Rodents, and their notorious reputation for causing damage and spreading disease, are a common nuisance in many homes. The varying temperatures that occur in NYC can drive these pests indoors. Handling a rodent infestation isn't just about eliminating visible problems; it's about ensuring your home is safe, hygienic, and rodent-proof.
Health Risks and Property Damage: Why Immediate Action is Necessary
Rodents are known carriers of various diseases, and their droppings and urine can contaminate food sources and surfaces. Furthermore, rodents can cause significant property damage by gnawing on electrical wires, wooden structures, and insulation.
Every home is unique, and so are its pest control needs. It would help if you considered the layout of your home, the extent of the infestation, and your family's specific needs to create a customized treatment plan.
Strategies to Rodent-Proof Your Home
Sealing Entry Points
Managing Food Sources
Controlling Moisture
Deterring Entry
Preventive Measures by Season
When to Seek Professional Help
While the above strategies can be effective in preventing rodent problems, there might be times when you need expert intervention:
Checking for bed bugs when traveling is crucial to ensure a comfortable and pest-free stay. Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that feed on human blood and are notorious for infesting beds and other furniture. Here's a detailed description of how to check for bed bugs when traveling:
Before you leave for our trip:
Research your accommodations and look for reviews or reports of bed bug infestations at your chosen place to stay. If there are multiple complaints, consider picking another accommodation.
Pack essential items and bring a small flashlight, magnifying glass, and a set of plastic bags to aid your inspection.
Upon arrival:
Store your luggage appropriately and avoid immediately placing your bags on the bed or upholstered furniture. Instead, utilize a luggage rack (inspect it first) or put your bags in the bathroom or bathtub until you've completed the inspection.
Here are the common places where bed bugs are found:
In the seams of chairs and couches, between cushions, in the folds of curtains. In drawer joints. In electrical receptacles and appliances. Under loose wallpaper and wall hangings. At the seams where the wall and the ceiling meet. Even in the head of a screw in furniture.
Let's start by visually inspecting the sleeping area and examining the headboard, mattress, box spring, and nearby furniture. Watch out for small brown live bed bugs, molted exoskeletons, dark spots (fecal stains), or tiny bloodstains.
In active infestations, live bed bugs can usually be found crawling around the sleeping areas, while squashed dead bugs often leave red-brown stains on the mattress or bedding. Also, look for tiny white eggs, light yellow casings, and other noticeable signs of bed bug activity.
After that, proceed to check the bedding. If possible, remove the sheets, pillows, and mattress cover, and inspect them thoroughly for any signs of bed bugs. Examine the bare mattress and box spring for bugs. Pay attention to the tufts of fabric along the mattress seams.
Next, examine the nightstand both inside and outside. Kneel and inspect the screw holes and outer edges along the sides of the nightstand. Search for signs of live bugs, eggs, and casings like in previous inspections. Additionally, open each drawer and look for any indications of bed bug activity.
Inspect the furniture:
Examine chairs, sofas, and any upholstered furniture in the room. Pay close attention to seams, crevices, and tufts, where bed bugs like to hide.
Scan the room:
Check the baseboards, electrical outlets, wall hangings, and behind picture frames. For framed pictures, lift them up and away from the wall if they are not securely mounted. Look for any live bugs in that area. If the pictures are securely mounted, you can skip this step. Look through the curtains.
Check your room for any side windows and curtains.
Tiny bed bugs can hide in cracks and crevices, making them hard to spot. Shine a light behind your headboard or nightstand, and look for any sign of bugs crawling away, which indicates that your room is infested.
Look for physical evidence of an infestation by scanning for small, oval-shaped bugs (about the size of an apple seed), exoskeletons, fecal stains (dark spots), or bloodstains on sheets and mattresses.
Pay attention to common hiding spots:
Bed bugs prefer to hide close to their food source (you!). Check the seams, tufts, and tags of the mattress, box spring, and pillows.
Inspect upholstered furniture thoroughly, focusing on seams, crevices, and zippers.
Check behind the headboard, as bed bugs often cluster there.
Examine any cracks or crevices in wooden furniture, including bedside tables and dressers.
Stay vigilant during your stay:
Even if you don't find any signs of bed bugs during your initial inspection, you must remain vigilant throughout your stay. Bed bugs can be introduced to a room at any time.
Avoid placing your luggage or personal items directly on the bed or upholstered furniture.
What you are looking for... Bed bug signs
Live Bed Bugs – Bed bugs are small, flat and oval-shaped. They have six legs and two antennae and are a reddish-brown color. Adult bed bugs are usually around 5-6mm in size.
Blood smears – This happens when a bed bug has been accidentally crushed after a meal and look like small red stains. This comes from the undigested blood in its body.
Dark/black stains – This comes from the bed bug excrement after a meal.
Shed skin – A bed bug sheds its skin to grow and move on to the next stage of its life cycle. Once they have fully matured they will no longer go through this process. Seeing many shed skins usually means a large infestation.
Bed bug eggs – Bed bugs can lay anywhere between 200 and 500 eggs over two months, and are usually laid in batches of 10. Bed bug eggs are 1mm long and are colored pearly white.
If you find signs of bed bugs:
Notify the management immediately: If you discover any evidence of bed bugs, inform the hotel or accommodation management right away. Request a room change or find alternative accommodations if necessary.
Launder your clothes: If you suspect bed bugs have come into contact with your clothing, seal them in plastic bags until they can be laundered in hot water and dried on high heat.
Inspect your luggage: Before leaving the hotel, thoroughly inspect your luggage and personal belongings. Wipe down your suitcase with a damp cloth to remove any potential hitchhikers.
Remember, bed bugs can be found in a variety of places beyond hotels, such as on public transportation, public libraries, retail stores, and movie theaters.
In the bustling urban landscape of New York City, the importance of maintaining a pest-free environment is paramount for both homeowners and businesses alike. However, traditional pest control methods often come with a high environmental cost. At Positive Pest Management, we believe in a different approach—one that is as kind to the earth as it is tough on pests. This approach is not just a part of our service; it's a commitment to our values of sustainability and responsibility.
The modern consumer is more informed and environmentally conscious than ever before. There's a growing awareness about the harmful effects of chemicals used in traditional pest control methods, not just on the environment but also on human health. This shift in consumer consciousness demands pest control solutions that are effective without compromising ecological integrity.
Pest control chemicals can contaminate soil, water, and air, leading to a detrimental impact on local ecosystems. By choosing eco-friendly pest control methods, we minimize this impact, preserving the delicate balance of our urban ecosystem and ensuring the safety of our clients' surroundings.
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is a comprehensive approach to pest control that emphasizes using eco-friendly methods to manage pest issues with the least possible hazard to people, property, and the environment. IPM is not a single pest control method but a series of pest management evaluations, decisions, and controls.
At Positive Pest Management, we implement IPM by focusing on pest prevention, using knowledge about pests' habits and life cycles, and employing environmentally sensitive treatments. We prioritize methods such as biological control, habitat manipulation, and resistant varieties, turning to chemicals as a last resort and selecting products with lower toxicity levels to protect the environment.
Eco-friendly pest control reduces the risk of exposure to toxic substances for humans and pets. This is especially important in sensitive environments such as schools, hospitals, and food service establishments where health and safety standards are non-negotiable.
By using methods that are less disruptive to the natural environment, we ensure long-term sustainability. Eco-friendly pest control helps in maintaining biodiversity and reducing our carbon footprint, contributing to the overall health of our planet.
We start with prevention, the most eco-friendly pest control method. By sealing entry points and eliminating food and water sources, we make environments less attractive to pests.
When treatments are necessary, we use green products that are certified to be environmentally friendly. These products are designed to target pests without causing unnecessary harm to other wildlife or the surrounding environment.
Our dedication to providing exceptional service matches our commitment to eco-friendly practices. We understand that each client has unique needs, and we tailor our IPM strategies accordingly, ensuring both efficacy and environmental responsibility.
Choosing Positive Pest Management means partnering with a company that cares about the future. We're not just exterminators; we're your neighbors, committed to maintaining a healthy, pest-free community.
Ready to embrace a pest-free life without compromising the health of our planet? Contact Positive Pest Management at 800-294-3130 or visit our website at Positive Pest Management to learn more about our eco-friendly pest control solutions. Let's work together for a sustainable, pest-free future!
Positive Pest Management - Your choice for a greener, safer pest control solution.
#EcoFriendlyPestControl #SustainableLiving #IPM #PestFreeNYC #GreenExterminating
Construction and demolition projects are complex, with every phase needing to go as planned to avoid delays and additional costs. One often overlooked aspect that can cause significant setbacks is the presence of rodents. At Positive Pest Management, we understand the critical nature of this problem and have a solution that ensures your project remains on track: prebaiting. Let's explore how our specialized prebaiting services can save you from the unexpected headaches that rodents cause.
Rodents are more than just a nuisance; they can cause structural damage, gnaw through materials, and even pose health risks. Their presence on a construction site can lead to unforeseen expenses, from replacing damaged materials to addressing health and safety violations.
In New York City, the Department of Health has stringent regulations regarding rodent abatement. Failure to comply can result in fines and delays, as demolition permits are contingent upon certifying a property as rodent-free. This is where Positive Pest Management's expertise becomes invaluable.
Our licensed technicians conduct thorough site inspections, identifying signs of infestation such as droppings, gnaw marks, and nests. We meticulously check for potential entry points, ensuring nothing is overlooked.
Before setting traps, we engage in a careful prebaiting process. This strategy conditions rodents to the bait, significantly increasing the success rate when traps are activated. It's a methodical approach that ensures higher catch rates and a more effective rodent control process.
After prebaiting, we seal up any potential entry points. Ongoing exclusion is crucial for long-term rodent control, ensuring that once the rodents are removed, they can't find their way back in.
Our technicians are trained in humane animal removal methods and will monitor and re-bait all stations and traps daily. We don't just set and forget; we are actively involved in ensuring the complete cessation of rodent activity.
We provide detailed documentation of our inspection findings, treatment plans, and the results of our abatement efforts. This documentation is crucial for meeting NYC Department of Health standards and obtaining the necessary permits to proceed with demolition or construction.
Upon completion of our services, we provide official certificates verifying that your property is pest-free. This not only meets legal requirements but also gives you peace of mind that the job has been done thoroughly and humanely.
With years of experience and a deep understanding of NYC's regulations, Positive Pest Management is the partner you need to ensure your construction project is free from the costly interruptions that rodents can cause.
Don't let rodents derail your construction schedule or budget. Contact Positive Pest Management at 800-294-3130 or visit our website at Positive Pest Management to schedule your prebaiting service. Let us help you keep your project moving forward, on time, and within budget.
Positive Pest Management - Your construction project deserves the best defense against pests. Let's build a pest-free future together. #RodentFreeConstruction #PrebaitingPros #NYCPestControl #ConstructionPestManagement #PositivePestPrebaiting
New York City is a place of vibrant diversity, not only in its culture but also in its weather patterns. The city experiences a vivid array of seasonal shifts, from the icy winter winds to the scorching summer heat. These ever-changing weather conditions significantly impact the behavior, activities, and prevalence of pests in our urban environment. Understanding and adapting pest control strategies to these seasonal variations is crucial for effective pest management and prevention.
As the temperature drops, pests such as rodents, cockroaches, and some species of ants seek shelter indoors to escape the cold. Buildings, homes, and subways provide warmth and a plentiful food source, making them ideal havens for pests.
During winter, focus on sealing entry points, such as cracks, holes, and gaps in walls, doors, and windows. Ensure that food sources are limited by properly sealing and storing food items and managing waste effectively.
Spring brings a resurgence of pest activity as temperatures rise and food sources become more abundant. Pests such as ants, flies, and rodents become more visible, and the first signs of termite activity may appear.
Spring is the time to conduct thorough inspections, identifying potential breeding sites and entry points. Consider implementing preventive measures such as baits, traps, and insecticide barriers.
