How To Spot, Treat And Prevent Termite Infestations In Huntsville
October 20, 2022
Purchasing a home comes from years of saving money, plowing through mountains of paperwork, and the beginning of a dream. Becoming a homeowner is rewarding but also brings with it a huge responsibility. As a homeowner, you must guard your hard-earned investment against potential destruction from the weather or pests like termites.
Don't risk damage to your home by ignoring the threat of termites. Take preemptive action by securing the Huntsville pest control experts from Custom Pest Control. Our locally owned and operated family business has served the North Alabama area for over 25 years. We have the tools and experience to eliminate termites in your home.
Termite Infestations Can Be Tricky To Spot
Although termites work in dark and secluded areas of Huntsville homes, there are signs of termites that these mysterious, hidden pests leave behind like:
- Blistering paint or wallpaper
- Sagging floors in the corners and crunching sounds from the subfloor
- Hollow-sounding wood when tapped
- Wings discarded by flying termites in windowsills and swarms of flying termites inside or outside the house
- Piles of sawdust-like debris near holes in wood and pellet-like mounds of droppings
These indications of termites and signs of termite damage appear in homes with a termite infestation.
Treating A Termite Infestation
There are two approaches one can take in addressing a termite infestation. The first tactic is to try a do-it-yourself (DIY) product or home remedy solution. Utilizing this approach may involve destroying mud tubes on the house, spraying boric acid or citrus solutions, spreading diatomaceous earth, or applying a store-bought spray. At first, these DIY products and home remedies may appear to be working because you see dead termites; however, they likely won't fix your problem.
First, they don't destroy the termite colonies. Some termites in Huntsville, like the eastern subterranean termite, have a primary nest on the property, not in the house. Unless you destroy the primary nest, even if the DIY method successfully eliminates the satellite nest in the home, you will continue to have an infestation problem. Second, if the king and queen of the termite colony survive the DIY treatment, they will continue to produce more termites, and some termites produce up to 1,000 eggs daily! Third, the DIY product may be useless unless you make the correct termite identification. You need to know if you have drywood, Formosan, or eastern subterranean termites to apply the proper treatment and know where to treat them.
The best option is to secure the best termite company near you, Custom Pest Control. Our trained pest control experts will identify the type of termite infesting your home and apply the correct treatments and methods to eradicate them.
How To Effectively Deter Termites Once Treated
Once the termite specialists for your Hunstville property from Custom Pest Control have successfully eliminated the termites, take these steps to deter a future infestation:
- Remove all buried wood on the property and clear old tree stumps from the location.
- Paint and create a barrier between landscaping timbers and the ground and paint fence posts and wrap the bases in aluminum flashing to create a barrier between the poles and the soil.
- Dehumidify the crawlspace or basement and attic.
- Elevate firewood off the ground and move it at least 20 feet away from the house.
- Repair leaky pipes in the home.
The key to termite protection in Huntsville is to reduce or eliminate moisture around wood inside and outside the home.
Professional Termite Control For Huntsville Homes
Custom Pest Control is the termite service near your home in Huntsville. Our professionals have the tools, experience, and knowledge about the termite species in the North Alabama area.
Contact us today and request your free inspection. Let us partner with you to protect your hard-earned investment from termites!