Pensacola is a great place to live—even termites think so. We have drywood termites, dampwood termites, and the worst of all termites—the dreaded subterranean termites. In fact, we have more than one subterranean termite species in our area. Why are they the worst of all termites? Subterranean termites are incredibly sneaky. You can have a million of these insects feeding on your property and not know it. It's alarming! So how on earth do you protect your Pensacola property from sneaky, wood-destroying, subterranean termites? We have a few ideas to share with you. The secret to protecting your Pensacola property from subterranean termites is a mixture of detection, identification, and termite prevention. Let's take a look at how it works.
How To Detect Termites
When sneaky termites come into your yard, you have to be watchful, if you hope to detect them. You should also take the time to do routine inspections of your property. Here's what you're looking for.
- Shelter tubes. These are the most obvious sign of a subterranean termite infestation. If these insects give you this sign, you might want to thank them. Shelter tubes are often created in places that are difficult or impossible to get inside, such as voids underneath structures, crawlspaces, concrete piers, and wall voids. If you see an accumulation of mud in a wiggly line or column, you can break a piece off and check back in two days to see if there is an active infestation. The workers will rebuild broken tubes.
- Shed wings. When winged termites come into your yard and mate, they will shed their wings. You may find these on the ground, on surfaces, or in spider webs.
- Damage. It is difficult to find evidence of termite damage. Most of the damage termites do is on the inside of wood. But, if you check damp areas or locations where there is wood-to-soil contact, you might find exposed termite tunnels and noticeable damage.
What Do Termites Look Like?
If you're standing in your yard and a termite swarmer lands on your skin, would you know it? We hope so. This might be the only warning sign you get. If you don't know what a swarmer looks like, here are a few characteristics to look for.
- Swarmers are small. Most are only about ? of an inch in length.
- Swarmers are black or dark orange.
- The wings of a swarmer are much longer than its body.
- The wings of a swarmer stack on top of each other and are round at the tips.
- The white coloration of a swarmer's wings should be quite noticeable.
If you're standing in your yard, there could be millions of termite workers below your feet and you would never know it. Here are a few ways you may be able to detect them.
- A worker is about ? of an inch long and looks like a pale, fat, ant.
- You may find worker termites underneath wood, under cardboard, and in other natural objects in your yard.
- If you break a dead branch apart, you may be able to find worker termites inside.
- If you dig soil away from fence posts, or the wood supports on your back deck, you may see these insects just below the surface.
- If you dig up some mulch, you might find termite workers.
Termite Prevention
Okay. Now that you know how to detect termites and what termites look like, how do you prevent termite damage? The best way to protect your property from a termite infestation is already done. Routine inspections are the best way to protect your property. If you want to protect your property without doing routine inspections, we recommend professional termite control. It is the only trustworthy way to stop termites.
If you are in Pensacola, reach out to EnviroGuard for effective termite control and prevention. We use advanced products and field-tested methods to guard your property against costly termite damage.