Summer provides optimal conditions for a multitude of pests. Mosquitoes, flies, bees, and wasps are prevalent outdoors, while cockroaches and rodents continue to be nuisances indoors.
Focus on outdoor pest control measures, such as managing standing water to prevent mosquito breeding and ensuring that windows and doors are properly screened. Regularly inspect and maintain outdoor garbage disposal areas.
Fall sees pests preparing for the colder months ahead. Rodents, in particular, may start seeking shelter indoors, and insect activity may still be high.
Fall is the time to prepare for the winter invasion. Focus on exclusion techniques, repairing screens, and sealing entry points. Conduct a thorough inspection to identify and manage potential nesting sites.
Effective pest control is a dynamic process that requires adaptation to the changing seasons and their unique challenges. At Positive Pest Management, we specialize in providing tailored pest control strategies that meet the specific demands of each season, ensuring that your environment remains pest-free all year round.
Ready to safeguard your space against seasonal pest invasions? Contact Positive Pest Management at 800-294-3130 for expert guidance and effective pest control solutions tailored to New York City’s varied climates.
#PestControlNYC #SeasonalPestManagement #AdaptivePestControl #NYCClimates #EffectivePestPrevention
With its bustling streets and towering skyscrapers, New York City is always evolving. With this constant change comes the need for big and small construction projects. However, the city's recent legislation has added a new layer of responsibility for those in the construction industry: rodent control.
Rodents have long been a concern in New York City. Their population can surge in areas with ongoing construction as their habitats get disturbed, leading them to seek new homes and food sources. Recognizing the potential health hazards and nuisances these pests pose, the city has introduced a new law mandating specific rodent control measures before any construction project begins.
The new legislation requires developers and contractors to undertake comprehensive rodent control measures before initiating construction activity. This means that before any ground is broken, steps must be taken to ensure the site is free from rodents, preventing migration to neighboring areas.
Before starting any construction project, it's crucial to thoroughly assess the site to identify any existing rodent infestations. This involves checking for signs of rodent activity, such as droppings, burrows, and gnaw marks.
Once an assessment is complete, appropriate control measures must be implemented. This could involve setting up traps, using rodenticides, or employing more advanced methods like ultrasonic devices. The key is to ensure that the site is rodent-free before construction begins.
Even after initial control measures are implemented, continuous monitoring is essential. Regular checks should be conducted to ensure that the site remains rodent-free throughout the construction process.
This new law necessitates a more collaborative approach between the construction industry and pest management professionals. Contractors and developers will need to work closely with pest control experts, like Positive Pest Management, to ensure compliance with the law and the effective elimination of rodent populations.
While the law adds an additional layer of responsibility for those in the construction industry, it also bolsters the city's broader pest management efforts. By ensuring construction sites are rodent-free, the city can more effectively control and reduce the overall rodent population, leading to cleaner, safer streets and neighborhoods.
The introduction of New York City's new rodent control law is a testament to the city's commitment to public health and safety. While it does present new challenges for the construction industry, it also offers an opportunity for greater collaboration and innovation in pest management.
If you're in the construction industry and are looking for expert guidance on complying with this new law, Positive Pest Management is here to help. With years of experience and a deep understanding of the city's pest control needs, we can ensure that your construction site is rodent-free and fully compliant with the new regulations.
Don't let rodents derail your next construction project. Contact Positive Pest Management at 800-294-3130 and let us help you navigate this new legislation effectively.
#RodentControl #NYCConstruction #PestManagement #NewYorkCityLaws #ConstructionCompliance
With its dense urban landscape and constant influx of goods and people, New York City is no stranger to pest challenges. While the city has long battled familiar foes like rats and cockroaches, emerging pest threats add a new dimension to the challenge. NYC faces a dynamic and evolving pest landscape from invasive species to resurgent pest populations. This post will explore these emerging threats and provide insights into preventive measures and professional solutions.
As global travel and trade increase, so does the risk of introducing non-native species to new environments. In NYC, this has led to the arrival of several invasive pests that threaten to disrupt the local ecosystem.
Originally from Asia, the Spotted Lanternfly has made its way to the East Coast, including parts of New York. While not a direct threat to humans, they can cause significant damage to trees and crops.
Another invasive species from Asia, the Asian Long-Horned Beetle, threatens hardwood trees in the city. Their larvae bore into tree trunks, weakening and eventually killing the tree.
While not a new pest, bed bugs have seen a resurgence in recent years. These tiny pests can infest homes, hotels, and public transportation, leading to discomfort and potential allergic reactions.
Routine inspections of properties can help identify pest problems early, allowing for timely intervention.
Awareness is a powerful tool. Building owners and managers should keep themselves and their tenants informed about potential pest threats and preventive measures.
IPM is a holistic approach to pest control that combines preventive measures with targeted treatments, ensuring minimal environmental impact.
At Positive Pest Management, we understand the unique challenges posed by NYC's evolving pest landscape. We work closely with building owners, management companies, and contractors to ensure properties remain pest-free and compliant with NYC's stringent anti-rodent regulations.
Our team stays updated on the latest pest trends, ensuring we're always ready to tackle familiar and emerging threats. With our expertise and commitment, you can trust us to keep your properties safe and compliant.
Ready to safeguard your property against emerging pest threats? Don't wait for an infestation to take hold. Dive deeper into our insights on our website or contact us directly at 1-800-294-3130. If you have specific concerns or need tailored solutions, our contact form is the quickest way to contact our experts.
In the ever-changing world of pests in New York City, staying proactive and informed is key. With Positive Pest Management by your side, you can confidently navigate these challenges.
#EmergingPestThreats #NYCPestControl #PositivePestManagement #InvasiveSpeciesNYC #PestPrevention
New York City, with its iconic skyline and bustling streets, is not just home to millions of people but also a persistent and unwelcome resident: the rat. The issue of rat infestations in the city has been a long-standing problem, affecting residential and commercial properties. In this post, we'll delve into the challenges these rodents pose, the city's efforts to combat the issue, and how Positive Pest Management can assist in ensuring compliance with new regulations.
Rats have been synonymous with New York City for decades. Their ability to thrive in urban environments, combined with the city's dense population and vast underground networks, has made it a prime habitat for these pests. Not only do they pose health risks, but they also cause structural damage and are a nuisance to residents and businesses alike.
To address the rat problem, New York City Mayor Eric Adams recently signed a new law that places the responsibility of extermination costs on contractors for specific construction projects. This move aims to ensure that construction activities that disturb rat habitats do not exacerbate the rodent issue.
This law signifies a significant shift in the city's approach to pest control, emphasizing prevention over reaction. It also underscores the importance of involving pest control professionals early in the construction process.
For both residential and commercial properties, regular inspections are crucial. Identifying potential entry points and signs of infestation can prevent larger infestations.
Rats are attracted to food sources. Ensuring that garbage is adequately stored and disposed of can deter these pests.
Sealing off potential entry points, such as gaps in walls or floors, can prevent rats from entering properties.
In cases of infestations, professional extermination is the most effective way to eliminate the problem and prevent future infestations.
With the new regulations in place, contractors across New York City will need a reliable partner to ensure compliance. Positive Pest Management is uniquely positioned to assist. With our expertise in pest control and deep understanding of the city's rat problems, we can provide effective solutions tailored to the needs of contractors and property owners.
Ready to tackle the rat problem head-on? Don't wait for an infestation to escalate. Visit our website for more insights, or call us at 1-800-294-3130. If you have specific questions or require a tailored solution, please fill out our contact form, and our team will assist you promptly.
In the fight against the rat menace in New York City, being proactive is key. With Positive Pest Management by your side, you can ensure a rat-free environment and full compliance with the city's regulations.
#NYCRatProblem #PestControlNYC #PositivePestManagement #RatPrevention #NYCContractorCompliance
A termite problem at home can lead to severe structural damage if left unchecked. These pests move quietly, making it difficult for homeowners to spot live termites around their homes. When you spot early signs of termite activity at home, make sure to get rid of them immediately before they start causing significant damage.
So what exactly should homeowners do when they spot termite damage in their homes? The first thing they should do is to confirm the presence of termite activity and find their nests. They can try to get rid of the termites using different control methods or they can call a professional exterminator to take care of the problem. After eliminating the termite infestation, it’s also crucial to replace or repair all the damaged wood on the property.
Like other common household pests, the appearance of termites shouldn’t be taken lightly. Every year, Americans spend a total of about $5 billion on termite control efforts and termite damage repair in their homes.
These destructive pests are difficult to eliminate without the help of a professional pest control service provider because of various reasons – they’re difficult to spot, they reproduce quickly, and they can rebuild their colony quickly even if just a few of them survive. So if there are termites or signs of an active infestation in your home, make sure to do the following things immediately:
Finding the termite nests is the first step to effective termite treatment because a termite colony gives you all the needed information – if there are indeed termites on the property, what species of termites you’re dealing with, and how severe the infestation is.
To locate termite colonies, homeowners should be familiar with the appearance of different termite species and the signs of an active infestation.
After locating the termite nest and knowing more about the pests, homeowners have 2 options: eliminate the problem by themselves or call a pest control expert to exterminate the termites for good. If you decide to eliminate the termites without the help of a professional, there are a few products you can use:
While some termites can be killed off using home remedies or store-bought pesticides, wiping out the entire colony and preventing these pests from coming back requires the help of a pest control company.
Professional termite exterminators have the right training, experience, and equipment to eliminate termites on a property. They used professional-grade termiticides that aren’t commercially available to kill the termites quickly and prevent them from returning after a while.
There are 2 important reasons why it’s crucial to replace the infested wood on the property after a termite treatment: to preserve the structural integrity of the home and to ensure that any surviving termites are gone for good.
Replacing damaged wood can cost homeowners thousands of dollars after a severe termite infestation. To help cut costs, many of them wonder if it’s still possible to repair some of the wooden structures instead of replacing everything completely. While this might be an option for some people, it’s important to examine the extent of the damage first.
When considering repairing the aftermath of a termite attack, homeowners may remove and replace the damaged wood with new ones or chop off the damaged areas and add new wood to support the old wood. For superficial wood damage that doesn’t move deep into the structure, adhesives and wood sealants might be enough. However, make sure to thoroughly check the extent of the damage first and ensure that no termites managed to survive.
For moderate wood damage, there might be signs of water damage or rotting wood. The infested wood might appear discolored or crumbling, so make sure to correctly determine the extent of the damage. Clean the damaged wood and apply wood sealants and hardeners. If the damage is more extensive, adding extra wood helps support the damaged section of the wood.
When the termite damage goes beyond a few floorboards and wooden beams, it’s best to call a professional to assist with the repairs. Termite colonies can grow large enough to cause wood warpage, so some of the affected areas might collapse if not replaced immediately.
It’s natural for many homeowners to try eliminating termites with home remedies first when they notice the early signs of termite damage. Here are some of the most common natural termite repellents to use at home:
For severe termite infestations, it’s better to combine these home remedies with more effective termite treatments to eliminate the pests. They’re also good termite prevention measures, but homeowners shouldn’t rely on these methods alone to protect their home. To ensure that the pests won’t return to your home, call a professional termite exterminator to take care of the problem immediately.
Positive Pest Management is a trusted pest control company that serves different households and businesses in New York City. You can call us for an accurate termite inspection and we’ll recommend a termite treatment plan for your property. We always ensure the safety of our clients by utilizing IPM-based methods to get rid of the termites safely, quickly, and effectively.
Call us today to get a free estimate.
Termites cause severe damage to your home as it feeds on wooden structures and sometimes builds nests in them. You can seek reliable termite control services to solve this, but it might come with a hefty price. However, it can save you from more expensive costs of repairs and termite treatment procedures for larger infestations. One of the most effective solutions is termite tenting, but property owners can’t help but wonder if neighboring structures will also be affected.
So will neighboring homes be damaged after a termite tenting treatment? The quick answer is no – the chances of damage to neighboring homes when termite tenting treatment is being conducted are slim. Termite fumigation involves using harmful chemicals to exterminate termite colonies, but these insecticides are contained safely in a large tent. More than this, only pest control professionals can conduct this termite treatment with strict protocols.
