Termite Control Winston-Salem
Termite control in Winston-Salem should be at the top of your list for your home or commercial building. Termites are the most important wood destroying insects in the world. There are several types of termites but in our region subterranean termites are the most important. They cause more damage annually then fires, floods, earthquakes and other acts of nature. This is why you need a licensed, experienced professional trained in termite biology and control who is also knowledgeable in slab, crawlspace and basement construction techniques to properly inspect for termites. In nature the termites’ purpose is to break down dead wood. They need wood for food and soil for moisture. Wood in contact with or near soil, like your home is ideal for termite growth.
On average a mature subterranean termite colony will contain 60,000 to 1,000,000 workers. These workers or nymphs continuously forage between their nests in the ground looking for their wood/food source. They forage up to 1 ½ acres away. There can also be several different colonies in a small area.
For termite control services in the Winston-Salem area, trust The Pest Control Authority – call our local team at 336-893-6616 or contact us online today.
How to Handle Termite Infestation
To decrease the potential for termites, here are some actions you should take:
- Ensure that there are no water leaks in the building and that rainwater runoff is deflected away from the structure
- Trim the ground cover and foliage away from the building
- Do not store wood debris and other cellulose materials against or under the structure
- Remove any wood touching the ground around the building
The Pest Control Authority can provide WDIR reports for real estate transactions, full and partial treatments, and ongoing inspection services on a regular basis.
Contact The Pest Control Authority so that a state-certified wood-destroying insect technician can inspect your Winston-Salem area home or building and, if necessary, develop a plan of action to eradicate termites from your home or facility.
Termite Control In Winston-Salem Facts
Because the workers are soft bodied (they have no hard exoskeleton like ants) they must continually return to the soil for moisture. They randomly and continuously forage for new sources of food. When a worker finds a new source it “recruits” other workers by leaving a chemical (pheromone) trail for other workers. The more workers that come and go back to the nest with food, the stronger the “scent” to the food source. They chew and eat the food and share it with the entire colony.
The majority of the unseen skeleton of your home is wood. To protect themselves from drying out and to maintain a constant warm, humid environment, the workers build shelter tubes to connect the ground to their food source whenever they are exposed to air. These tubes connect the food source to the ground and protect the workers as they take food back and share it with the colony. These mud tubes are about the size of a pencil. They are made of a brown, mud-like material. These tubes are usually in your home’s walls or in the crawlspace below the home’s walls. These are the places the trained termite technicians from PCA will inspect.
Forsyth County Termite Information From NC Cooperative Extension
There are other members of the colony like soldiers who protect the colony and queens and supplemental queens who constantly lay eggs. By far, the workers and nymphs are the most prevalent and they build the nests, excavate the wood and continuously share food with the whole colony.
Often, the one time a home owner finds out about the termites invading their home is in the spring when they swarm. A mature, established colony has the resources to “waste” energy by producing these swarmers (reproductives).
When the conditions of warmer weather and rain come in the spring the colony produce larger nymphs with a black protective exoskeleton and wings. These swarmers are male and female reproductives. They are weak flyers, scattered by the wind in large numbers in areas surrounding the nest, emerging from specially constructed exit mud tubes. They go on brief flights, shed their wings, mate, go back into the ground and start a new colony. These mating flights may reoccur around this time but they are usually not as large as the first one.
Often, the only sign of subterranean termites a homeowner will find are the tiny wings, all of which are the same size, if the swarm happened inside the garage, home or near the foundation.
If you see a flying swarm of ant like insects, get some samples or take pictures. Contact The Pest Control Authority and our state licensed employees will help you identify what type of insect you have found. We may even be able to do it over the phone or internet by texting or sending pictures.
Serving Winston-Salem and Surrounding Area With Termite Control
At The Pest Control Authority, we provide termite control services in the following areas:
Winston-Salem, Clemmons, Lewisville, Advance, Mocksville, High Point & Greensboro, NC.
