The Swarm is Coming

BY TONY SORRENTINO of Pest Pros of Michigan

There’s a saying in Michigan amongst people in our industry… it goes like this, “you either have termites, have had termites, or are going to have termites.” The specific termite species we deal with in Michigan is the Eastern Subterranean Termite, and they are one of the most widespread and economically significant insects that we deal with in the pest control industry; collectively, they cause upwards of 6 billion dollars in damage to real estate properties annually in the United States, globally their impact is even more severe.

Being subterranean, they live in colonies underground; they feed and subsist on cellulose material such as the structural wood in buildings, wooden fixtures inside of the home, paper, books, cardboard, and cotton. A mature colony can range from 20,000 workers to as many as 5 million workers, and the primary queen of the colony can lay from 5,000 to 10,000 eggs per year, adding to this total.

If you’re like most people, your home is probably your most significant single investment. We want to help you protect your investment from one of the most nefarious and significant classes of wood-destroying insects.

As spring approaches and the hard thaw begins to happen, here are some things you can do to help reduce or remove conducive conditions around your home:

Eliminate Moisture Encroachment. Ensure proper positioning of the downspouts to divert the water away from the structure and grade the ground away from the foundation to encourage water to drain away from your home rapidly. Not letting water pool around the exterior foundation (a result of poor drainage or high grade) or allowing any moisture to build or stand in the substructure of your home’s basement or crawl space as heavy moisture conditions create the perfect environment for termites (and mold…). A simple fix for this is the utilization of dehumidifiers and having ample ventilation throughout the substructure; this will help ensure air is allowed to flow through the crawl space or basement, thus eliminating excessive moisture and humidity.

Eliminate wood to soil contact and high grade around the exterior. Having wood supports passing through the foundation to the exterior or passing through the basement floor slab and having a high quality, this is where the ground reaches the framing or makes contact with the lowest part of your siding around the exterior, as either of these conditions create an easy point of ingress/egress for termites to access your structure.

Eliminate areas of harborage; having things like dense vegetation, leaf litter, sticks or branches piled up near the foundation, or your woodpile stacked against your home is just asking for trouble, clear out any seasonal debris and stack any firewood away from the structure and off of the ground; this will help with arboreal ants, wood infesting beetles, earwigs and spiders too!

Taking action in regards to reducing or removing conducive conditions around and inside of your home will help reduce the risk of having termites encroach on your largest investment.

WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Along with these tips, you can (or we can!) inspect your structure annually to look for signs of activity throughout your home. In the finished parts of your home take a flashlight and shine it along the wall to create “oblique lighting” looking for pits or inconsistencies in the sheetrock. This may be evident where termites have consumed the paper backing and eaten through drywall creating a weak spot. Another hot spot for termite activity is around door and window frames and along baseboards. Look for pitting, cracking or delamination of hardwood flooring (usually this will occur near the baseboards).

When looking for evidence of activity in the unfinished parts of your basement, crawl space or garage, look at: the exposed wall framing, the foundation walls, around plumbing penetrations or water lines, the rim joist along the sill plate and in the sill boxes behind the insulation, along the floor joists for shelter tubes branching out from cracks or erupting from the wood. Pay close attention to where the wood frame sits on the concrete header or where it’s attached to the slab at the floor.

The most shocking and definitive evidence of termites is commonly found when you see small black winged insects swarming inside of your home. We industry professionals may refer to these as significant reproductives or eastern subterranean termite alates. Swarmers are the future queens & kings setting out on what is referred to as the “nuptial flight,” the sole purpose of this being to mate, go forth and set up new colonies.

What is the best course of action if you do find live termites or evidence of termite activity in your home?

My advice is to seek professional help… CALL THE PROS!

Finding live termites or evidence of termite activity can be traumatic and difficult to handle, but the good news is that they are controllable; by utilizing biologically & entomologically sound treatment strategies, advanced control methodologies, and adhering to the highest industry standards, we can get your home protected.

Whether you’re looking for advice on proactive steps you can take to protect your home and remove or remediate conducive conditions, or you have termites, have had termites, or want to look into preventive measures to keep your home from getting termites… reach out. As licensed, experienced and knowledgeable professionals, it is our responsibility to discuss these various options with Homeowners to make the best-informed decision for themselves.