Not knowing when certain pest problems tend to start is a good way to be caught off guard by a problem right on your property. With termites, late detection can mean huge costs and even hazards. That’s why every Pensacola property owner needs to know as much as they can about termite season.
What Does Termite Season Mean?
Termite season is the time of year -- typically in spring or early summer -- when termite swarmers come out in large numbers to create new colonies. Unlike most other termites, which are wingless and mostly stay in underground tunnels, termite swarmers are the ones you might see flying around during those times of the year. Swarmers, also called alates, are the reproductive members of termite society. They emerge from existing colonies as the weather heats up and they quickly look for new yards to colonize. In fact, termite swarmers are often the first and only outward sign people get that there’s termite activity happening nearby. If you fail to act during termite season, the likelihood of detecting and controlling the resulting termite colony drops significantly.
How Much Damage Do Termites Cause?
The reason it’s so important to catch a termite population early is that they can do a whole lot of damage to your property without you even realizing it until it’s too late to prevent it. Once swarmers establish a new colony, the workers and soldiers of that new population quickly expand their territory below ground, seeking out subterranean sources of food that will supply their population. Once they’ve grown, termites can take on even more territory. When they’re in yards, the most attractive source of wood for them to target is often our structures themselves. Because they tunnel inside from underground, you may not even realize that termites have invaded until the outward signs of their damage are obvious. By then, they may have caused irreversible damage to your walls and crucial structural support beams. This is how termite problems turn into full-blown hazards. Instead of waiting until it’s too late, make sure you keep up on general preventative measures and contact experts right away to help protect you from their destruction.
How To Prevent Termites
Because they live underground and are so good at hiding and multiplying until it’s too late to avoid damage, it’s important to take continual steps to protect your property from termites. Here are some tips to help you:
- Crack Sealing: Termites look for tiny cracks or holes in your exterior walls and foundations, which allow them to slip inside and access interior woods. Checking around your structures and fixing any blemishes is a good protection step.
- Moisture Control: Water damage can open up those very cracks or holes and some termites are specifically attracted to damp woods. For both of these reasons, overall moisture control is crucial.
- Professional Help: The best way to make sure that your property is safe from termites is with ongoing professional assistance. Experts can help you catch warning signs early, not to mention get rid of existing problems and prevent future infestations.
True Protection From EnSec
With such damaging and sneaky pests, it’s important not to take any chances when it comes to termite prevention. Rather than try to look for signs of termite swarmers or damage on your own, turn instead to the experts at EnSec of Florida. Our trained technicians can thoroughly inspect your yard and structure for any signs of termites, helping you rest easy knowing that a population isn’t forming below-ground. If termites are spotted, only professional treatments are guaranteed to wipe out the entire population, including the alates that need to be removed in order to truly stop the endless cycle of termite damage. Don’t wait for termites to eat through your structure before you take steps to prevent them, contact EnSec today.