Spring is coming, and that, unfortunately, means that termites will soon find new homes for themselves and that new home can be yours. The spring season – warm, slightly humid, and moist season – is also termed the termite season only because this is the time when termites begin their lookout for new colonies. It is a myth that all termites – regardless of which species- swarm simultaneously, but it is true that termites travel in swarms, usually when the weather is warm and following the rain. Therefore, one might think that millions of termites will attack our homes every spring, but that is also false. Various studies have found that termites usually get triggered by their maturity, which allows them to start their swarm and lookout for new homes. That trigger point usually arrives around the age of three years.
Now one might ask, why do termites swarm? What do they get out of it?
Well, termites usually swarm when it is time to build new colonies. When they are mature enough – around three years of age – their purpose is unlocked, which is to initiate new colonies. When termite colonies reach a certain level of maturity, they begin to produce late nymphs or termites, which eventually grow up to become the next leaders of the settlement. These late nymphs will develop into swarmers in the future, which will have wings. This group of swarmers is responsible for flying away from the colony in order to pair with mates and collectively search for acceptable areas to establish their new territory when the time comes to swarm.
The sign to look out for when the swarmer’s wings drop off. As these swarmers are late nymphs, each female from these partnerships will soon become the newly formed colony. She lays the eggs, which hatch, and eventually becomes laborers in the territory where she lays the eggs. In time, many of the termites will mature into soldiers who will be assigned the primary responsibility of protecting the queen and other members of the colony. So now that we know a bit about these termite swarms let us get to learn more about them and what to do and not during the swarm season. Termites are the causal agents of billions of dollars of damage each year. Since their mechanism is to work inside out, usually termite infestations aren’t detected until it’s too late, and significant damage has already been done.
Spring is when termites are most commonly known to start their swarm, and these destructive insects are always on the lookout for a new site for their colony.
How to know if your house has been infested or not?
Look around outside your house for termites. If you see a swarm around and inside your home, they will most likely not survive to establish a colony. Still, it indicates that even if these termites didn’t survive, your house has become infested, and you need to take immediate action.
If you observe a swarm around your house but not trying to go inside, your house is not infested, it is safe, but there is a colony – or multiple colonies – somewhere close by.
Why are they attracted to our homes?
Termites in swarm season are trying to find new homes to grow their colony. And the first thing any organism needs for further growth is food. That is the exact reason any termite would enter your house in the first place. Termites love eating cellulose-based or wood-like lumber, newspaper, firewood, etc. Like insects, they love warm and dark places that are kept undisturbed, and as mentioned earlier, they thrive happily in moist soil, especially around foundations.
What to do during a termite swarm?
It is imperative to know that during a termite swarm, you should not remove or open walls, baseboards, or flooring and do not prod trims or sills to find termite damage. In addition, if you have discovered a termite swarm anywhere outside your house, do not directly go to that place, but mark it and keep an eye on it to prevent spreading. However, do not risk injury to yourself.
What is the treatment for termite swarms?
Finally, now that we know about termites, let us move on to the treatment. Some do-it-yourself methods can be effectively used against termites. But while this job is mostly preferred by people to be left with professionals, there are certain things we can do to prevent termites in the first place, which are;
● Get rid of decayed or decaying lumber and firewood and try to move as many wood products away from foundations as much as possible.
● Reduce moisture and heat around crawl spaces.
● Repair and maintain faucets and pipes.
● Position your sprinklers away from the foundations to prevent them from getting wet.
● Divert excess water from foundations as much as possible to keep the foundations as dry as possible.
If you need any professional assistance in removing the pests, Get in touch with https://www.empirepestcontrol.co.uk/
Mainly the termite treatments include two types; liquids and baits.
Liquid termite treatments have been around for ages. Their primary purpose was to provide a long-lasting fluid barrier in the soil that will help keep the termites away from entering – and subsequently – infest your house. This treatment also helps kill termites that are already in the structures of your home, as this liquid will help prevent these termites from getting back into the soil for their supplemental moisture. Baits are a termite treatment procedure where food that termites usually eat, like cellulose-based food, is combined with a slow-acting pesticide. The bait is then installed under the ground, where termites will swallow the bait and share the bait with other termites in the colony. It will lead to a gradual change and inevitable decline in the population of the termites until there are no more termites left.
So that is all that you might need for the upcoming termite swarm season. Stay bundled up; stay safe. The swarming season not only signifies the essence of treatment but concludes the overall effectiveness.