Termites commonly live in wooden structures, dead trees, soil, and dead wood. Termites that live in the soil are known as subterranean termites while those that live on dry wood and trees are known as dry wood termites. The dry wood termites eat the wood they live on. They are thus most likely to be found within the home in cupboards, doors, windows, fences, and general furniture. Subterranean termites that live in the soil, however, access food sources above the ground through tunnel systems.
If you have termites and would like a professional termite exterminator in Winston-Salem to give you a free estimate, call Go-Fort Pest Control. We have been exterminating termites since 1959, and have the necessary experience required to get the job done quickly and effectively.
Identification Of Termite Infestation
To properly ensure termite control they have to be identified first. Drywood termites are hard to locate since they live in the woods. However, an effective way to find out this infestation is through fecal pellets which are kicked out of the colonies by the termites. Piles of pellets in windowsills and furniture corners can thus be a sign of termite infestation. Mud tubes on external walls and corners are a sign of subterranean termites.
Termite Prevention & Control
The best way to prevent a termite infestation and to have termite control is to make your home unfavorable to termites.
The first step in doing that is to eradicate all kinds of moisture problems (subterranean termites thrive in moisture) such as:
- Leaky faucets
- Standing water on the roof
- Flowing gutters, etc.
Another way to ensure termite control is to undergo pre-construction treatments on a house before it is fully constructed.
This can be done through any of the following ways:
- Putting up physical barriers to prevent termites from getting into the home.
- Using liquid termiticides to treat the soil before construction.
- Installing termite bait stations in the soil. (This is also used on lumber to make the wood toxic to termites)
- Termite infestation can also be controlled through;
- Filling of holes in walls
- Removal of wooden debris from the environment
- Placing screens on exterior vents
Termite Extermination
When there is already a case of termite infestation, total extermination is the only way to control the situation. There are different ways to eradicate termites from your home or environment effectively.
Some of those ways are:
- Liquid Termiticides – these are also used as post-construction treatments to exterminate termites. They are poured/sprayed into the soil around the building to exterminate subterranean termites.
- Borate solution – this can be used on affected furniture or wood to kill the infesting termites
- Fumigation – Fumigants are used to exterminate termites from homes and the environment. When they are used, human occupants would have to evacuate the environment until the toxicity level is reduced.
- Cardboard trap – Cellulose makes up a large portion of termites diet and cardboard is made up of cellulose so cardboard can be repurposed into handy traps to catch termites.
- Orange Oil – orange oil has proven to be very effective at eradicating termites thus spraying of orange oil on the infected area would fully exterminate them
- Vinegar – mixing vinegar with the juice of freshly squeezed lemons and spraying it on the infested area is also an efficient way of exterminating the termites.
- Sentricon System – Call Go-Forth Home Services, we're your local Winston-Salem Sentricon Certified Specialist.