Termite Mud Tunnel Swarm Castle

Thousands of Formosan Termite Swarmers

Termite Mud Tunnel Swarm Castle

Joe asked a contractor to take a look at the damage, and the contractor estimated the repairs to be around $6,000 to $7,000. The owners could have spent only $1,500 two years ago and avoided the panic of a Formosan termite infestation. Now they have to deal with the damages and hassle of having them repaired. Homeowner’s insurance does not cover termite damage.

Spending  $1,500 on a preventative treatment in order to avoid spending $6,000 on repairs later sure seems like a deal to me. Have your home inspected and treated by a professional, as soon as possible!

Along with keeping the annual termite contract current, homeowners should make sure there is no source of cellulose for termites to be attracted to, or feed on, next to their house and follow instructions of their pest control company.

Imagine termite mounds in your backyard!

These are above ground termite mounds found in Australia–not tombstones. In South Louisiana there are ten colonies of SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES per acre of soil; the colonies are deep under ground. You cannot see them! If you could, your backyard would look like the picture. It is important to keep in mind that subterranean termites are cryptic, and there are only a few ways to tell if you have termites infesting your home.

1. You see the damage they have already caused to your home, which means they have already been there a long time without your knowing it.
2. During the Spring you see, and are able to identify, flying termites (male and female reproductives that leave the nest to form new colonies).
3. You, or a pest control inspector, find mud shelter tubes (termite tunnels) on your foundation. This will only be visible if your slab is not covered with soil or mulch.

Since we can’t rely on termites to make themselves readily visible to us like they are in other countries (mounding termites) your best defense is to have your home professionally treated and maintain the annual inspection/treatment contract. It’s important also to ask if your home qualifies for a Termite Damage Repair Warranty/Guarantee.

Call us now for a free inspection and avoid costly termite damage to your home.

Joe

In the springtime in the south (usually from mid February to late May) two species (Eastern subterranean termites and Formosan) swarm by the millions on warm, high-humidity days. Often these winged male and female reproductives are mistaken for flying ants. But to the trained eye of a professional of a professional pest control technician, swarming termites are easy to identify. Many times termites swarm inside a home and it is the only indication that the home is infested. Once the termites are identified, a termite treatment plan is prescribed and the infestation is treated–stopping them from eating the wood out of your home.

I go to homes almost every week that are infested with termites and this could have been prevented by having the home under a contract with good annual inspections being performed. Don’t wait, call us now to have your home inspected free of charge to determine if you have these home-wreckers infesting your home.

Joe

A client was repairing water damage on his front porch last week when he believed he found termites in one of his posts. When Joe inspected the home he found a small suspended colony of Formosan Termites in the bottom of the post. We treated the home about  a year ago and successfully stopped the subterranean termite colony. So why were termites in the post?

 At the time of a soil treatment the subterranean colony (colony in the ground) is cut off from the termites inside the structure. In rare cases when there is an artificial moisture source available in the structure, the termites that were cut off from the subterranean colony can colonize above the ground inside the structure. For this to happen a supplementary reproductive termite (queen in waiting) has to be present in the above ground population of termites. Normally the primary queen is in a nest with other termites, deep in the ground several feet to a hundred yards from the feeding site. She constantly produces pheromones which control functions and activities of the colony, such as how much they feed, where they feed, which ones become workers, soldiers and swarmers. If the queen is cut off from the termites in the structure due to a soil treatment, her pheromones are no longer able to control the termites in the structure. By design the supplemental reproductive (queen in waiting) turns into a queen because the pheromones suppressing her royal ascent are no longer present.

 Joe found the supplemental queen (see picture below), about one hundred workers, two soldiers, and several nymphs in the bottom of the post with no tunnel connecting the colony to the soil–letting us know that this was a suspended colony. Before a follow up treatment could be done, the contractor had to remove all water damaged wood and stop all water leaks. Joe and a technician drilled and treated all connecting wood beams, posts, etc with termiticide to make certain there were no other suspended colonies along the front porch.

 Formosan termites are known to be able to live suspended above the ground almost indefinitely if there is a water source. Other species of subterranean termites can be suspended above ground for limited periods of time depending on water conditions, but not as successfully as Formosan termites. A visible inspection of this home would not have indicated a suspended colony. Make sure your home is treated by a professional. And if you have active termites at the time of the treatment, make sure all water leaks and rotten wood are repaired.

Formosan Queen and Worker

Carolyn

Recently all of our pest techs went to a seminar to learn more about bedbug treatments. Even though most of us have heard the saying, “Don’t let the bedbugs bite,” all the participants were asked to consider volunteering to “feed” some hungry bedbugs with their own blood. There were only two people brave enough to let the bedbugs bite them. One of those volunteers was our very own technician, Carolyn. I knew Carolyn was a dedicated pest tech, but I had no idea she was that dedicated!

Carolyn's Bedbug Bites

Carolyn let the little blood-suckers drink her blood for about 10 minutes. When I asked her what she was thinking, she just chuckled and said she thought it was fun. “It didn’t hurt. It felt like a mosquito bite.”  We were surprised that her skin didn’t seem to have the slightest reaction, but ten days after the blood meal her arm broke out in a painful, itchy rash.  Don’t worry about Carolyn though; bedbugs aren’t known to carry any diseases. 

It’s a myth that termites are dormant during the winter!

Another way Joe gave back to the community was by sponsoring a $500 scholarship to a high school senior in Live Oak, Meghan Bilski. There were 31 students in Livingston Parish who qualified for the scholarship for being outstanding students! (See picture below.)

Joe believes that education is a must for successful businesses and their employees. By investing in parish teachers and students, he knows there will be a better-educated pool of future employees to choose from…and that will benefit us all!

Here is a picture of Joe with Meghan Bilski and the First Lady of Louisiana, Supriya Jindal. (Thanks to Melissa Cannon Photography for permission to use the picture.)

Spring is in the air!

That means it’s the time of year many people begin to work in the flowerbeds around their homes.

If your home was treated for termites, and you are planning to do any landscaping near your home, please follow these important reminders so your termite barrier remains intact!

·         If your home is on a slab, make sure to keep at least 3 inches of your foundation visible. This way when we do our annual inspection we can still detect if there are any small termite mud tubes on your slab.

•          Do not place any wood mulch (pine bark, cypress, etc.) within 12 inches of your home. Termites eat wood, and even so called “treated mulch” will attract termites to your foundation. Pine straw or rocks are best next to your home.

•          Eliminate any wood-to-soil contact around your home (lattice, arbors, lawn timbers, firewood).

•          Do not disturb or add to the soil within 12 inches of your home. Do not plant anything (herb gardens included) within 12 inches of your foundation. You will disturb the product barrier which is about 6 inches wide and 6 inches deep next to your foundation. If you disturb the termite product in the soil you void any warranties on your home.

Please call our office (225-791-9911), or email me if you have any questions,

Joe Arceneaux

For most people, it’s difficult to know the difference between a swarm of ants and a swarm of termites. Due to the threat they pose to your property, it is important for you to know the difference between the two.

For a detailed description of their differences, read our article in the Learning Center.

Whether you discover you have flying ants, or flying termites, we can help you.

We offer pest control services as well as termite control.

Call us today for a free inspection and estimate!