If you own a home in Hilo, you probably know that termites are a big problem. Left untreated they can destroy your property value and even completely destroy your home, given enough time. The point of this article is to address the top termite control problems that you are likely to run into, here in Hilo, and how you can resolve them.
Problem 1: Drywood Termite Infestation
Drywood termites are a common problem in Hilo. These nasty critters fly through the air in big swarms and attack just about anything made of wood, including your home. The most harmful species is the Cryptotermes brevis which is also known as the West Indian termite.
Often these critters can infest your home and you won’t even know until they have done significant damage and you start to see the tell tale signs of their sawdust like droppings.
Because they don’t come from the ground like subterranean termites, they need to be treated differently and the two main ways of solving drywood termite problems are store bought treatments or fumigation (also known as tenting).
The advantages of store bought treatments are price, convenience and quick results. But the disadvantages are that they only produce localized results, they may miss the source of the infestation, they are temporary and they involve working with harmful chemicals.
Tenting or fumigation has a number of disadvantages, but it is the only way to completely erradicate a termite infestation. The biggest disadvantage is cost and the inconvenience of having to vacate your home. But it’s biggest advantage is that it will kill just about every single termite in your home.
Problem 2: Subterranean Termite Infestation
Subterranean or ground termites are an entirely different beast. As their name implies they attack your home from the ground, rather than the air. They are quite a problem because they can attack your home for years before your notice anything. Some signs you have a ground termite problem are sagging floors, warped walls and mud tunnels.
Solving ground termite problems involve treating the soil around your home with chemicals that kill or repel ground termites. Also bait stations may be installed around your home to kill existing termite colonies and prevent new ones from getting started.
Problem 3: The Inconvenience of having your home tented
Having your home tented is a big inconvenience and can be a big problem. Unfortunately if you have a really bad termite infestation, this may be unavoidable. However, one alternative is spot treatment, which consists of locating the termite colonies in your home and applying chemicals like orange oil to kill them. If you have a light termite infestation, this may be a viable solution.
Problem 4: Not knowing you have a problem
Not knowing you have termites is one of the biggest problems of all. Termites can silently cause thousands of dollars of damage to your home without you even knowing it. When it comes to termites, simply knowing that you have them and not letting a small problem turn into a big problem can make a huge difference.
To solve this problem, you either need to learn the signs of a termite infestation and keep a watchful eye or you need to have a termite control company perform an inspection. An inspection can be really cheap insurance against termite damage.
Problem 5: The termites keep on coming back
Just because you take care of termites one time, doesn’t mean that your termite problems are solved permanently. Without sufficient preventative measures they will eventually come back.
One of the solutions is to keep your eyes open for them. Another is have a termite control company perform periodic inspections and maintenance. Sure, you will have to spend a little money each year, but this will catch problems before they start and you won’t have to worry so much about having to pay a gigantic bill when what would have been a little job turns into a big one.
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