Some neighboring homes of properties needing termite fumigation sometimes raise a few eyebrows about the treatment for fear that the termites might migrate to their homes or they will be harmed in any way from the potent chemicals used. Whether it's you or the property next door is the one about to have a tent fumigation treatment, you can rest assured that the termite extermination procedure wouldn't cause harm to nearby structures.
The fumigation gas used for eliminating the termite colony in your home might be potent, but it will be contained in a sturdy tent. This way, there wouldn't be damage to neighboring homes when termite tenting treatment is in progress.
The chemicals used are also potent enough to eliminate every termite activity, so they can no longer migrate to nearby structures, even the winged termites. Only pest management experts conduct this termite treatment with strict protocols, so you or your neighbors shouldn't worry.
While your fumigation tent treatment is less likely to cause harm to neighboring homes, their concerns about the procedure are still valid. Here are some of the reasons why nearby structures become worried about a property within their vicinity having a termite fumigation process:
Anyone considering a tent fumigation procedure as a solution to a termite problem must seek the services of a trusted pest control company. This allows your termite prevention and extermination treatment to be as safe as possible.
Structural fumigation treatment is effective not only for eliminating drywood termite colonies and other termite species but also for many hard-to-reach pests. This is because of the potent insecticides in the fumigation gas, which also worries surrounding areas.
But neighboring homes can rest assured that they’re safe from a nearby fumigation tent treatment because only pest control professionals can conduct the procedure, and they run tests before removing the tent. They have strict protocols to follow to also ensure the safety of their team and their practice, on top of the regulations by the government. Termites also wouldn't be able to escape to surrounding areas once the fumigation process has started.
Structural fumigation is a complicated procedure that can be dangerous if not done properly. That's why pest control professionals need to undergo extensive training and receive certification first before conducting the procedure. If they haven't fulfilled these, they won't be allowed to do the treatment.
Some property owners are also apprehensive about dangerous chemicals being released into the atmosphere. But pest control service providers are pretty much aware of the dangers of this procedure for exterminating termite colonies. Because of this, they run tests to ensure that the chemicals are low enough and safe before removing the tent. This is also when the property owners can enter the structure.
Pest control service providers are governed by the regulations imposed by states when it comes to conducting tent fumigation treatments. This is because this termite control solution involves using harmful chemicals that can penetrate walls, floors, ceilings, and other hard-to-reach areas.
Other pests swarm to different areas when their nests are being disturbed, which usually happens when property owners have implemented pest control procedures haphazardly. It might seem like pests are being eliminated, but the infestation only worsens because the pests escape to different areas and start new colonies. Surrounding areas of a structure conducting termite tenting are worried about this reaction.
But since this termite control treatment involves using strong chemicals, termites wouldn't be able to escape to neighboring homes – even termite swarmers of a subterranean termite colony wouldn't stand the chance of migrating to a different structure. Your neighbor shouldn't worry about you having a structural fumigation procedure for your termite infestation.
Property owners considering fumigation tent services must also be responsible for keeping the process as safe as possible, aside from their trusted pest control service providers. If you're considering termite tenting for your termite problem, the things you can do are:
Termite tenting might be safe, but you also need to have some considerations to ensure the security and peace of mind of your neighborhood. Invest in the right termite services that will keep your structure and community protected from different types of termites.
Damage to neighboring homes when termite tenting treatment is in progress can be pretty rare, so surrounding areas should have nothing to worry about. Highly-trained and certified pest control experts perform these types of termite services. Seek a reliable pest management expert for your termite tenting treatment and other termite services.
Positive Pest Management is one of the trusted pest control experts in New York due to our dedication and experience in keeping homes and establishments termite-free. We also offer other pest control solutions, like bed bug extermination, cockroach control, rodent control, and other pest problems. You can learn more about our services by getting a free estimate or leaving us a call.
Termites are extremely destructive pests that homeowners hope they never find on their property. These cold-blooded insects find it hard to survive outside where temperatures frequently fluctuate and reach extremes. Because of this, many homeowners leave their wooden furniture outside in hopes that sun damage kills off termites infesting it.
So what does sun damage mean when it comes to pest control techniques for termites? Direct exposure to sunlight is a good way to kill off some of the termites. The heat from the sun dries out the moisture in their shelter tubes, causing the pests to dehydrate and die after a short while. However, sunlight treatment alone might not be enough to eliminate an entire termite colony so it’s best to combine it with other termite treatment options.
Termite infestation is a serious household problem experienced by about 600,000 American homes every year. These pests cause significant damage to the wooden structure of the home and threaten its overall stability so it’s crucial for homeowners to find ways to get rid of them immediately.
Before calling a pest control company, many homeowners attempt DIY termite control methods first to contain the termite problem at home. One of the most common at-home termite treatments they try is leaving the pieces of furniture, logs, and other infested items under the sun.
Although direct sunlight helps kill some of the worker termites by dehydrating them, it might not be the best option in some situations. To find out if this natural treatment works for your termite problem, it helps to understand how it works first, what are the challenges that come with it, and how to utilize sunlight treatment best.
Termites thrive in dark, warm, and moist environments, so it’s not surprising that most of them can’t survive direct sunlight. If their termite colonies are destroyed or opened, termite workers and other termites start burrowing further into the wood or soil to find darkness.
Termites also need moisture to survive, so most of them immediately die after their nests are exposed to the sun. In some situations, the accumulated moisture of the nest might keep the termites alive even in dry containers. However, it only takes a short time for this moisture to run out.
Subterranean termites have a unique system that allows them to detect even the slightest changes in surface temperature even if their nests are found deep underground. It allows them to sense structures and vegetation so they may create mud tubes in places with enough shade and avoid direct sun exposure. This system is also used by other termite species that prefer nesting underground, like the Formosan termite and eastern subterranean termite.
On the other hand, drywood and dampwood termites prefer burrowing further into the damaged wood to avoid direct sunlight. These dampwood and drywood termites don’t attack the surface of the wood, making it difficult for homeowners to notice them and kill them with sunlight treatment.
Although sun damage might seem like a good idea to eliminate termites on the property, it’s not a practical solution in most cases. Pieces of furniture and other infested items can be placed outside under the sun, but it’s difficult to separate infested beams and other wooden structures from the rest of your home and leave them outside.
Another situation where sunlight might not be effective is when the termites are found in areas that the sun can’t easily reach — like the basement or crawl space. Renting or buying UV lamps may have the same effect on the subterranean and dry wood termites, but it’s better to call pest control companies for total eradication instead.
Most termite species prefer living in environments that are around 75°F and 95°F. They die within a couple of minutes if they’re exposed to temperatures above 100°F or below 25°F. Subterranean termites use thermal shadows to detect the temperature of their environment, allowing them to seek out the right temperature range for them.
Termites like warmer temperatures, but they won’t die unless their environment drops below 25°F. They survive cold winters by burrowing further into the ground where there’s enough moisture and warmth. Around this time, termites might seem like they’re gone even though the termite activity is just slower than normal. It’s best to stay vigilant during temperature changes because these pests might still be around.
A worker termite needs moisture to survive so they usually stay out of sight, but a reproductive termite is quite the opposite since they’re typically found above ground. Winged termites are attracted to light because it helps them move around when mating.
Swarming termites use sunlight as a signal to leave their colony and breed, so homeowners might find a termite swarm near their home around dawn. To avoid attracting termite swarms to your property, make sure to close the exterior lights before the sun rises. It’s also crucial to close and seal window panes to prevent a flying termite from entering your home.
If there are discarded wings, frass, and other signs of termite activity on the property, make sure to hire a pest control company immediately for a termite inspection. Early detection of termites is the key to preventing termite infestation and severe structural damage to your home.
If the sun treatment doesn’t work for the termite problem at home, there are other ways to get rid of the pests without putting the family at risk of health hazards caused by toxic chemicals. Here are some of the best ways to eliminate termites naturally:
Termites need moisture to survive – whether they’re nesting underground or in the wooden structures of a building. Water damage also softens the wood nearby, making it easier for termites to chew through the material. Taking care of the moisture problems around the property means these pests have one less reason to move into and infest your home.
Keep all downspouts and gutters clean since the moisture and leaves there attract termites. The clogged gutters may also cause moisture problems that soak the fascia boards and wood in the roof. Repair all water pipes, leaking faucets, and air conditioning units. Make sure that there are no entry points around these pipes and utility lines to keep termites out.
Termites are one of the few pests that attack wood. Unlike carpenter ants that only seek wood to build satellite nests, termites actually eat the wood and other cellulosic materials they find. Eliminate the primary food source of these termites by making sure that wooden structures and wood piles around the property don’t have direct contact with the soil.
Homeowners should also consider using chemical-treated wood when replacing the damaged wood in their homes. Inspect the yard for wood debris and tree stumps then remove them immediately. Always check the wooden fences and decks of the house to see if there are signs of termite damage.
Natural repellents are the best alternative option for homeowners who want to get rid of termites without spraying chemicals and commercial pesticides in their homes. However, it’s important to remember that these home remedies might not work for larger termite infestations. In such cases, it’s best to rely on a termite control company to get the job done safely and effectively.
Sunlight treatment alone isn’t enough to eliminate the termites for good. Larger infestations require the help of an experienced pest control company that specializes in termite extermination to remove the pests on the property for good.
Here are some of the most common termite control methods by professionals that are more effective than sunlight treatments:
Setting up bait systems is the most preferred treatment option for many homeowners because it doesn’t necessarily involve leaving their homes or digging up soil around their properties. It only involves placing bait stations in different parts of the house where termites might be nesting.
Bait stations use low doses of slow-acting termiticides. When the pests find the bait station, they unknowingly bring the poison back to their colony. This allows the other termites to feed on the bait and die after a few days. As a result, termite bait systems can wipe out entire colonies and eliminate the problem at the source.
Fumigation is one of the most intensive ways to get rid of termites. It involves closing the infested area and exposing the termites there to sulfuryl fluoride gas. The entire fumigation process takes around 3 days, so homeowners and their families need to stay somewhere else during that time.
The entire house is enclosed and sealed first before the gas is dispersed inside. Exterminators let the gas sit there for about 24 hours, depending on the severity of the termite infestation. After the treatment, the house is aerated and monitored until none of the gas lingers.
Fumigation ensures that existing termite colonies are gone, but it doesn’t protect the house from re-infestations. To defend your home from future termite attacks, other preventative measures should still be in place.
These treatments are some of the most common techniques when handling termite infestations. A soil treatment involves applying liquid termiticide to the soil around the building, creating a barrier that protects the house from subterranean termites that attempt to tunnel through.
On the other hand, barrier treatments can be chemical or physical. They’re meant to protect the interior of the home from termites, so it may involve injecting foam termiticides into floors and walls or covering all possible entry points around the house. Another method of barrier treatment is installing thin metals around the wooden structures of the house.
Termite treatments are most effective when they’re tailored to what your home needs. At Positive Pest Management, we help homeowners get rid of their termite problem using a wide variety of pest control options.
We have the right training, knowledge, and experience in exterminating different household pests, so you can trust us to eliminate the termites in your home and prevent them from coming back. Call us today to know more about our services or book a termite inspection for your home.
A regular termite inspection is crucial to keep the pests out, especially for properties that were already infested before. Having a termite bond for the property ensures that pests won’t return and attack the premises. However, some homeowners think it’s a waste of money and let their termite warranty expire – leaving their home vulnerable to pests more than ever.
So what should homeowners do when they find termite damage on the property after the termite contract expires? A termite infestation lowers the value of a property, so it’s important to call a pest control company immediately to get rid of the pests. Failure to disclose the history of property damage caused by termites to the real estate agent or buyer might lead to lawsuits or other punitive damages.
Termite problem is a common household concern that affects about 600,000 homes in the country every year. These wood destroying insects can incur thousands of dollars in termite control and repair efforts, so it’s important to exterminate them immediately or prevent them from entering your home in the first place.
