How To Keep Your Jacksonville Property Termite-Free
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There are things in life we want to be "free" from something we deem harmful, and having a home termite free is one of them. If you are unsure that your house is termite free, the first step is to call the Jacksonville pest control of B&T Pest Control. Our family-owned and operated company has been keeping homes termite free since 1982. Our service team members have the training and experience required to remove termites from your house. Please continue reading to understand and win the battle against termites.
About The Life Cycle Of Termites
Termites go through three phases: egg, nymph, and adult. Let's look at a common termite in North Carolina, the subterranean termite, to see out they progress through these phases.
Subterranean termites in Jacksonville have a caste system consisting of a king, queen, reproductives, soldiers, and workers. Each day the queen produces about 1,000 eggs, the workers care for them by providing nutrients, and the soldiers protect the eggs and the colony from intruders. In two weeks, nymphs emerge, and the workers continue to feed them with regurgitated food while they grow through the molting process to become either adult workers, soldiers, or reproductives.
If a nymph develops into a reproductive, its sex organs and wings will develop. After a heavy spring rain, reproductives will swarm from the nest to begin new colonies. If you have seen flying termites around your property, they are reproductive termites looking to create more nests on your property!
Soldier and worker termites do not have reproductive organs or wings, and worker termites also do not have eyes. Soldier termites develop armored heads and large jaws to defend against spiders, ants, and other predators.
The Extent Of Damage Termites Can Cause To Your Property
Termite colonies can reach an enormous size. A mature subterranean termite may have up to 60,000 members, and a Formosan colony may have up to 350,000 members eating the timber in your home! For example, one colony of Formosan subterranean termites can consume a foot of a two-by-four piece of wood every 25 days!
Signs of termite damage around your Jacksonville home may reveal themselves in these ways:
- Sagging corners in rooms
- Collapsing support beams or wood porch railings
- Warping window and door frames
- Blistering paint
- Crunching sounds when walking across the floor
- Hollow-sounding wood
- Darkened wood spots
- Soft and crumbling wood
Sadly, most homeowner insurance policies do not cover termite damage, so the financial burden of repair is on the owner.
Natural Ways To Make Your Home Less Attractive To Termites
Termites are difficult to eradicate, so the best preventative action is to deter a termite problem by doing the following at your Jacksonville home:
- Divert water away from the foundation with downspouts, splash blocks, and gutters.
- Eliminate old tree stumps, rotting landscape timbers, and scrap wood from the property.
- Paint wood and wrap thin metal flashing around the base of wood touching the ground.
- Install vents to create cross-flow and prevent dead air spaces under the home.
- Store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house and elevate it.
These practices will discourage termite swarms from creating new colonies on your property.
The Most Effective Way To Protect Your Property From Termites
The best way to get rid of termites at your Jacksonville home is to have B&T Pest Control handle the problem. We will inspect your home to identify the termite species infesting your house, attractants, and nest locations. We will attack the termite problem using a three-pronged approach consisting of a bait system and liquid and borate applications. Contact us and start your pest control.