Four Tips On Termite-Proofing Your House
If you own a home, you probably are aware that termites are one of the worst pests to face a problem with. These wood-eating insects can cause tens of thousands of dollars in property damage when they burrow into the structure of your house to create a colony! In order to avoid termite damage, there are several things you can do to help prevent them from eating away at your home. In this article, we’ll give you four tips on how you can begin to termite-proof your home! If you are a Massachusetts homeowner who is concerned about the presence of termites at your house, Absolut Pest Control is here for you with our termite inspection and extermination services! Contact our team to learn more about how we can prevent or eliminate termite infestations in your home!
Fix Leaks & Remove Standing Water
Like with many other pests, termites are attracted to water. Standing water and moist areas of your home are the ideal environments for termites to thrive in, so it’s essential to eliminate these wet areas if you want to help prevent termites from colonizing your house. Be sure to check for leaks & standing water anywhere that water may be flowing in your house; under sinks, the kitchen, bathrooms, the basement, ceilings, the roof, walls, etc. Fixing water leaks and removing standing water can also help prevent other pests like cockroaches, mosquitoes, and more.
Store Wood Properly
Another great way to help protect against termites is to make sure that you are properly storing wood in and around your home. If you have a fireplace or wood stove, you probably keep a good sized pile of wood in or around your home, garage, or storage shed. Because termites eat wood, your wood pile attracts them and the firewood you bring inside can act as a vehicle for them to catch a ride into your home. For this reason, you should be sure that you are keeping an eye out for signs of termites in your firewood supply! Additionally, you should store your firewood at least 8-12 inches off the ground and ideally have the wood pile at least five feet from the foundation of your home.
Seal Holes & Cracks
The next way to help prevent termites from creating their colonies in your home is to prevent them from getting in in the first place. Holes, cracks, and other gaps around the foundation of your home can act as a doorway for these destructive insects to get inside your home, where they’ll then start eating away at the wooden structure of the house. Inspect the perimeter of your home for any holes or cracks, then use caulk or foam sealant to seal off these openings.
Get Regular Pest Inspections
The best way to prevent termites from ravaging the structural integrity of your home is to hire a pest control professional to perform regular termite inspections! Here at Absolut Pest Control, we perform termite inspections that will cover your home or building from top to bottom! We recommend that our clients get yearly inspections so we can catch pests or vulnerabilities in a property before damage is done!
Contact Absolut Pest Control!
If you have any questions or concerns about termite infestations & prevention, contact our team at Absolut Pest Control today! We provide a wide variety of affordable pest control services in Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire! Give us a call at (978) 388-4589 or fill out the contact form on our website, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
Signs Of A Termite Infestation
Termites are insects that feed on wood and wooden structures, which is why they’re so dangerous to have in your home. Termites can damage the structural integrity of your home by eating away at it in places you won’t always notice. If you believe your home may have a termite infestation, it’s crucial that you contact a pest control professional as soon as possible in order to stop these dangerous pests from further damaging your home or property. In this article, we’ll talk about some of the ways you can identify a termite problem so that you can stop them in their tracks before the issue becomes worse!
Swarmers & Discarded Wings
Termite swarmers are adult flying termites. Swarmers are the reproductive members of termite colonies and are the only ones that live outside of whatever wooden structure the colony is currently eating away at. Termite swarmers have two large pairs of wings that are about ½ inch in length, so you should be able to distinguish between them and other harmless insects. When swarmers have found a mate, they’ll shed their wings, which you can also keep an eye out for. Swarmers are a telltale sign of an active termite infestation, so if you believe that you’ve seen these insects around your home, it’s essential to contact a pest control professional immediately!
Mud Tubes
Another telltale sign of a termite infestation is the discovery of mud tubes. Mud tubes are tiny tunnels that are found around the foundation of termite-infested homes. These tubes are 1/4 to 1 inch in diameter and are usually made up of a combination of soil, wood, and termite saliva. If you find what you think might be mud tubes, you can break off a piece of it and wait a few days to see if it comes back. If it does, there’s a very good chance that you have an active termite infestation in your home, and you should contact a pest control professional as soon as possible!
Termite Damage
One more reasonably self-explanatory sign of a termite infestation is finding the damage they’ve created. Termite damage often looks like tiny holes, mazes, or tunnels in wooden walls, floors, studs, and more. Another sign of termite damage is if a piece of wood sounds hollow or dull when tapped. If you believe that you’ve discovered termite damage in your home, you should contact a pest control professional to either confirm that the infestation is not active or eradicate them if it is.
Contact Absolut Pest Control!
If you have any questions about termite infestation or believe your home may contain one, contact Absolut Pest Control! We provide a wide variety of affordable pest control services in Eastern Massachusetts and Southern New Hampshire! Give us a call at (978) 388-4589 or fill out the contact form on our website, and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible!
What You Need To Know About Pest Control Before Buying A Home
Buying a home can be a fun and also stressful process. On the one hand, shopping for a new home is something many couples and families look forward to doing. On the other hand, there are so many things to consider, and so many things you wished you considered after the fact. One thing that many prospective homeowners don’t think about in advance is pest control.
How Do You Know If A Property Needs Termite Control?