For homeowners, one of the best ways to minimize the risk of a termite attack is to sign a termite bond with a pest control company that specializes in termite inspection, treatment, and damage repair.
But in some unfortunate cases, termite property damage only shows after the previous termite protection contract has expired. The best thing homeowners can do is contact a reliable termite company immediately to get rid of the pests.
If you just moved into the property and the history of termite attack wasn’t disclosed to you, then there’s the option of filing a lawsuit – forcing the seller to shoulder the costs of termite treatment for the house.
A termite bond is an agreement between a homeowner and a termite company that serves as an insurance policy for the house. Each termite bond has different terms, but most of them state that the pest control company should reimburse the homeowner for all the costs of repairs for the termite damage, treatment, and retreatment. Termite bonds are typically effective after the termite inspection and treatment are performed.
Termite control treatments for recurring termite infestations are free for as long as it’s stated in the termite bond. Periodic inspections and damage compensations are also included in many termite warranties offered by professional termite exterminators.
Termite contracts are often confused with a termite letter, which is simply a written notice or statement that tells buyers that their new home is free of termites upon the time of inspection.
One of the most important things to ask the pest control company is if their termite bond is transferable. These bonds aren’t required by many states, but having a transferable termite bond gives the buyer peace of mind that their home is termite-free for a long time.
If a home inspector finds an active termite infestation or a high likelihood of termite activity, then the buyer may demand that the seller take out a termite bond first before purchasing the house. Some lenders might also require an at-risk home to get a termite warranty first before they approve a mortgage.
Termite bonds are issued by certified pest control companies after the termite inspection and treatment. Some home inspectors may work with trusted termite control companies to help homeowners and homebuyers find a service provider quickly.
Pest control companies offer termite bonds upon initial inspection, regardless if you’re selling, buying, or remodeling the property. Termite inspections might only be required for areas with a history of termite infestations or if the property has displayed signs of termite activity. However, sellers are still obligated to disclose if the property has suffered termite damage and other pest infestations before.
It’s recommended for homeowners to get a termite bond immediately even before they see wood destroying organisms in their homes. The late discovery of the termite colony only hinders transactions if you’re planning to sell the house. If you’re also worried about the recurrence of termites, then a termite bond can give you protection and peace of mind.
Termites are extremely quiet when they attack, so most of the termite damage only becomes obvious when it’s already severe. Depending on the size of the termite colony, these pests can take about 3 to 8 years to show significant structural damage. To prevent this from happening, homeowners must watch out for early signs of termite damage.
Termite bonds can help save homeowners thousands of dollars that are otherwise spent on termite control efforts and extensive damage repair bills. But if you find termite damage at home right after the termite contract expired, you can still repair the damages in different ways:
Repairing or replacing the infested wood on the property is crucial. The damaged wood left alone weakens the structural integrity of the building. It’s also a way to ensure that the termites are gone for good – if they manage to survive the extermination treatments.
Replacing all damaged wood can be quite expensive, so homeowners have the choice to repair the old ones to cut some costs. However, it’s important to examine the extent of the damage first to see if wood adhesives and sealants are enough to take care of the problem. In some cases, the damaged portion of the wood should be removed first before a supporting wood is installed.
After repairing or replacing all the wood around the property, homeowners should also address the water leak or moisture problem at home. If left unattended, these moisture problems can destroy or soften the wood, attracting more termites to the property.
Instead of using a store-bought termiticide that contains toxic chemicals, many homeowners prefer natural repellents to get rid of the termites at home. While some of them work to kill or keep out the wood destroying insects, these home remedies are better used for small infestations instead of large ones. Here are some of the most common natural termite repellents found at home:
If the termite infestation doesn’t go away even after trying different home remedies, then you might be dealing with a larger infestation that involves at least one parent colony and multiple satellite colonies. Calling a professional termite exterminator is the best way to get rid of the termites for good because they have the right training, experience, and equipment to handle the termite problem.
Termite control companies may use the same termite treatments that homeowners tried before, but they typically use professional-grade chemicals and termiticides that aren’t commercially available. After the termite treatment, they may offer termite bonds and regular inspections to keep the property termite-free.
When the termite bond expires, homeowners should renew the agreement immediately to protect their homes from property damage. Meanwhile, some preventative measures can keep the house termite-free for some time like:
But even with these termite prevention measures in place, termite attacks are still difficult to stop. If you notice early signs of termite activity at home, make sure to contact a pest control company immediately to know more about the situation.
Depending on the extent of damage, they may use different treatments like termite bait stations, liquid termite treatments, or soil and barrier treatments to keep the pests out of the property. Most of these companies also offer termite damage repair services to their clients.
At Positive Pest Management, we understand how termite infestations can be a huge problem for people selling their homes or for those who just bought a new one. We offer pre-construction and post-constructions termite treatments for our residential and commercial clients. We also provide regular inspections of the treated properties to ensure that the pests won’t return there anytime soon.
With several years of experience serving different homes and businesses in New York City, we have the expertise and equipment needed to eliminate the toughest termite problems. Call us today to know more about our services or to get a free quote.
If you've ever had a termite infestation, you know how damaging termites can be and how tough they are to get rid of. Whether it’s a subterranean termite colony, drywood termites, or any other type of termite, they can all cause some sort of structural damage. If you suspect that your walls are infested with termites, there are a few telltale indications to check for before deciding on a treatment option.
But what's the extent to which termites can damage your walls? Some clear indicators of active termites and wall infestation include a hollow sound within your walls, mud tubes by the base of your wall, wood debris, paint damage that typically looks like water damage, and much more.
Homeowners can usually spot a "mud pile" or "muddy area" under a television cabinet or other piece of furniture. Termites will create a sub-nest when they discover a good supply of food and a constant food source in your home.
Termites create a sub-nest in your home to serve as a midway house between their main nest and your home. Thousands of termites, as well as dirt and moisture, may be found in these sub nests.
The moisture begins to leak through the plaster once the mud pile reaches a particular size behind a wall. If you have a piece of furniture against the wall, the mud will adhere to it and form a mudpack. A mud pile can go undiscovered long enough to form a one-meter-high and-wide mud structure within your walls.
Most homeowners notice mud damage and spots on their walls before it reaches this point. Homeowners should, however, do routine checks beneath cabinets, mattresses, and other pieces of furniture. The sooner any possible problems are identified, the better.
On portions of the plasterboard, discoloration shows as a brownish, moist stain. Be sure to have a thorough look at the afflicted region to determine if termites are present. If termites are present, a broad area the size of a football will be covered in hundreds of small brown spots or imperfections on your wall. As the muck seeps through the plasterboard, a discoloration develops, indicating potential termite wall damage.
Skirting boards, door frames, and window frames are some of the first sites where homeowners detect termites. The wood used in these areas is usually softer than that used in structural beams and frameworks, and it is frequently these areas that exhibit the earliest symptoms of a possible presence of termites.
When people vacuum, they frequently hit the skirting boards or door frames with the vacuum cleaner, causing the wood to give way. This is because termites had entirely eaten through the wooden structures, leaving just a thin coating of paint. The structure is essentially a paint-filled empty area where you are guaranteed to find signs of termite activity.
Another indicator is if opening and shutting windows becomes difficult, or if doors become stuck. As the wood rots, it bends, warps, and sags, resulting in abnormalities when closing or opening these entryways, the feces that termites release while they chew the wood is also another factor that causes wood bending.
Termites are extremely busy, and some species of termites are even hostile. This usually means they'll create a lot of noise inside the walls that they choose to infest, which has a really distinct tone to it. It’s often described as small crackling or cricketing.
Many homeowners claim to hear this noise coming from the walls at night, but this is merely due to the fact that the rest of the house is quieter at this time. Termite activity is most likely what you're hearing if you're resting in bed and notice slight ticking sounds coming from the walls.
If you suspect termites in your walls, it's advisable to call pest control professionals since they employ modern tools, equipment, and technology to scan for dampness, movement, and activity. A pest control operator can detect the presence of termites long before mud stains appear on your plaster, which can save you money in the long run.
Termites prefer to dig through walls and spend most of their time there. They do, however, occasionally migrate just beneath the surface of your drywall or plaster to get from one location to another.
If you detect blistering paint on your drywall, termites may be lurking just beneath the surface. However, because termites cannot tunnel into fiberglass drywall, such as fireproof drywall, or other comparable products, this may not be a symptom of termite infestation if your walls are made of these materials.
If you notice small holes along the surface of your walls, this is one of the more visible signs that termites are present, which can also be referred to as swarmer exit holes. Termites are likely dwelling inside the inside of the wall at that spot if you find little round or oblong pinholes on its surface. If you detect similar pinholes in close-by wood structures, your walls are more likely to be infected with termites as well.
If swarmer termites are flying about in your house by the walls or you spot broken off wings on the floor near walls or on window sills, this is another sign that termites are in your walls. Swarmers are termites' winged reproductive forms that swarm around hunting for new areas to infest. It's possible that your walls are already infested with termites if you see a significant number of them buzzing close to your walls and windows.
If you find that your doors or windows aren't closing as smoothly as they used to, it might be an indicator of termites. Termites nibble at the wooden components of your walls, weakening and loosening them over time, making it more difficult, or sometimes much easier, to open and close doors and windows.
Keep in mind that wooden components may contract and expand as temperatures fluctuate throughout the year, so if your doors or windows are stuck in the fall or winter, it's not always a sign of termites. Before you speculate that you're dealing with termites, look for additional signs or get a termite examination from a reputable pest management company.
Termites attract ants because they feed on their excrement, and they are also preyed upon by ants. If you notice ants along your walls, this might indicate that termites are close. However, carpenter ants may occasionally establish nests inside walls or other wooden buildings, and they can appear quite similar to termites. So if you see more ants than termites along your walls, it's likely that you're dealing with ants rather than termites.
If you notice heaps of microscopic, non-sticky powder dust on the floor around the base of your walls, you may have termites dwelling in your walls. It's probable that termites are digging into and through your wood materials and then excreting their waste or "frass" out of the walls forming this mound of dry, crumbly powder dust that emerges at the base of your walls.
Finding frass in a certain segment of your wall can indicate where they're dwelling within your wall, and the further this frass is visible from the surface of the wall, the deeper they are likely to be residing within the wall. Termites also build shelter tubes out of a mixture of feces and mud, and use these oblong tubes as a refuge and to create a passage to and from their food supply, acting as a clear indicator of a termite problem.
A termite infestation will most likely lead to observable mud tubes. If you see mud tubes along your baseboards or between your home and the ground outside, it could be a sign that termites are on your walls.
Termites create these tubes as a way to travel from their nests up into your walls and other parts of your home undetected so that they can avoid predators and remain safe while they feed on the wooden structure of your home. If you see mud tubes extending to the interior of your house, it’s likely that termites are already infesting the wood materials inside your home.
Subterranean termites can crawl up from the bottom of the walls and into the structures within them. Termites can enter walls through the baseboards, causing cracks, making even a light touch to the baseboard a reason for it to shatter. Baseboards used by termites to enter walls will emit a hollow sound. Termites can then spread all over the floor from the baseboards. Hardwood floors that have been damaged by termites will also bow when walked over.
A subterranean termite is a termite species that lives underground in moist, loose soil. Interior damage may not be seen until the infestation has progressed to the point of a full-blown infestation. Buckling wood, bloated floors and ceilings, regions that appear to be suffering from minor water damage, and apparent mazes within walls or furniture are all symptoms of termite damage.
Termite infestations can often have mildew or mold-like odor. Subterranean termites use mud tunnels made of saliva, mud, and dung to reach above-ground food sources. These tunnels are seen near afflicted homes' foundations.
Drywood termites create colonies within the wooden buildings they feed on. They can be found on the inside of walls and furniture. Drywood termite infections may not be noticeable until the veneer cracks and the maze-like tunnels underneath become visible after the colony has burrowed so deeply into an afflicted region that the veneer cracks and the maze-like tunnels beneath become visible.
