We all know that termites can do serious damage to the wood in your house. But if you suspect your house might have a termite problem, what should you do next? Here is some expert advice:

DO A PRELIMINARY INSPECTION YOURSELF

Look for indications of termite infestation. Here are some of the main signs:

SOFT WOOD. If the wood in your house is squishy or flaking, or your floorboards are creaky, this could indicate termite damage. Note: It could also indicate mold or water damage. It often takes a well-trained pest control to tell the difference, so look for other clues of termite infestation.
TERMITE SWARMS. When a termite colony grows so much that its nest becomes overpopulated, the young adult winged termites break away to swarm together. They choose mates from within the swarm, then go off to form their own new termite colony. These swarms tend to occur during daylight hours of spring or summer, depending on the type of termite. Since these flying termites look a lot like flying ants, non-experts can be fooled.
DISCARDED WINGS. Once a termite has chosen a mate, their wings break off. These can be found inside or outside your house, in spider webs, on window sills, etc. This doesn’t always prove there is an active termite infestation in your house, but it does indicate there was one in the past.
TERMITE DROPPINGS. Like any animal, termites leave feces after eating. Termite droppings are naturally much smaller and finer than mammal droppings from mice or rats.
MUD TUBES. Some breeds of termite create protective structures known as mud tubes to allow them to safely travel from their colony’s nest to the wood beams and planks that they consume.
SMALL HOLES IN WOOD. Termites enter and exit wood pieces through very tiny holes. They leave the outside as intact as possible so they can be hidden and sheltered. Tiny holes could indicate termite infestation but could also indicate other problems.

CONSULT A LOCAL EXPERT

If you’ve seen some of these signs of termite infestation you could seek to treat the problem yourself. But as noted above, some of these signs can be hard to diagnose conclusively, and you don’t want to waste time and money treating a problem that doesn’t exist. A well-trained pest control expert can decisively determine if your home has a termite problem. She can also tell what kind of termites you have, and how bad the damage is. This is very important information that informs what the treatment should be.

SAFETY FIRST

Another factor to consider is that some of the chemicals you might use to treat termites can be abrasive or hazardous. Experts know how to safely handle these chemical products, how much of them to use, and the best way to apply them. The instructions only tell you so much.

LOCAL EXPERTISE MATTERS

One often overlooked thing to note is that local termite control experts have expertise based on their experience in your particular locale. The San Francisco area has a totally different climate than Iowa, Florida, or New York. Different types of houses are common here, with different kinds of wood, and different breeds of termite are prevalent here. For these reasons, an internet search and a product’s instructions might not be appropriate for your situation.

THOROUGHNESS IS CRUCIAL

If you decide to treat your termite infestation yourself, how do you confirm that you really got rid of the problem? Pest control experts have special tools and techniques to determine when they’ve finished the job. If you’ve only done a superficial treatment or focused on the wrong places, the termites can continue feasting on your wood, which could lead to serious damages, and even unsafe conditions if your beams or floorboards collapse.

AVOID HASSLE AND RISK

Your local pest control experts not only understand the termite problems particular to your area, they also understand the most efficient and safe ways to treat your house for termites. There is no substitute for local experience. You could spend an entire week trying to diagnose and treat your home’s foundation for termites, putting yourself at risk of injury or irritation from chemical exposure, when an expert has the right protective gear, procedures, and checklists to work efficiently and safely.

CALL THE MIGHTYMITE EXPERTS

At MightyMite Termite Services, we’re experts in controlling all types of termites in California. We perform termite inspections to ensure that your home is free of termites and work hard to help you keep it that way, using treatments that are naturally derived and have a low impact on the environment. We diagnose and treat infestations with the most effective methods and unmatched warranties, solving your termite problems the first time, with an industry-best “no call-back rate.” That, combined with our experience, technology, and highly trained professional staff, makes us the leading extermination company in the Bay Area. We understand that your home is your most important investment, so we work hard to provide excellent service, utilizing best practices to solve our customers’ termite problems in Northern California. For more information, call us today at 408.335.7053, email Info@mightymitetermite.com, or contact us through our website.