Common Myths About Termites

Termite invasions are scary and costly, but these creatures aren’t always what you think. Every year, termites cause significant damage to homes and businesses throughout the nation. They eat through your home or business and feed thousands of other termites in their colony. Many people are led to believe all types of myths about termites. MightyMite Termite Services is here to debunk common myths about termites in the California Bay Area. We provide highly trained and licensed inspectors and technicians with the best tools and treatments to control and help prevent termite infestations. We understand their behaviors and ways of living, so we’ll help you know the truth about termites. We’ve listed and addressed some of the most common myths about termites.

Termites Are Part of The Ant Family

Termites and ants may appear to be similar but are not part of the same family. Termites have over ten species or families based on geography and other factors, while ants are a part of the Formicidae family. Ants and termites both build colonies where they have different tasks, and they both make their homes underground. They have queens for reproduction to ensure their territories keep multiplying.

Termites Serve No Purpose

Termites may be annoying and cause significant damage, but they aren’t always the bad guys. Termites are very important to our ecosystem because they break down dead trees and plant matter, helping to return nutrients to the soil. Our soil wouldn’t get these nutrients if we didn’t have termites. We would have layers of sticks and plants cluttering the ground. You still don’t want them feasting on the wood in your home, so getting termite treatments is essential.

Termites Can Eat Through Concrete

Termites are tough, but they cannot eat through concrete. Often, subterranean termites create mud tubes on foundation walls that look like they are eating through the concrete and they can build a mud tube so skinny that it can fit through a 1/64^th inch of a crack in a concrete slab. Mud tubes only go from the soil to the wood. Termites only love eating wood.

A Brick House on A Concrete Slab Is Safe

Termites can make their way into almost any foundation. The dirt under your concrete slab foundation often retains moisture where termites can get in. Termite colonies love a space full of moist ground. They feed on the cellulose in the dirt, then find ways into your home through plumbing and expansion joints. Termites are excellent at finding wood indoors for dinner, especially if there is a leak or damp wood.

One Termite Treatment Prevents Future Infestations

Our experienced technicians do their best to eliminate termite infestations but clearing one infestation won’t prevent more termite colonies from forming. Subterranean termites love to dig beneath your property, especially if there isn’t a proper product barrier in place around your home. Drywood termites have the capability of possibly establishing a new colony each swarming season. Our preventative termite treatments help ensure your home doesn’t become a termite colony home.

Termite Infestations Are Easy To Detect

Subterranean termites often go years without any detection because they stay out of sight underground. They feed slowly and ensure their colony is fed through various food sources. Often, the only way a homeowner detects subterranean termites is by seeing actual swarming termites inside of their home after a rain, they have an active leak under their home that the subterranean termites are attracted to or during the process of remodeling. With Drywood termites, the only way a homeowner will notice signs of a possible infestation is while cleaning they find a pile or scattering of pellets that look like sand or pepper, or again seeing actual swarming termites inside of their home when the weather is hot. We recommend Bay Area customers contact us every three to four years for a termite inspection to ensure their home doesn’t go too long with termite activity or damage.

Termites Don’t Feed on Homes Near Forests

Subterranean termites love to eat, so it doesn’t matter if they eat every tree in the forest. Subterranean termite colonies often become so large that they will consistently feed on wood cellulose found on the ground, however, they do not eat live trees only the portions that are dead. With a readily available source of wood cellulose in the forest, it will not keep them from coming to feast on your home if they sense a leak or moisture in your home.

Black Ants Prevent Termites

Many people think black ants will eat all the termites on a property. Black ants will attack and eat dead termites, but subterranean termites rarely sit or are seen above the ground unless they are swarming after a rain. They burrow through the soil and create mud trails. Ants are natural predators of termites, but they rarely can catch the termites as they travel through tiny mud holes.

Can I Ignore Termites in a Tree Stump?

Old tree stumps and lumber laying around your property are just asking for termites to make their new home. If you notice termite activity or damage in or on these items, it’s untrue that termites will only feed on these things. A termite nest includes about 2,000 to 5,000 new eggs every day. All termites need to eat wood, so they will expand their trails, looking for new sources of wood for food. Treating the exterior perimeter and crawlspace of your home to ensure you keep the outbreak of termites away from your home and prevent further damage is essential.

Deforestation Destroys Termite Colonies

Termites are not always destroyed when you knock down a tree. Subterranean termites build their nests underground, hence why they are called Subterranean, and a colony can be up to 25 feet underground. Subterranean termites love to eat dead roots in the ground and can find any wood source on the ground’s surface. They will find new food sources if you knock down their forest home.

Termites Aren’t a Problem in Winter

All termites are active throughout the year. Drywood termites may slow down in how much wood they eat per day in the colder months, but they are always active.

My Neighbor’s Termite Treatment Pushed Termites into My Home

Termite colonies are so large that multiple houses can share one termite colony. If one house treats for termites, it will not drive termites into neighboring homes. It is more than likely that your neighbor already had termites in their home and they just didn’t know it.

DIY Termite Control Is Effective and Low-Cost

DIY termite control only works for a short time. Effective termite control can only be done with professional licensed inspectors and technicians. Drywood termites are a part of a colony with thousands of workers. They reproduce and feed through new channels while you’re trying to eliminate them with liquids and poisons. With Subterranean termites, if you dig up their colony, they will just move to another location in your home or will just return to the same area later once you’re done disturbing where they are working. Our team will safely and effectively get rid of your termites.

My Home is Safe, It was Previously Treated for Termites

MightyMite Termite offers an effective termite control treatment that protects for a long time, but termites can always try to return each swarming season. Maintaining your home and regular termite prevention is important to ensure termites don’t come back for more dinner.

Termite Treatment Costs Too Much

Termite treatments are priceless. If you don’t treat for termites, you risk costly damages to your home that will be much more than termite treatments. Paying for the skill and experience of a professional termite inspector and technician is worth every penny. We offer free termite inspections to determine if you have a termite problem. MightyMite Termite Services provides competitive pricing and a 100% warranty and guarantee for two years on our services.

Why Choose MightyMite Termite Services?

MightyMite Termite Services is known for its superior termite treatments. Since 2012, we’ve served the California Bay Area and the surrounding areas with exemplary termite services. We have friendly and knowledgeable staff members who want to help termites from your home. We do everything from free termite inspections, to termite control and wood repair services and termite prevention treatments. Whether you have a residential or commercial property, we’re the leading termite company for you. We always take extra time to ensure your property is inspected with care and precision. Our team always diagnoses and treats infestations with innovative and effective methods.

Contact MightyMite Termite Services in the California Bay Area Today

MightyMite Termite Services is here to tell you termite facts and help eliminate them in your home or business. We perform termite inspections to get in front of termite problems before they cause damage. Our technicians are highly trained in early detection and will assess your property to find any weaknesses. Termites will not go away on their own, and you cannot control their massive colonies without professional intervention. Contact us today to schedule a free termite inspection.