Termites: Can You Tell If You Have Them in Your Home?

It's that time of year again where the ugly little critters eat at your home and leave it looking like you hacked at the bottom of your house with a chisel. If you haven't guessed I'm talking about termites. It's an awful bug that eats away at the inside and outside of your home. If your not sure that you have them just take a look at your wood siding. You might have noticed some changes around the inside of your home. Maybe there are little holes in the wall that didn't use to be there. I recently had them in my home but at the time I had no idea what they were. They looked just like a large flying insect. They had come in through my windows. What confused me was the wings. I had never seen an insect with wings that was much larger than it's body. It was quite perplexing! There are different types of termites so here are a few of them to name.

Dampwood Termites

Dampwood termites nest in wood buried in the ground or where wood is high in moisture, such as in fallen trees or tree stumps. These termites are larger than many other termite species and they rapidly form large colonies.

Drywood Termites

Drywood termites have a low moisture requirement and can tolerate dry conditions for long periods. They remain above ground and do not connect their nests to the soil as do many other termite species.

Formosan Termites

Formosan termites are a Subterranean species that build earthen-shelter tubes to protect themselves from low humidity and predators. Formosan termites are among the most aggressive species in attacking wood.

Subterranean Termites

Subterranean Termites build earthen-shelter tubes that are up to an inch wide and can be found in crawl spaces and inside and outside slab foundations. Subterranean termites must have contact with the soil to live underground and to survive.

Termites that are in Oklahoma live in soil and can be found throughout the state. The probability of a home being attacked by termites within 20 years of being built is about 70%. If your building a home treating the soil with termiticidal chemicals before building will reduce the threat of termites. If you already have them it's probably best to call a pest control company like Terminix. You can also treat the soil if you do have them. Termite control requires specialized equipment and professional knowledge. However some have used at home methods such as putting out baits in the appropriate areas. It's up to you to decide which method is right for you but I would suggest researching them quite a bit before making a decision.