This type of deterioration is prevalent in antique furniture, but if this happens on new furniture, your home's floors, or walls, call a pest control specialist to discuss the severity of your infestation and treatment choices right away, as this is most likely a sign of a termite issue within your walls.
There are various options for repairing termite damage. The first step is to replace the damaged boards with fresh, termite-resistant wood. The second, more cost-effective approach is to use supporting boards to reinforce damaged wood.
You might be able to handle the termite damage repairs yourself if you have substantial restoration expertise and decent carpentry skill. Damaged wood should be repaired after all termites have been eradicated and the possibility of future infestation has been eliminated.
If you're worried about your capacity to do the repairs, hiring a professional termite repair specialist who can assess and offer the best repair choices for your circumstance may be the best alternative. Some pest control companies also offer repair services for damaged walls.
An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of treatment. Every minute your home is infested with termites is another minute of disastrous chewing of your house's structures.
Here are some useful tips for protecting your property against these pesky and destructive insects:
If you’ve spotted any telltale signs like termite tubes or an odd piece of wood around your house, don’t hesitate to seek help. Before you can be a target of a devastating termite attack, we at Positive Pest Management can ensure that the structural integrity of your home is safe from this destructive pest.
Our pest control company guarantees spotless termite inspection so that your space is protected, and that infestations are kept at bay so you and your loved ones are kept safe and healthy.
Call us now at 1-800-294-3130.
The key to avoiding infestations is to spot the termites before they destroy wooden posts, walls, and ceilings. But if routine maintenance and checks don’t cut it when it comes to preventing damage to our spaces, we turn to termite treatments and hope they succeed. But the moment they do, some may wonder how soon they should do any damage repair after.
So how long should you wait until doing any damage repair? You can begin repairing the damage to your space a few days after the treatment seeps through your home. The sooner it’s done, the more likely you could still preserve the integrity of the structure of your space, especially the parts that have been damaged by termites. It’s best to tap the professionals from reliable firms to have your damages repaired.
It’s best to hire professionals to treat your house and manage the damages at the soonest possible time. This is because the scope of the infestation isn’t obvious to the naked eye at first, and you may miss out on key structures in the house that have already been damaged.
Likewise, if you’re moving into a new home and you find signs of termite damage, take time to work with a reputable team of termite experts to remove the pests from your home. Otherwise, you may find that the termites don’t fully go away without proper treatment. Self-treating the termite infestation may not work for larger rooms and houses.
The most important thing to do is to ensure that no termites are lingering in the house. Minor infestations may only affect the most visible areas of the house, but larger-scale infestations can affect even attics and basements. Planting bait stations may help you find the areas with the most termites. Insecticides can help buy some time to prevent more damage from the termites.
Once a professional team has arrived, they will use an odorless gas to exterminate the termites from your home. Depending on the size, treatment may take anywhere from a day up to a week. If you want to prevent larger-scale damage to your home, make sure to contact a professional right away.
Most homeowners will only realize the extent of the damage to their homes when it is too late. The most pressing signs involve deteriorated ceilings, walls, and weaker structural integrity. However, there are a few signs that will show you the presence of termites, just in time before the infestation becomes too prevalent. These signs may indicate that you need to contact a team to come up with a plan for termite treatment and home restoration.
Termites work by creating small tunnels and pinholes in their target areas. Most of the time, the parts of the house with the most prevalent damage are ceilings and walls. Houses that use plywood and other lighter materials are common victims of termites.
The most common way to test for damage to your ceilings or walls is by knocking on them. If you hear a hollow sound, your ceiling or wall could be deformed from within. The deformities may happen even without obvious defects in the paint job of the ceiling or wall. It helps to conduct routine checks in these structures to look for termites.
Outside your house, you may also notice some ceilings that seem to be peeling from the surface. This is another sign that termites have infested your home. Wallpapers may also easily come off, indicating that the underlying wood is already damaged.
Mud tunnels are another concern for home properties with termites. These are the most visible signs of a termite infestation since they look like piles of soil attached to the ceilings and walls. These tubes start outside the home and into the interiors of your home, damaging the appearance of the ceilings, walls, and doors.
The mud tunnels act as the termites’ protection from the air. Destroying the mud tubes exposes the termites to dry temperatures, which can kill them easily. The tunnels also act as their transportation for food items. However, it’s still most important to remove the termites from the area with the help of a proper extermination crew.
Some mud tunnels may remain in the house for years, even if the termites have left. One way to check for an active infestation is to break off a small part of the mud tunnel. You may peek within the tunnel to check if there are any termites. You may not find any at first, so it helps to come back later to check if the break has been repaired. A repaired tunnel means that termites are still active in the area.
Visible termite swarms are a huge threat to the house and indicate that they have already infested large rooms. The termite swarms contain the insects responsible for reproduction and maintaining the colony. Termite swarm workers have large wings. You may also find their remains just outside the mud tunnels.
To test for active infestations, you may add a lightbulb near suspected areas. Swarmers are attracted to bright light sources, so this is one way to find the most actively infested sites in your home. They will simply approach the light source. Swarmers don’t live very long and you may also find discarded wings along with your windows and doorways.
Swarms look similar to flying ants, although they have straighter skeletons and wings.
Although it can be tempting to repair the damaged wood by yourself, a professional can easily fix these areas faster and more reliably. Self-repair is only advisable for smaller areas, as larger rooms may need a mixture of different wood types to create a long-lasting structure. Repairs that involve posts and ceilings are also more complicated, so it helps to contact a reliable repairman for the job.
One of the most common ways to repair wood is to replace the damaged materials altogether. Most of the time, the hollowed-out wood is too far gone to be used again. These may also attract more termites since the spaces may act as a possible housing platform for new swarms. Make sure to work well with the repairmen in choosing the material, as it might alter the appearance of your home.
Sometimes, parts of the wood can still be salvaged to create new structures. The spaces may be filled with wood hardeners and other materials. To ensure the success of the wood support, you have to wait for it to dry out. Once the material seems to have dried, it helps to check the structural integrity of the platform by pushing and moving it to check its stability.
You can use sandpaper to match the surface of the wood with the initial shape and appearance. This method only works if the wood has retained enough of its composition. Severely hollowed-out wood is best discarded to avoid a return of the termites.
For wood that has larger grooves, a wood filler is more suitable than a hardener. When applying the fillers, make sure you follow the instructions to prevent air bubbles from appearing. Use a knife to even out the wood and ensure that the wood looks its best.
Prevention is still the best way to get rid of termites fast. Mud tunnels running through the side of the house are a telltale sign of infestation but could mean that there are already large colonies of the insects around the house. As soon as you feel any hollowness in the walls and ceilings of your home, try to apply some of the common methods to check and prevent termite infestation.
These include:
You can start by finding the most common areas for termite infestation. These include the bathroom and kitchen—areas that usually experience dampness. In these areas, look for flaky or swollen surfaces. You can also listen carefully for light buzzing, which usually indicates swarms of termites inside the walls.
Termite traps are pieces of cardboard used to lure the insects out of hiding. This method is done by stacking wet pieces of cardboard together to attract termites. Since the trap acts as a new food source, the insects will flock toward it for nutrition. Once the termites are attached to the trap, you can grab them while wearing a glove.
Remove the trap and burn it. You can repeat this process many times. Unfortunately, this will not completely destroy the termite colony.
Nematodes are small parasitic worms used in some rural areas for pest treatment. The worms can be purchased in gardening stores. You have to plant them in moist soil areas near the suspected colonies for maximum efficiency.
In some cases, it helps to take out the infested furniture and place it under direct sunlight. Termites don’t like direct sun exposure, and the heat will kill many of them within days. You may supplement this method by adding nearby cardboard traps to lure more termites in the area.
Insecticides are a common method to get rid of light termite infestations. Many hardware stores carry spray bottles that contain Boric acid, a chemical lethal to termites. The acid dehydrates the termites and kills large groups of termites with one application. However, the acid needs to be applied in areas close to the infestation so it can directly interact with the termites.
Treatment experts use 2 different methods of treatment. These include liquid termiticides and baits. Termiticides have long been used to get rid of termites in both rural and urban areas. These chemicals work by introducing barriers in the soil, preventing the termites from entering domestic structures like houses. Although they primarily function as a preventive measure, the termites inside the home also die out as well.
New forms of termiticides directly kill termites upon contact. They also destroy nearby tunnels. These chemicals are carefully administered by technicians to ensure safety and maximum efficiency.
When it comes to baiting, professionals use a specific type of termite food to lure out the insects. Unlike cardboard baits, no burning is necessary to kill the termites. The exterminators combine the food with termiticide to ensure that the pests die out entirely. These traps are placed underneath the soul to act as a preventive measure against termites.
Since the traps contain food, the termites are tricked to share it with their colony members, destroying entire groups near your area. Baits may be used in conjunction with liquid termiticides to completely remove termite infestations. The availability of these treatments may vary per area.
No matter what approach you end up going with, it is best to ask a proper team of pest management experts to apply the solutions. You may end up harming yourself when handling lethal chemicals if you self-treat. Additionally, they may also help you come up with long-term solutions to repair the structural damage in your home.
When it comes to selecting a termite company for your needs, you should consider time, budget, location, and availability. An extermination company should help you get rid of the termites as fast as possible to stop any further damage. Choose a firm that is willing to work with you to help restore the beauty of your home.
At Positive Pest Management, we ensure that you receive the best quality termite extermination services in Manhattan. We serve the wider New York City area, as well as the nearby Nassau County in Long Island. Restore your space to its former glory and keep termite infestations at bay with us. Contact us today for a quote.
Termites are among the most destructive pests that can enter any household. These insects eat through the wooden structures in a house, putting you and your housemates at risk during heavy weather. After all, they can damage ceilings, exposing your house to rain, snow, and other similar hazards. If not treated, your house may even deteriorate entirely.
So how do you know if a structure in your house is lost to termite damage? It depends on different factors, including the appearance and extent of the termite damage. Some hollowed-out wood frames can be salvaged if there is still enough material to allow fillers to settle in. However, a structure with extensive damage needs to be replaced entirely.
Termites can destroy entire houses and businesses if you don’t catch them in time. Since houses are made from wood, the termites see the structures as a possible food source or a place where their colonies can thrive.
Although it’s not a common practice, one of the best ways to catch termite damage before it’s too late is to inspect the wooden framework in the drywall. But of course, it’s best to hire professional exterminators to make it easier to find these insects.
Termites destroy wood by making pinholes in them using their teeth. These pinholes may not be visible from afar, since they are quite small. A closer inspection of your walls and ceilings will make it easier to find these pinholes. These act as entry and exit points for some termites, especially if their colony is hidden deep beneath the walls and ceilings.
Mud tunnels are another sign of termite damage. These tubes provide termites with protection from direct sunlight and dry air. These two things can kill them since they thrive in humid and dark areas. You can usually find these mud tunnels quite easily, usually in areas like wooden closets, doors, walls, and ceilings.
Termites damage the wooden interiors of your structures, making them hollow from the inside. Because of this infestation, the paint job of the walls and ceilings may also become affected. If you find air bubbles or flaky parts in your paint job, it is a common sign that you have termites in your home. There are some companies that sell specialized termite-proof paint. You can look into these to protect your walls from damage from termites.
The floorboards of your house may also show signs of termite damage. These may be less visible to you since floors are less prominent in the house than walls and ceilings. Although it is common for some floorboards to make these sounds, louder creaking can indicate weaker structural integrity from termite damage.
If you use soft wood as the material for your flooring, then it is advisable to check on these floorboards as soon as you can.
Termites are resilient, and unless you hire an exterminator to fully remove them from your property, they may keep on popping back up to wreak havoc in your house. If you are lucky enough to have a termite-free house, there are a few methods you can apply to prevent these insects from damaging your home.
Termites are easily attracted to wet areas. These insects thrive on moisture and are likely to infest houses where the soil foundation is moist. Water should be directed away from your house and into gutters. In addition, any faucets, water pipes, and other sources of moisture should be closed at all times. Besides attracting termites, these could also erode the structures around your home.
