Termites have been terrorizing humanity since the dawn of civilization, having existed on this earth for over 250 million years. Yet, termites don’t purposely terrorize us; they are just doing what they do best — surviving. And surviving and existing they do very well. These little pests don’t sleep, working from the time they are born till the time they die. Termites eat non-stop with the workers feeding the soldiers and the reproductive castes because they cannot feed themselves. They eat plant material, including plant fibers, or cellulose, decaying plant matter, and of course, wood, trees, and bark. In fact, termites weren’t considered pests until humans began to build structures from the termite’s main food source — trees.
Since both termites and humanity is here to stay and since termites can’t be reasoned with, forceful means must be taken to remove them when they decide to abode in our abodes. That’s where your local termite control service, Earthwise Pest Management in Roseville, comes in. We offer termite control solutions for homes and businesses using our IPM protocol. IPM stands for Integrated Pest Management that emphasizes finding the source of the problem, as well as eliminating the pest problem. IPM works by identifying the problem areas, so thus we can then manage the results. In the case of termites, the ideal result is an eradication of the residential or commercial termite infestation with no recurrence.
Below, we’ll take a look at how Earthwise Pest Management in Roseville uses IPM to achieve your ideal termite control result — no present and future terrorizing termites in sight! Contact us today to begin.
THE BEGINNING OF A TERMITE INFESTATION
A termite colony usually begins anew if you haven’t had termite problems before. An existing colony’s queen termite periodically produces new queens and kings (the reproducing termites). These termites have wings and when they are fully mature, they fly out to find a suitable home for themselves. If you have a termite control problem, it’s probably because one of these swarms decided your home or business was the perfect suitable home for them.
Another way for you to suddenly have a termite problem in your home is if subterranean termites, those that live underground discover your home as a great new source of food as they are burrowing around. These pests will build mud tunnels over your foundations in order to reach all of your wood. Some of the sure signs of a termite infestation include:
- Seeing the actual swarming termites
- Discarded wings of the swarming termites (they shed these right after they’ve found a new home)
- Mud tubes along your foundations (signs of subterranean termites)
- Termite galleries, or empty spaces in the wood of your home
- Termite droppings
- Buckled flooring in your home
When you see signs of termites, you should call your local termite control company in Roseville, Earthwise Pest Management, right away. Termites can do thousands of dollars worth of damage to your home in a very short amount of time. It’s imperative to not delay and allow these pests to continue to destroy your home or business. Call us today!
SHOULD YOU DIY YOUR TERMITE INFESTATION?
Most DIY termite solutions involve extremely harsh chemicals that you buy from your hardware store. A clear sign is when the directions tell you that you need a plastic mask and rubber gloves in order to rid your home or business of termites.
There are several all-natural ways to rid your home or business of termites. Several are outlined below.
Nematodes
Nematodes are a termite’s worst enemy. Nematodes are parasitic worms that love to eat termites. Nematodes are 100% safe for humans. They do not invade our bodies, just the bodies of termites. However, caution is encouraged if you do decide to invest in nematodes for your termite problem as there are certain types of nematodes that will invade humans’ bodies. It’s imperative you do your research before just ordering the first batch of nematodes that pops up when you Google search. This is also one of the reasons that Earthwise Pest Management in Roseville urges you to invest in professional termite control, rather than DIY.
Nematodes are microscopic. They invade the body of termites and end up giving them blood poisoning, which kills them. The nematodes then eat their bodies, leaving nothing behind, which is nice for you so you don’t have thousands of dead termites lying around your home.
Sunlight
Termites die in the sun, which is one reason they love dark, moist places. Sunlight works well if you can get your termites away from your home, or if they are living someplace you can dig up. However, UV light will work the same way. You can just buy UV lights and shine it on the places the termites live.
