A lot 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 singe piece of wood, you may have over 10,000 members. When you have 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 is not always easy. 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 BE FOOLED! 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. They 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. DON’T BE FOOLED! 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.
If you see evidence of drywood termites, the first thing you need to do is to order a thorough inspection of your structure.
Once in a while, 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.
Quite often, you’ll have a situation where you know you have termites but you 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 will work very well.
Don’t Be Fooled When Your
Termite Man Says, “Trick Or Treat”!
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 they often have to pay someone like us to come back and do their job over again, the right way.
Fumigations and heat treatments were invented 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. That was 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, we 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 them say that we’re going to go out of business by offering a guarantee like that!). Little do they know . . . We’ve never even came close to having to refund anyone’s money!
How can we offer a guarantee like that 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? Call us at (949) 631-7348 or click on order form and we’ll be happy to schedule an inspection at your convenience. Leave the “tricks” for someone else. Instead, give yourself a very special “treat”!
