What are a few steps you should take if you find termites in your house.

Termite swarming season is typically in the spring and summer, so we’re catching the tail end of it right now. Since these wood-eating insects can cause severe damage to your home, it’s important that you act fast. Let’s take a look at what you can do to protect your home if you see termite swarmers in your house.

What to Do If You Find Termites

To properly take care of swarmers, you need to learn what to do if you find termites in your house. Here are a few tips that will help you take care of the problem:

• Contain Them If Possible — If you find a termite swarm, then the first thing you should do is attempt to contain them in a single area. This basically means that you’ll want to keep the door closed – if there is a door, of course – and let everyone know that they shouldn’t go into the room or area until you can call an exterminator.
• Grab a Few Specimens — If you’re not certain that you’re dealing with termites, then it doesn’t hurt to capture a few and then compare them to images online. You can also send pictures to an exterminator or show them in-person for positive identification.
• Call an Exterminator — As you could probably tell from the first two points, you need to call an exterminator for a termite inspection as soon as possible. If you delay, the termites will cause even more damage to your home, leading to costly repairs and more inconvenience.

What NOT to Do If you Find Termites

Homeowners will often react in strange ways when they find termites in their house. This is completely understandable, but we’d suggest that you avoid doing these things:

• Going into Panic Mode — Seeing termites in your house can definitely cause a wave of panic to overwhelm you, but this won’t help anything. You need to remain calm and take the necessary steps to get these wood-eating insects out of your home.
• Spraying with Insecticide — Whenever we see a bug flying or crawling around our home, we often reach for the closest can of insecticide. Suffice it to say that getting rid of termites by spraying them with Raid simply isn’t going to destroy a colony.
• Seal Exit Holes — Although sealing holes is a common way to keep insects out of your home, doing this to the termite’s exit hole won’t accomplish anything because they’ll just dig another one. Instead, secure a plastic bag over the outside of the hole so that you can capture a few specimens and keep others from going anywhere.

Other Warning Signs of Termites 

Termite colonies will typically present themselves in multiple ways, so you don’t have to rely on spotting swarmers. You can also look for these warning signs of termite activity:

• Mud Tubes — As the name indicates, these conduits are made of mud and are used by subterranean termites for easy travel.
• Hollow Wood — When termites infest your home and eat enough wood in a certain area, knocking on it will give it a hollow sound.
• Droppings — Known as frass, termite droppings often look like a pile of sawdust and may be light or dark brown in color.
• Discarded Wings — Swarmers eventually shed their wings, so you may find several of them around wooden structures.

Contact ProHealth Pest Control for Help with Termites in Your House

Spotting termites in your house can really rattle your nerves, but there’s no need to panic. ProHealth Pest Control is well-versed in providing an effective termite treatment. For any questions or to schedule an appointment, reach out to us at (727) 472-9420 today.