The most egregious problem for new homeowners is existing termites. Termites cause terrible property damage that can become a danger to homeowners. Termites often destroy the structural integrity of a home over time, which is why they need to be dealt with quickly. Always request a WDO (wood destroying organism) inspection before signing on to a new home. A proper inspection from an unbiased third-party can ensure that your home is safe from pests. A WDO should only be handled by a licensed pest control professional. Short of ordering an inspection, you can always be on the lookout for visual signs of termites. Gnawed wood, discarded wings, termite feces, and hollow wood are all examples of a termite infestation.
Is Your Home Susceptible to Rodent Infestation?
Older homes are often plagued by rodent problems. Mice, rats, voles, and even squirrels can take up residence in your new home if there are unchecked entry points. Either a third party contractor or pest control specialist can check your property for entryways for rodents. These are easier to spot than the signs of a termite infestation. Of course, be on the lookout for obvious signs like mousetraps, fecal matter, and cracks/holes near the baseboards of the property.
Other Pest Concerns
Rodents and termites aren’t the only pest problem you should be on the lookout for before buying a new home. Make sure to do a visual inspection on the outside of your property for bee and wasp nests. Nests are often located in crevices and corners of roofing and windows. Check windowsills to make sure that there are no gaps for mosquitoes and other insects to crawl in through. This is especially important for kitchen windows. Check the basement and bathrooms for moisture. Excess moisture can become a breeding ground for many different insects.
Contact Absolut Pest Control
If you live in the Massachusetts area and are either looking to buy a new home or are already in your new home, hire a specialist from Absolut Pest Control to help get rid of pests and run inspections. Contact a member of our team today.
3 Signs Your Home May Have Termites
Much to your chagrin, termites remain active year round. Don’t let your mother or your co-workers tell you they go into a dormant state or become less prevalent in the winter, because they don’t. Discovering a termite infestation can be incredibly disheartening and also leave you scrambling for answers on how to solve the problem. After all, if termites are not discovered early, you stand the chance of having to pour a lot of money into repairing your home. Unfortunately, it can sometimes be difficult to recognize your home even has a termite problem in the first place. So, we’ve compiled a list of warning signs you should be on the lookout for. Read on!
Shelter Tubes
You may notice fan-like looking patterns on your walls or foundations. These are termite shelter tubes and they are key to helping termites maintain a dark, humid atmosphere for general development and food storage. Termites typically build these tubes at night and the larger they appear the more damage your home has likely sustained. The shelters are often various shades of brown, and appear earthen and clay-like in appearance. If you’re concerned about termites, take a look at your foundations and walls. Keeping an eye on things could help you avoid heaps of damage.
Frass Piles
Frass, or termite droppings, are minuscule pellets often found near termite entryways. This sign more or less speaks for itself. If you happen to spot a frass pile, immediately contact pest control services so they can get to work on saving your home. Termite dropping piles are a clear indication you have a termite problem on your hands.
Hollow Wood and/or Sagging Floors
Since termites often burrow in honeycomb patterns, they don’t come close to the surface of the wood. Not only does this add to the list of reasons why detecting termites early can be troublesome, but it also means the termites have more time to burrow and wreak havoc. Wood will continue to grow weaker, which may cause your floors to sag or a hollow noise to emanate from your walls when knocked upon. Don’t chalk these things up to your home’s age, either. If your floors and walls were not like this before, contact professionals to get your home checked out.
No one wants to deal with a termite infested home, ever. Unfortunately, Americans pay millions of dollars annually in termite damage. Don’t allow yourself to be part of that statistic! If you begin to notice any of these warning signs or other worrisome indicators, get in touch with Absolut Pest Control. You can reach us at 978-388-4589 or by filling out an online contact form.
How To Protect Your Home From Termites
Termite Control
A termite is a small, pale soft-bodied insect that lives in large colonies with several different castes. Termites are known to feed on wood and can be very destructive to trees and timber. The main type of termites are subterranean, and they live in the ground. The subterranean termites invade wood or any types of material that have cellulose. You don’t want these type of insects invading your home and destroying it, it’s important to know how to properly protect your home.
Tips on How to Prevent Termite Access:
- Secure gaps around water and gas lines where termites could enter your home
- Eliminate excess moisture in your home in areas like the basement and crawlspace areas
- If you have firewood or spare construction materials, keep it raised and off the ground and away from your house
- Keep mulch away from the foundation of your home, mulch is a food and water source for termites.
- Another food source for a termite colony is dead wood, try to get rid of dead trees or stumps around your home
Call a pest control professional if you feel there is a termite problem invading your home. Contact Absolut Pest Control for termite and insect control at 978.388.4589 or fill out our contact form online!
Helpful Facts About Carpenter Ants
Identifying Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are among the largest types of ants living in the United States. These type of ants are usually 3.4 to 13mm and black, sometimes they have reddish-brown or yellow color to them. Carpenter ants can cause serious damage to your home, so it’s important you are able to identify them early on.
Facts About Carpenter Ants
The place that these ants call home is usually in moist, decaying conditions like hollow, rotted wood.A fact about carpenter ants is that they don’t eat wood, unlike other termites. Instead of eating the wood in your home, the carpenter ants simply remove the wood to make space for their nests. The reason they create these large galleries is to continue to grow and expand their colony.
Carpenter ants like to eat food that is sweet and has protein, like leftover food that you may have forgotten to clean up after your dinner. They also have been known to eat other insects so that could also add to the insect problem in your home. If you notice any wood dust and debris, it could mean that their nest is nearby.
If you believe you have a carpenter ant problem in your home, contact Absolut Pest Control at 978.388.4589 or fill out our contact form online!