Termites enter the house through gaps in the structures. These are most common when the wooden parts of a house come in close contact with the soil. The termites find ways to easily travel through windows, doors, and cracks on the floorboards. During home repair, it’s best to minimize contact between the wood and soil to prevent termites from entering the house.
Leaky pipes also attract termites due to the moisture they provide. These pipes should be fixed as soon as possible to prevent excess water from coming into contact with the soil. The moisture acts as an invitation for termites. Additionally, the water may come into contact with wood—providing more food sources for the termites.
Ventilation systems should be cleaned routinely. Dirty vents can act as passageways for termites, especially when they are near wooden structures. Another common termite breeding ground is the bathroom since it is one of the areas with the most amount of moisture. Additionally, vents also catch some of the steam from hot showers, which provides them with the right environment for breeding.
Make routine inspections of your ventilation systems to prevent termites from breeding. You can do this by dusting off the covers and washing them with soap. Vacuum the passageways to get rid of dirt and excess moisture.
Termites may take years before they show visible signs of infestation. At this point, they may have eaten through a sizable portion of your wooden frames. One of the best ways to catch these termites before they do damage is to conduct regular inspections. You can do a termite inspection by yourself by knocking on walls and ceilings to check for hollow spaces.
Additionally, you can also look out for mud tunnels in rooms where moisture is common. Overall, routine inspections are good methods of getting an idea of whether it’s time to seek help from the professionals, especially if the telltale signs are bothersome already.
Termites can be persistent—simply burning them off might do more harm to your house than the termites themselves. There are different ways you can use to eradicate them from your home, some better working than others.
Some people use non-chemical treatments, such as physical and steel barriers, to prevent termites from entering a home. These only work for cases where termites have been spotted in the surrounding soil but not the house itself.
Physical barriers can be used to prevent termites from penetrating wooden surfaces. These are placed across different areas of a home, especially those with multiple cracks. These may come in the form of sand barriers or basaltic sheets. There are also physical membranes composed of polymer sheets, which come with a coating of termiticide.
Barriers can be scattered across the yard to surround the house. They may also be modified or painted to fit the aesthetic of the surrounding house.
For maximum effect, you can opt to use paint that has termite-repellent ingredients. You can ask around your nearby hardware store if they have termite-proof paint in stock. These usually have eco-friendly ingredients, so they can be safe for use around children and pets.
A steel mesh is a form of physical barrier that is applied on top of a house’s slab foundation. These are commonly found in areas surrounding a large pipe. They are made from stainless steel with no openings, preventing the termites from finding ways to enter the house. Steel meshes are especially useful for barns and farmhouses.
Chemical treatments are a common method for getting rid of termites. They can be bought in bulk in hardware stores. Most people use them in combination with physical barriers for maximum effect. Some variants come in spray bottles that you can use to apply the pesticide by yourself. Make sure to wear gloves to avoid skin irritation, as chemicals like boric acid can trigger allergic reactions in some people.
However, the more premium-grade chemicals are best suited for professional use. If you have a home-wide infestation curable only by chemical treatments, it helps to hire an exterminator so you can spread the chemical via a spray tank. Make sure to wear protective gear like goggles, face masks, and gloves when handling certain chemicals.
Pesticides specifically designed for termites, also known as “termiticides,” act as repellents for termite colonies. When applied to wooden surfaces, they can help prevent termites from penetrating through the barrier and eating through structures. Some of the common ones include chlorpyrifos and lindane.
These chemicals are mixed with water at a fixed ratio to make them safe and effective. Follow the directions in the packaging to ensure you don’t dilute the solution. Too much water can make the chemical less deadly for termites.
Termite baits are a different approach to pesticides since they function like small traps placed within the most common infestation sites around a home. The bait contains cellulose, a chemical component of wood that attracts termites. The cellulose is mixed together with an insecticide that targets termites.
Unlike other termiticides, the chemicals used in baits are slow-acting, preventing the termites from easily identifying which areas to avoid. Instant-kill chemicals are less effective as bait since other termites don’t lure their colony members to the food source. Baits are best used as a preventive measure since they may not work to wipe out large colonies of termites.
You can also apply chemicals directly onto the wood to prevent termite infestation. One of the most common wood treatments is borate, an insect repellent that comes in sprayable form. You can apply the borate onto the wood before painting or laying wallpaper on top of it. Allow the borate to dry before using the wood as normally intended.
If you’re still in the process of putting together parts of your house, you can choose to use a form of pre-treated wood. These types of wood naturally repel termites, making the use of insecticides unnecessary. These include cedar and redwood, which work best for structures that need to be put at least on the ground level. Teak is another kind of wood that works well against termites, although it is less versatile than other species.
Fully eradicating a large infestation of termites will take more than self-treatment methods. If your house’s structures are experiencing more damage than you can fix by yourself, then it might be time to consult a professional team of exterminators. These people have the right equipment to reach even the most hidden corners of your house. They have access to masonry drills, spray tanks, and other materials that can destroy large colonies of termites.
If you suspect that you have termites around the house but cannot find any mud tunnels or obvious signs, you can ask professionals to conduct a preliminary check. Although you can easily fix a small case of termites, such as a mailbox or a small post, a house-wide infestation will need larger resources for permanent eradication.
Some providers also offer wood restructuring after treating your house. However, it may take some time to come up with an appropriate treatment plan that also fixes the damaged walls and ceilings in your house. You may also have to cover some of the chemicals necessary to remove the pests from your house.
When it comes to a provider that can best resolve your termite problems, it’s best to choose one that can deliver fast and safe results. Termites can be a recurring problem if you don’t address the root cause. At Positive Pest Management, our team can find the source of your termite infestation and give you back your peace of mind.
Our professionals are among the most experienced exterminators in the entire New York City area. We also provide extermination services for household pests other than termites that may linger in your rooms. If you have any questions about our packages, you may contact us to book a schedule for your termite consultation.
Termite damage can be difficult to deal with, especially if it affects your walls, ceilings, and posts. These insects can eat through even the most durable wooden architecture. Some homeowners make the mistake of treating all of these insects the same way, even though there are two common species of termites that can infest a home.
So what are the differences between drywood and subterranean termite damages? Some telltale signs of a drywood termite damage include hollow-sounding wood and sandy particles, while those of a subterranean termite damage include small holes with dirt and the formation of mud tunnels.
Drywood termites leave visible traces of their infestation, although the more obvious signs signify that the damage has advanced to a more complex stage. Some of these include hollow spaces, visible cracks, sandy particles, termite skeletons, and wings.
When drywood termites destroy wood structures, you should start by getting rid of the termite colonies before fixing the damaged parts. Otherwise, you may have to spend more money to get rid of recurring termite problems.
Since they are smaller and quieter, drywood termite colonies may not be detectable unless they cause visible damage to your wooden structures. The most common victims of termites include door frames, floorboards, and windowsills. In some cases, they may also eat through wooden closets and pantries in the summer months.
Drywood termites live inside the wood structures. They may live undetected in the walls for years. One of the only ways you can find drywood termites in the early stages is to knock on your surfaces and furniture. If they make a hollow sound, then termites might be present in your home.
Drywood termites directly infest the wooden structures in a home, especially furniture. Without a nest in the soil, they live within the walls and ceilings of many houses. Over time, they eat through the wood, leaving many structures weak and brittle. During the advanced stages of an infestation, you may notice that some walls only have a thin outer layer left.
These “sandy particles” you may find in your homes are termite droppings, also known as “frass.” They’re a mixture of soil and fecal matter. Termite frass collections are small, hard particles that look similar to sawdust. Large amounts of frass indicate that there are drywood termite colonies inside your home.
Drywood termites are very sensitive; swarms may die out if they last long without returning to their nests. If they spend too much time exposed to sunlight or dry air, their remains may fall onto the floor.
Drywood termites eat through the inner wooden frames of structures. As a result, they may affect the physical appearance of some walls. The thin wooden layers left from the damage may not be enough to retain the coating of paint on the exterior of the affected area. If you see large bubbles of paint on a wall, they could be a sign of drywood termite damage.
Subterranean termites are easier to spot since they leave mud tunnels and a visible mound of dirt when they infest a household. They also need contact with soil before entering a house. In addition, they also make louder noises than drywood termites.
Subterranean termites make loud, buzzing noises that can easily be heard in a quiet room. If you bring your ears close to a wall, you may hear them. You can knock on the suspected area to check if it’s hollow. A hollow area with buzzing indicated the presence of a subterranean colony.
Subterranean termites eat through wood via pin holes or small entry points. They may leave dirt particles when they enter these holes. If you find clumps of soil around openings in your wood, you may have an infestation of subterranean termites.
Mud tunnels are the most obvious signs of termite infestation. These look like tiny lines of hard dirt placed on doors, walls, and ceilings. These tunnels act as transportation and protection for termites. To check if there’s an active infestation of termites, you can break away a small tunnel piece. Some termites may go out to repair the break in the area.
Although floorboards are less susceptible to damage than walls and ceilings, their weakness is a sign that there may be subterranean termites nearby. The floorboards are close to the soil, where these insects build long-term nests.
Although drywood termites also have swarms, subterranean termites travel in larger numbers. In fact, some subspecies of subterranean termites can have a million members in a single colony. Their nests can also be easily seen in the soil, as they resemble anthills.
Whether you have drywood or subterranean termites in your home, it is best to consult a team of professional exterminators to prevent recurring infestations. At Positive Pest Management, we have a capable group of specialists that can treat your termite problems. We can also help you repair any long-standing damages in your home.
Get your peace of mind back and give us a call to schedule an initial consultation. You may also visit our website for more information.
Termite infestation is one of the pest problems dreaded by many homeowners because of the billions of dollars in damage they cost in the U.S. annually. Termite colonies also multiply quickly, putting the structural integrity of your home at risk. Because of this, you should act fast and resolve the problem once you see signs of termite damage. You might see termite wood damage to homes or business establishments, but there’s still a way to save these.
So how do you treat termite damage? You first need to assess the level of damage from termites in your home or area to know the appropriate steps for treating it. Before repairing the structural damage, treat it first with the right termite control treatment. To repair termite damage, remove the rotten wood first with a chisel, sand it down, and restore the wood by adding support, filling it with wood filler or hardener, or replacing the wood.
Reproductive termites have a cycle of leaving their previous colony to start another one, worsening your infestation sooner than you expect it. Because of this, destructive termites, like subterranean termites and drywood termites, can easily ruin the foundations of your home. Be sharp for signs of termite activity, like mud tubes, hollow-sounding wood, frass, noise, and more.
Drywood and subterranean termites may leave different types of damage to your foundations. Before planning termite damage repair, assess the situation first to see if you can actually repair it. Here are different types of termite damage:
You must address these types of termite damage immediately. Whether the termite wood damage is aesthetic or structural, proper treatment must be done.
An infestation not treated with termite control will probably leave a house damaged beyond repair, but this instance is pretty rare. A type of subterranean termite, called the Formosan termite, causes the most severe damage, rendering a house beyond repair in just 2 years if left untreated. Other species would take more time to cause extensive damage, but that shouldn't be a reason to stay lax about having termites in your home or establishment.
Termite damage can usually still be fixed; not noticing telltale signs of termite activity before they cause significant wreckage is pretty rare.
Do a termite inspection to ensure these pests are not the ones doing damage to your foundations and not other pests, such as carpenter ants. Apply different types of termite treatments on the affected wood first before repairing termite damage. Remove the rotten wood with a chisel, sand it down, and repair damage by adding wooden support, replacing the wood, or applying wood fillers or hardeners.
You may be repairing termite damage in your foundation, but it's still best to call a professional pest control company first. They will have your structures treated against termite infestation. They will apply slow-acting insecticide and other treatments, like liquid termiticide, termite bait, and others.
They will also confirm if your home or business establishment is already free from termite and other pest infestations. This is for your safety from future infestations, and so that your repairs wouldn't go to waste.