Diatomaceous earth
You’ve probably never heard of diatomaceous earth unless you have had a termite problem before. Diatomaceous earth if the fossilized remains of dead aquatic organisms called diatoms Diatoms are made of silica and can be found in the beds of lakes, rivers, and oceans. Diatomaceous earth cuts the exoskeletons of termites when they crawl through it, which exposes their bodies to the air. This dehydrates them, and they die of what we would call exposure. Diatomaceous earth is used as a barrier. You apply it around your home, business, wood piles, attic spaces, and the like and that’s it. Earthwise Pest Management in Roseville notes that it’s one of the easiest all natural ways for termite control.
Orange oil
Orange oil exacts the exact same effect as diatomaceous earth, except that the acids in orange oil cause the exoskeletons of termites to dissolve, leaving them open to dehydration and death. You would spray the termite infested areas or areas you suspect there is termite activity, creating a barrier.
Borax powder
Borax powder is a common household cleaner frequently used in laundry detergents and other household cleaners. You apply borax powder to termite infected areas. Borax powder is a poison and will kill termites.
WHY INVEST IN PROFESSIONAL TERMITE RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL CONTROL SERVICES IN ROSEVILLE
Earthwise Pest Management in Roseville notes that while these are tried and true ways to eliminate termites, they do nothing to stop future infestations, which is what IPM does. Furthermore, due to the sheer number of termites, most of these methods for eliminating termites are not 100% effective and are really up the whim of a tiny insect brain to decide if it wants to cross a barrier or if that little brain can find a way around.
Below, we’ll examine why our termite control services are essential to eliminating your termite problem for good.
IPM APPLIED TO TERMITE CONTROL SOLUTIONS IN ROSEVILLE
The mission of Earthwise Pest Management in Roseville is to find a long-term solution to your termite problem. There are several ways we can do this through the implementation of integrated pest management techniques. Below, we’ll apply IPM to termite control.
Biological control
Biological control with regards to termite control would be using nematodes to fight termites. It’s using the pests’ natural enemies to combat them.
Cultural control
Cultural controls are practices designed to prevent termite colonies from even being established. If you prevent them from being established, you automatically prevent them from reproducing, dispersing, and surviving. You can also target each of these pieces individually with IPM. In essence, you want to protect the environment termites would establish themselves, which would be your home or business, by getting rid of standing wood piles, cutting down old, dead trees, or using a natural deterrent, such as orange oil regularly to prevent the establishment of a termite colony.
Mechanical and physical control
Mechanical and physical controls are barriers put in place to block the environment from the pests or overall make it unsuitable for them to live. You’ll want to separate the termite from its food source like in cultural control, but by using mechanical and physical means. Such deterrents include raising the temperature of the termites’ living space and creating barriers to their food.
Chemical control
As a last resort, chemical control methods, or the use of chemicals, is employed to rid you of your termite problem. When pesticides are employed Earthwise Pest Management in Roseville chooses only least toxic option that will get the job done, and they are applied in such as way as to minimize the damage they could do to people, other organisms, and the environment. To be effective, chemicals usually must be applied as a barrier and the termites must be monitored in order to ensure the thousands you have are killed. You can spot treat termites, but only if you know exactly where the colony is. Some companies employ a bait box technique, which is having chemicals in a special box with the poison and with food to attract the termites. This allows you to not poison the environment and keep the chemicals contained.
But IPM does not stop there. Integrated pest management involves planning your course of action, taking action, monitoring your action, adapting when change is necessary, and reviewing results. When you partner with Earthwise Pest Management in Roseville, you can expect to have a comprehensive plan and strategy drawn up, an action plan proposed and implemented, and then a full monitoring of the plan. Our plans do remain adaptable, and we regularly review them.
CALL EARTHWISE PEST MANAGEMENT IN ROSEVILLE FOR TERMITE CONTROL
Through our amazing IPM process, Earthwise Pest Management in Roseville devises solutions for your home or business based on your unique situation. We not only promise to rid you of your termites, but we will do our best to prevent a termite infestation in the future. We always keep in the forefront of our minds the impact our actions will have on the environment and on people. We’ll work to implement the best termite control solution for you. Contact us today to get started!
