Termites swarm house - Termite Control & Removal in Wall Twp. NJ
Challenge
A Wall Township homeowner contacted Cowleys after observing termite swarmers flying out of her living room window frame. Flying termites, or swarmers, are dark-bodied, winged termites. Termites swarm during the spring to search for mates and start a new colony. Worker termites are hidden. You’ll only see them if you happen to inspect a piece of infested wood or you crack open a mud tube during an active infestation. Swarmers, on the other hand, are highly visible. When a termite colony swarms, thousands of winged termites are released. Needless to say, when witnessed by homeowners, it can be an upsetting experience. Soon after release, swarmers shed their wings, so with indoor swarms, homeowners may find piles of iridescent termite wings on windowsills or on counter tops near light sources. They wind up in these location because swarmers are attracted to light. If the homeowner happens to miss the spectacle of a termite swarm, the remaining pile of wings is a good infestation indicator. Even though nearly all swarmers will die if they emerge inside a structure, it’s important to contact a termite pest control professional immediately. If your home has an inside swarm, there is an active termite colony nearby on your property.
Termites, the most well-known of the wood-destroying insects, are among the most damaging pests. There is no single insect that causes more property damage every year than termites. These insects don’t just bore through wood like carpenter ants or carpenter bees. Rather, they consume the wood. Also, termite damage is slow and steady. Because they eat wood from the inside out, it is often not noticed until the damage is extensive. For termites anything containing cellulose is food, so any building materials in your home that’s made of wood or paper is fair game. There are paper products in building materials that you don’t even think about that can be eaten by termites like the paper backing on fiberglass insulation.
In this Wall Township home, on the outside of the same wall where the termites had swarmed, I observed multiple termite mud shelter tubes that had formed on the home’s foundation. Termite mud tubes are often the only visible evidence of subterranean termite activity. These pencil-width size tubes are made by the worker termites from soil and wood cemented together with their saliva and excrement. Termites use these tunnels to travel to and from the nest when foraging for the wood in your home. These protective tubes allow the termites to to stay moist avoiding outside air and sunlight. They also protect termites from predators like ants.
To stop any further termite activity, Cowleys will be treating this home with two different control methods. First, because there is already active termite damage, we will be applying a termiticide to those areas of damage and to the mud tubes. This non-repellent undetectable product is carried back to the nest and transferred to other termites to kill the colony. Second, for prevention, we will be installing a Sentricon termite colony elimination system around the home’s perimeter. Installing these bait stations proactively blocks termites from reaching the home.
Solution
To stop any further termite activity, Cowleys will be treating this home with two different control methods. First, because there is already active termite damage, we will be applying a termiticide to those areas of damage and to the mud tubes. This non-repellent undetectable product is carried back to the nest and transferred to other termites to kill the colony. Second, for prevention, we will be installing a Sentricon termite colony elimination system around the home’s perimeter. Installing these bait stations proactively blocks termites from reaching the home.
