What To Do If You Think Your Raleigh Home Has Termites

Imagine getting into your car to go to work, and as you drive, you notice that the gas gauge is reading empty. You are already running late for work, and stopping is not an option because your employment status is already uncertain. So, you forge ahead. Every time you step on the gas, you hold your breath and hope the engine is not consuming too much fuel. You tightly grip the steering wheel, uncertain if you will run out of gas and not make it to work on time and potentially lose your job. 

Uncertainty creates anxiety; you cannot relax when the outcome is dicey. Wondering if termites are in your crawl space, attic, or basement causes tension. Are there insects slowly eating away at the infrastructure? Will you have enormous repair bills in the future from a termite infestation? You do not need to live with uncertainty because Go-Forth Home Services provides termite control in Raleigh. 

We are a third-generation family-owned and operated pest control company serving the area since 1959. Our six decades of experience and knowledge have garnered several awards and acknowledgments from the Better Business Bureau, local publications, business journals, and pest management associations. Our technicians have received numerous Technician of the Year awards from North Carolina. No other pest control company has had technicians who have won this award for five consecutive years in North Carolina except Go-Forth Home Services. We say all this so you know you are getting the best pest control company for termite control in Raleigh. 

We wrote this article because we do not want you to live with uncertainty regarding termites in your Raleigh home. Please keep reading to learn how to end apprehension about these insidious insects.

Sure Signs Of A Termite Problem Around Your Home

Termites are insects that eat wood; however, they often work in unlivable areas of the house and out of sight. Although you are unlikely to see a termite walk across the kitchen floor, you can find the signs of termites if they are present and you know where to investigate. Look for these termite indicators around your Raleigh house: 

• Mud tubes
• Swarmers
• Discarded wings
• Droppings
• Wallpaper blisters
• Crumbling wood
• Hollow-sounding lumber
• Timber discoloration

To give you a better understanding of these early warning signs of termites, we will briefly discuss each one. 

Subterranean and drywood termites are the two basic types of termites in Raleigh. Subterranean termites construct in-ground colonies in damp areas near fungus-ridden wood. Because sunlight quickly dehydrates them, worker termites build mud tubes from the nest to their food source for protection. The presence of these tubes on the foundation or basement walls is a sign that you have subterranean termites in your house. 

Drywood and subterranean termites create new colonies by dispatching flying reproductive termites (swarmers) in the spring (subterranean termites) and late summer or early fall (drywood termites). When these swarmers sense odor from decaying wood, they land, mate, and begin new nests. Swarmers are visible during the early dawn or dusk hours around outdoor lights. Swarmers on your property indicate a nest nearby or inside your home.

Because light attracts swarmers, they often congregate around windows where they land and discard their wings. Also, swarmers get caught in spider webs, which are often created near lights and air current streams to capture prey. The presence of discarded wings in window sills and spider webs is another sign that termites are present. 

Drywood termites do not live in the soil and travel to the wood but live inside the timber. Although they do not construct mud tubes, one way to determine if you have drywood termites is the presence of piles of sawdust-like material outside pinholes in the wood. This material consists of termite droppings pushed to the exterior of the nest openings. 

When termites are inside walls, they consume not only the wood but will eat wallpaper and drywall paper for the cellulose contents. However, they do not chew through to the outside but will leave a thin veneer. Moisture from the termites and the air causes the thin paper layer to blister. 

As the infestation intensifies, you may notice the other signs on our list. If wood disintegrates when probed by a screwdriver or sounds hollow when tapped, there are probably termites eating away inside. Dark sections in lumber indicate the presence of termites. 

The best termite control company for your Raleigh home is Go-Forth Home Services. Our award-winning technicians know all the signs of termites and can determine the type of termite infesting your home. 

Understanding The Long-Term Consequences Of Termite Damage

If a pair of swarming termites detects a food source and lands on your property, they will create a nest and begin a new colony. A subterranean termite infestation usually starts in a rotting tree stump on the property. Once the colony matures, the queen produces the reproductive, flying termites. When the warm air current of the spring arrives, these termites fly from the nest. If they sense odor from damp wood in the crawl space, attic, or basement, they will try to enter the home and establish a colony inside the house. This new colony will quickly expand and create satellite colonies in the home.

Drywood termite infestations occur when swarmers enter the house through attic vents or cracks in the roofline or foundation in the late summer or early fall. Once the new colony matures, the queen produces swarmers that begin other nests inside the home. 

Years of infestation and the increasing magnitude of an infestation will produce the final items on our list. As termites weaken the structure inside a house, windows and doors will not close properly. Eventually, supports will give way and cause floors and ceilings to sag, especially in the corners. Railings will break, and structures will collapse unless the termite infestation stops.

Because termites often eat support beams, joists, trusses, and other structural supports in the house, repairs and replacements require a licensed construction expert. Once you see these signs, the repair costs will be thousands of dollars.

Go-Forth Home Services provides termite protection in Raleigh, so you do not have to experience expensive repair and replacement bills from termites. 

Contact The Professionals At The First Sign Of Termites

Go-Forth Home Services offers termite service near your home. When you contact us, we will carefully note your concerns and dispatch a certified, trained termite technician to your Raleigh home. We will conduct a free inspection to search for termite signs and, if they are present, determine the termite species infesting your house so we can take appropriate action. If we find termites, we will create a custom treatment plan and explain the details and price estimate to you. 

We have used various termite treatment options over our six decades of operation, and we have found that The Sentricon® System with Always Active™ is the best product for stopping termites. We use this system because it is consistent with our desire to provide safe pest control. In 2016 the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) accepted Go-Forth Home Services into their Pesticide Environmental Stewardship Program. This honor gives us access to the latest technology enabling us to provide the safest, high-quality pest control possible. 

The Sentricon® System with Always Active™system does not require drilling, digging, trenching, or chemical injections into the dirt. Instead, we use locked bait stations placed around the perimeter in strategic locations. The termites feed on the cellulose inside the bait station, take it back to the nest, and regurgitate it to give to the colony. Unbeknownst to the termites, the cellulose from the bait stations prevents them from molting, which causes them to die and destroys the nest. 

Protect your family and home by using the termite control service from Go-Forth Home Services. Our termite technicians are certified specialists for The Sentricon® System.

Practical Tips To Prevent Termites From Coming Back

Once Go-Forth Home Services completes termite removal on your Raleigh property, you want to ensure they never gain a foothold again in your home. These recommendations will deter termites from returning to your property in the future:

• Remove rotting tree stumps and wood on the property
• Provide proper drainage for ditches, low-lying areas, and gutters
• Dehumidify the crawl space, basement, and attic 
• Seal cracks in the foundation and roofline
• Repair leaks inside the house
• Keep vents free from blockage to allow airflow 
• Prune shrubs and tree branches away from the structure
• Move firewood 20 feet from the home and elevate 
• Drain rainwater away from the house 

Go-Forth Home Services utilizes Integrated Pest Management (IPM) solutions when addressing a pest problem. This pest management method focuses on the minimal use of pest control products to achieve maximum results; it is also concerned with prevention techniques. When a Go-Forth termite technician inspects your house, we may have additional recommendations based on your situation. 

The best Raleigh home pest treatments are from Go-Forth Home Services. Contact us today to learn about our termite control service and schedule a free inspection.