It would be difficult to work on rotten wood because they're not as sturdy anymore. More than this, termite-damaged wood might attract infestations again. Because of this, you need to remove the rotten wood first using a chisel. You can see a piece of ruined wood if it looks decayed or discolored.
Once you've removed the damaged wood, you'd find the cavities where the termites have created their colonies and eaten off the part of your structures. Before patching these up, apply a wood hardener first to restore the remaining hardness of the wood.
For minimal damage, you may use wood hardener alone to fill in the cavities. Ensure choosing a product that matches your type of wood and its level of damage. You may also apply wood sealants to suffocate the remaining termites if there are.
Once you've prepped your wood with a hardener, you can have several options for patching up the damage, depending on its severity. You may fill the cavities with wood filler, add wood to support the damaged wood, or replace the structure completely.
For severe damage enough to see the channels or cavities in the wood, patching it out using a wood filler will do. Wood fillers would look like a wood putty or sealant that will fill in the gaps created by the termites. Ensure mixing the wood filler properly and apply them to the gaps little by little to avoid them from sagging. You might need multiple applications to finally achieve coverage, similar to the wood's surrounding area.
Check out the wood every time you enter the wet seasons because new cracks may develop in the wood fillers. To avoid this, keep it as dry as possible.
If you cannot fill the damaged wood with wood filler, you can still consider adding structural support to the damaged wood. This offers less expensive solutions suitable for both non-structural and structural repairs. Ensure accurate measurements for the woodwork you may need.
For severe damages, you might have to replace the damaged parts of your structures. This option may be more complicated and costly. It may only be for cases where wood fillers and wooden supports no longer work. The wood may have already been in terrible shape, and the only option is to replace it. Provide the right support temporarily for the structure's integrity during repairs.
If you think you're capable enough, you may cut out the part of the wood on your own, but it's best to leave the job to professional contractors to ensure accuracy and safety.
For advanced termite damage, you may need to seek the help of professional contractors. This gives you a more cost-effective solution than you think. If you do it yourself even if you're inexperienced, you may be left with subpar work with safety hazards. This will make you seek help from a contractor at the end of the day to fix the problem. This also ensures the utmost safety and quality of work.
Structural damages from pest infestation can still be fixed, but you must prepare the right termite damage repair cost. You can either use a wood hardener or wood filler to patch up the cavities left by the termites. You may also install additional support on the broken fixtures. If you're up against severe damage, better seek a professional to replace the damaged sections of your home or establishment.
The damage to structures caused by termites may still be saved, but it's still best to prevent termite infestation in the first place. Seek the services of a professional exterminator who can treat your home or establishment regularly to ensure control of not only termites but also other types of pests, like Positive Pest Management. Schedule an inspection by visiting our offices or browse through our website to know more about us.
Be it subterranean termites or drywood termites, infestations from these destructive pests have been dreaded by homeowners and establishments. Having a termite colony on your property means possible destruction of its structural integrity, specifically those made of wood. They also multiply pretty fast. Businesses and homeowners must put their first lines of defense up and do preventative measures against termite infestation, especially if they’re susceptible to one.
So how do you prevent termite damage? After inspecting your property for areas susceptible to infestations, you can start executing termite prevention steps. Among other things, you should avoid wood from having contact with soil, eliminate the presence of moisture, declutter your property, place infected things under direct sunlight, and apply borate as well as other termite control products on wood before priming and most importantly, seeking help from a professional pest control team.
Some locations and conditions are susceptible to termite infestation, like wooden structures in contact with moist soil, leaks, or any form of liquid. Wood serves as the food source of these termites and having them in contact with excess moisture will make matters worse. It's always best to do preventative measures against future infestations to keep the integrity of your foundations intact.
Avoid having your wooden foundation or crawl space from coming into direct contact with soil, especially moist soil. Wooden structures on soil highly attract termites because it's conducive to their living needs: it offers an abundant source of food, shelter, and moisture. It also allows a hidden but direct entrance to your property. Your wood siding, window frames, or door must be above ground level at about 6 inches.
You can invest in having a concrete foundation to cut the soil-to-wood contact. You might need to pull the soil or wood mulches back from your foundation and cut off the bottom of the wood latticework. You may also provide posts or additional support on the concrete base.
Termites love humid places. Properties with an abundant buildup of moisture and wood are perfect habitats for termites. To avoid termite invasion, ensure fixing water damage in your home or establishment. Inspect your water pipes and check for water leaks, and ensure that your faucets, toilets, and showerheads are functional.
Eliminating moisture also includes checking the overflow pipes of your water heater and air conditioning units. Some homes or establishments have water dripping at the side of their property, which keeps the wooden siding and other wooden fixtures wet.
Like most pests, clutter can also attract termites. Pay attention to cardboards, papers, old newspapers and magazines, boxes, and others, because these are perfect for nests and sources of food for termites. Avoid moving furniture or stuff from a room with termite infestation to other rooms because that may spread your termite problem.
Place furniture or any other type of furniture infested by termites under direct sunlight for 3 days straight. Better do this during the summer when it's hotter because termites don't like the heat. The heat from the sun will kill the termites and remove moisture. You may also dust off your furniture or infected item while it's out in the sun and apply termite control spray before bringing it back to your property.
Borate or boric acid is one of the most reliable termite treatments you can easily find. It's also effective against other pests infesting your home. Spraying borax on your wood structures before applying primer and paint. The wood will absorb the borate and serve as a barrier to termites wanting to eat it. Borate spray can keep termites off your wooden structures for decades.
Seeking the help of a professional pest control company is still the best option for treating your home with termite control products. Proceeding with termite control treatment without further assessing and studying the situation may aggravate the problem.
Here are some pest control products you can use:
Here are just some of the termite control treatments you can use. Ensure inspecting your property for signs of termite infestation, such as the appearance of mud tubes, hollow sounds of wood, wood debris, and more.
If you want to ensure you're protected from different termite species from infesting your property, it's best to invest in a professional pest control treatment. They are equipped with the most advanced pest control solutions and materials that can keep your property protected not only from termites but also from other types of pests.
While it’s good to be aware of the telltale signs of termite infestations, it’s better to be safe than sorry from possible structural damages due to termite infestation by seeking the services of a reliable pest management professional. This is to reduce the risks of termite infestation and keep not just your property but also you and your family protected.
Choose Positive Pest Management for keeping you protected against termites and other types of pest infestations. We offer our services in both New York City and Nassau County Long Island for residential and commercial establishments needing pest treatments. Get a free estimate by giving us a call or schedule an inspection from us right away.
While termites are far less common than regular insects, they may cause far more damage than other pests, and even jeopardize the structural strength of your home. A termite infestation isn't something you should ignore or put off. If you don't conduct a termite inspection right away, you'll soon notice the consequences of their presence.
But how can you tell the differences between old and new termite damage? Active termite damage suggests that pests are actively plaguing your home and eating wood and other cellulose-based materials. The sight of old termite damage without living insects just indicates that your home was formerly infested by these wood-destroying parasites. Early detection of a termite infestation can save you thousands of dollars in repairs and extermination expenses.
An active termite infestation indicates that your home is currently being munched on. Inactive termites are those that have indications of a prior infestation but no live termites. If you encounter live termites, you know you're dealing with an active infestation. The absence of termites does not indicate an inactive infestation. You'll require a professional pest control company to evaluate and assess your property.
There are two varieties of termites that infest homes across the United States. The most dangerous termites reside in the soil and dig tunnels to their food source, which is your home. Drywood termites, on the other hand, burrow themselves into wood. Both have the potential to wreak massive damage. While drywood and subterranean termites look similar, their behavior is completely different.
Drywood termites are found in warm climates in the United States, but subterranean termites are found all throughout the country. Drywood termite colonies are substantially smaller than subterranean termite colonies, with populations of about a few thousand. Termite colonies can have a population of 5 million to 10 million insects.
Drywood termites establish nests inside the structure they're eating, whether it's a house, a log, or pieces of furniture; subterranean termites build nests underground. When compared to a subterranean infestation, serious structural damage takes more time to take place with a drywood infestation. The latter devour wood up to ten times faster than the former. Here are some telltale signs of termite infestation.
You may not notice damage to your wood until the infestation is serious, but you can evaluate different areas of wood in your household to determine if there are any significant differences. When you tap drywood termite-damaged wood, it will sound hollow or dull. Drywood termites consume cellulose, which causes the wood to rot from the inside out.
Subterranean termites build a highway system out of soil and wood. The termites' nest is connected to their food source through these "mud tubes," which are about the size of a pencil. They also keep moisture in and protect termites from predators. They're frequently seen at the foundation of a house.
It's probable that you'll stumble across mud tubes that aren't active anymore. Break off a little section of the mud tube to examine if termites are still moving into your home. If the tube is restored within a few days, termites are still active and utilizing the tunnels.
If your home is being devoured by drywood termites, you may notice frass or termite droppings, which are small wood pellets. They resemble sawdust in large mounds. Termite frass is often out in the open, which may surprise you. When drywood termites build their nests, they produce galleries or tunnels. To maintain the area clean, the termites will drill holes in their tunnels to force the droppings out.
Your floorboards may blister or expand if termites are munching on wood beneath your flooring. Termite activity, including swarming, can be easily detected on wood decks. Springy deck boards, sunken and rippling surfaces, and hollow-sounding wood are less evident indications of deterioration. Inspect for mud tubes and grooves in the wood to tell the difference between termite and water damage.
Drywood and subterranean swarmers or reproductive termites emerge from their nests in the spring to mate and start a new colony. Swarmers may fly, but you're more likely to notice clumps of discarded wings nearby closed doors and window sills. Termites discard their wings once they reach their destination when they’re no longer needed.
Subterranean termites make a clicking sound by banging their heads against walls or shaking their bodies. The vibrations produced by colony members are interpreted by termites as an alarm signal. Termites hammer their heads together to notify a threat to the colony, and people can hear the sounds from miles away.
If you witness winged creatures swarming within or outside, around the window sills or crawl spaces, your home is almost certainly infested. You might encounter their abandoned wings in these areas if you don't spot the actual insects. You may also notice their feces or frass.
Subterranean termites use their frass to construct tunnels, while drywood termites produce pelleted frass. Even if you don't see pests, mud tubes surrounding the foundation, floor joists, crawl spaces, and support pillars are signs of an infestation. These tubes are made of termite feces and saliva, rather than simply dirt.
It's likely that the mud tubes are emptied, and the termites are no longer using them to get from their colony to your home. An exterminator will open the tubes and search for "worker termites," which are tiny cream-colored insects. An active infestation might not be present if these insects aren't found in numerous places of the tube, specifically if the tubes appear dry.
To identify whether there are active termites on your property, an exterminator must conduct a comprehensive inspection.
Termites can survive for a long time on your property or within your home before being discovered. Drywood termites, which penetrate deep beneath wooden structures, and subterranean termites, which live underground, can be difficult to detect before major damage has been done. It's critical to recognize warning symptoms as soon as possible to prevent and minimize damage.
Termites are notoriously difficult to spot. While hiring a termite specialist for an annual inspection is recommended, there are several symptoms of damage you may look for on a routine basis around your home. Watch out for any of these indicators and then investigate more. If you notice any of the signs listed below, contact a pest control specialist immediately.
The noticeable indicator of termite damage involving windows and doors is chewed wood. Difficulties opening or closing them can also be an early warning sign of termite activity. As the insects feed, they produce moisture, which causes wood home pieces to deform and change shape. Doors and windows can also warp and swell in hot and humid conditions.
Drywall sagging or cracking could be a symptom of an undetected termite damage. Termites devour wood and drywall paper as well as carpets, furniture, textiles, books, and other cellulose products. Extended water damage on floorboards can also cause soft or decaying wood, so search for mud tubes near the damaged locations. Water damage might also seem discolored, spongy, and smell musty.
Blistering, buckling wood flooring, bloated panels, or soft wood that can be easily examined with a knife or screwdriver are all things to look out for. If you discover a wall or floor section that seems different from the others, such as cracks or splitting, perform a knocking test. The differences between papery, hollow wood, and solid wood are obvious to hear. If you hear any differences, it could mean the wood has internal deterioration.
Take note of the distinctions between active and old termite infestations, whether you decide to conduct your termite inspection or call a professional pest control firm. No one wants their house to become an all-you-can-eat termite buffet, so stay on top to get it done either way. The sooner you locate the termites infesting your home, the less wood and money they will cost.
Termite control is not a do-it-yourself project. Focus on choosing a reliable termite control company. Ask for referrals before selecting a firm, and verify with the state regulatory authority to make sure potential companies are officially licensed. Termites munch slowly, so spending many weeks looking for the best pest control firm won't make much of a difference in damages made to your home.
Look for pest control services that are affiliated with state or national organizations. A termite inspector will extensively evaluate your home, determining the type of termite responsible for the damage and the level of activity. The type of termite and the extent of the infestation determine the treatment required to manage the insects. Annual inspections and spot treatments in your home may be required, as indicated in the exterminating company's contract.
Try to fix any leaking water pipes to prevent termites from infiltrating your home or to guarantee that inactive termites remain that way. Any pipe or utility line openings should be sealed. Regularly clean your downspouts and gutters, and don't let water accumulate on your roof.
Check the downspouts multiple times a year to ensure that they are channeling water effectively. Don’t store firewood or other debris near your home. Keep mulch and plantings far from the foundation of the house. Termites require water to survive; without it, they will quickly become dehydrated.
When a termite inspection is required, you should contact the best pest control firms available. A thorough inspection by well-trained technicians could be just the step you need towards a termite-free space. All cracks and crevices, as well as typical access sites, must be inspected, treated, and maintained so pests and insects don’t come back.
At Positive Pest Management, our termite control services can protect your property from wood-destroying insects that could compromise its safety. We use the right tools and methods so that you get back your peace of mind and fight off termite infestations long-term. Contact Positive Pest Management for a free estimate on our pest control services today.
The presence of termites in an establishment’s inner structure isn't like your typical pest infestation — it’s like a ticking time bomb. . They're pretty quick to multiply and they can cause serious damage to homes and establishments by destroying their wooden structures, amounting to thousands of dollars in repair costs. Some may wonder how quickly these termites damage the internal structures of establishments.
So how long does it take for termites to inflict structural damage? The span of termite damage depends on how big the termite colony is in your home and what type of species they are. It takes subterranean termites, drywood termites, and dampwood termites about 3 to 8 years. A type of termite called Formosan termite is more complicated to handle as it can cause destruction in a shorter period of time.
Destructive termites take about 3 to 8 years to inflict noticeable damage to your property--this will still depend on the species of termite and the mature size of their nest. A colony consisting of 60,000 termites can eat 2x4 wood within 5 months.
The Formosan termite is one of the types of termites known to be aggressive in causing destruction. They can cause extensive damage to a home in just 6 months because they can eat around 1+ ounce or 31 grams per day.
A termite is a formidable pest to have in your home because its colony can cost you structural damage to your foundation, especially wooden structures in contact with soil. Swarms of termites cause billions of dollars worth of damages yearly.
Wood is the termites' top food source: they have special bacteria, protozoa, and enzymes that allow them to digest the organic fibrous material of wood called cellulose. Subterranean termite damage from the largest colonies can chunk up a pound of wood daily.
Termites are often called "silent killers" because by the time you see the damages, it may be worse than you think. They slowly eat your structures from the inside, weakening the structural integrity of your property. This is also the reason why your slab foundation may have a hollow sound.
More than this, most termite species multiply fast, capable of having a bigger-sized colony that can speed up the damages. Even if you sense no termite activity, it's best to invest in termite control especially if you know your location and structure are both susceptible to termite infestation. Do termite control professional inspection yearly or at least once every 3 to 5 years.
Property owners must be vigilant with the telltale signs of damage from termite infestation. More often than not, these signs may be subtle or unnoticeable, so it's crucial to be sharp in inspecting your property.
Here are the signs of termite damage you should watch out for:
These are just some of the signs of a termite infestation. Still continue to seek regular inspections from a professional pest control company to be sure and worry-free.
Seeking the services of a professional pest control services is still the best option, especially some termite control efforts might exacerbate the infestation if you've done it wrong.
But if you want to set your first lines of defense, here are the best things to use for subterranean termites:
For drywood termites, here are things to use:
What was mentioned are just some of the termite control efforts that you can do. Ensure inspecting your property to verify termite infestation and the type of species you’re up against.
For full pest control services, trust only Positive Pest Management in New York City and Nassau County Long Island. We offer pest extermination services for residential and commercial properties, taking pride in our comprehensive treatment plans to exceed our customers' expectations. Our team of pest control specialists uses botanical pesticides with low health risks, keeping you, your kids, and your pets safe.
We offer pest control solutions not only for termite infestations but for other types of pest infestations as well. Get a free estimate by giving us a call or browsing our website to know more about us and our services. You may also visit our office to schedule an inspection.
Dampwood termites can be a silent problem in your home until you notice significant property damage. These termites only feed on wet or decaying wood, so on top of dealing with water damage, wet rot, and decay, you also have to deal with the termite infestation that’s damaging the structural wood inside your property’s walls even further. In New York, you can find types of termites like the pacific dampwood termites, one of the largest types of termites in the United States, causing extensive damage to buildings.
So what are some natural treatments to prevent or ward off pacific dampwood termites? If you’re worried about the chemical residue that pesticides leave, you may consider using some natural home remedies and common household products to eliminate termites from your property. But in case you spot termite activity and signs of an infestation, it’s best to leave it to professionals that can provide safe and controlled pest management solutions.
Here are some of the ways you can treat your property’s pacific dampwood termite problem without having to resort to chemical pesticides:
More commonly known as borax, sodium borate is a natural mineral with plenty of home uses. While safe for some home uses, it can be used to kill ants and termites as it affects their ability to digest food, which can cause its death. Many treated wood items are often coated with a borate solution to prevent termite infestations. To protect untreated or unfinished wood, you can have a coat of borate solution applied to protect your wooden items.
There are, however, some limitations to using borax on its own. Borax powder is more effective for drywood termites than dampwood termites, and even then the powder has very limited reach. You can spread borax powder around your property – particularly near areas where pacific dampwood termites may infest – but keep in mind that Borax only kills the termites that come into contact with borax, and not the entire colony.
If your wooden object isn’t already treated, you’ll need a professional to apply a borax solution to keep it uniform outside and when it seeps into your wood. If it’s not done properly, your wood won’t be fully protected.
Termites can be killed by the acidic combination of vinegar and lemons. Mix half a cup of vinegar with the juice of two lemons and pour the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray this mixture around the area where you suspect termites. Spray the area regularly.
While this can work effectively on drywood termites, it might not be as effective depending on the severity of your wood’s water damage. The moisture content on damp wood can dilute the acidic concentration.
Orange oil contains D-limonene, a colorless liquid found in the oils of citrus trees and citrus fruit peels. When termites come into contact with orange oil, their exoskeletons dissolve along with their moisture and proteins.
However, just like vinegar and lemon juice, this can be diluted with additional moisture from wood. You can find orange oil online or in stores that sell essential oils. This also may not kill the entire colony since the wood in contact may not necessarily spread the orange oil throughout the wood.
Rather than relying on any natural substance, there are some practices you can do to prevent an infestation from occurring on your property without relying on chemical pesticides. One way to do this is to get rid of any decaying wood that can attract pacific dampwood termites onto your property. You can tell wood is decayed by the following features:
Outdoors, this can include tree stumps, fallen tree branches, dead trees, stockpiled firewood, any type of rotten wood, and fixtures like wooden fences, gates, and wooden sheds. Ideally, your fixtures should be treated with wood that can withstand water exposure from rain, damp ground, and other elements.
This can prevent it from absorbing excessive moisture and decaying from the inside out. Indoors, check for any wooden furniture or wooden items especially in rooms with access to water like your kitchen or bathroom.
If your home’s natural condition is prone to plumbing leaks, has roofing damage, or has recently experienced flooding or heavy rain, there’s a risk of water damage within the structural wood. Hire a plumber or contractor to assess your home and see if there’s any damage that can cause excess moisture within the structural wood. If left unchecked, this can be prone to pacific dampwood termites.
Make sure that your home has proper ventilation. For your kitchen or bathroom, open a window or install a ventilator. Wipe away any puddles, standing water, or any type of moisture that have contact with water immediately to prevent it from seeping in. Ensure that areas like your basement, attic, or crawlspace are well-ventilated and not prone to moisture.
Dampwood termites – and similar termite species like the pacific dampwood termite – are one of the largest types of termites found in the United States. However, their habitat and nature differ from most subterranean termites. During the summer, dampwood termites in the reproductive caste fly to other locations to start new colonies, which means finding other areas within your property to infest.
Unlike subterranean termites that burrow underground, dampwood termites create their colonies inside wood. And unlike most species of termite that feed on any type of wood, dampwood termites will only feed on wood with high moisture content. This includes wood that’s been affected by water damage, wet rot, or any type of decay.
Because of their nature, they don’t attack your property unless there’s wet and moist wood for them to feed on. Which is why if there’s water damage to your home, there’s a risk that dampwood termites are nearby to worsen the condition of your wood.
Since dampwood termites only attack homes with highly-moist wood, maintaining dry conditions and preventing excess moisture is a good way to prevent termite infestations. Dampwood termites don’t attack dry wood, so minimizing moisture can prevent them from settling and building colonies within your property. Some of the ways to spot dampwood termites on your property are:
Some of the steps you can take to do this include:
Have a professional plumber, roofing contractor, and HVAC technician conduct general maintenance on your property at least once a year. Since water damage is a common cause for attracting dampwood termites, you’ll want to keep your home free from any damage or regular wear and tear that can cause water damage around your property.
Plumbers can check for leaks in your fixtures and assess if your pipes are due for replacement. They can also check areas in your kitchen and bathrooms for any leaks that can spread to the structure of your home. Roofing contractors can check your roof for holes and cracks that are causing leaks that spread to your attic or within your walls. Repairs or complete roofing replacement may be necessary, depending on the state of your property.
Lastly, HVAC technicians can check your ventilation and air circulation around your home to ensure that your home has the right humidity levels and there isn’t too much moisture in the air that wood in your property can’t absorb.
Since dampwood termites only attack wood with high moisture content, you can limit your focus to areas that may be prone to water damage or wet rot. Check outdoors and indoors for ways to prevent wood from decaying by maintaining dry conditions.
Outdoors, you can practice the following:
Indoors, you can prevent water damage by:
In case you’ve seen evidence of termite activity on top of the water damage in your home, it’s best to hire a professional termite exterminator to handle your termite swarm. While some natural home remedies may kill a handful of termites, having limited knowledge of how termites function can make it difficult to exterminate one or more termite colonies within your property.
Rest assured, pest control companies like Positive Pest Management use safe and effective methods to remove termites from your property. We cater to both residential and commercial properties and have experience with pest control in areas like healthcare facilities and food service businesses and can conduct safe pest control that won’t harm people within the property.
Pacific dampwood termites can worsen the property damage caused by wet wood or rotten wood. The most effective natural method of preventing dampwood termites is by preventing water damage to your property. But if that fails and you notice the presence of termites, leave it to the professionals to safely and effectively remove every single colony from your residential or commercial properties.
We can protect your property from termites and other wood-destroying insects that can compromise your property’s safety. Get back your peace of mind and contact Positive Pest Management today for a free estimate on our pest control services.
Known as the largest type of termite species, dampwood termites are capable of causing substantial damage to your home. But unlike other termites that feed on any wood on your property, dampwood termites only feed on wet, moist, or rotting wood. While that might not be a problem for many residential and commercial properties in New York City, properties that are prone to humidity, chronic leaks, and heavy rainfall are susceptible to dampwood termite infestations.
So how can a property owner get rid of dampwood termites? If you see signs of infestation, it’s best to contact experienced pest control specialists that can exterminate special types of termites. But if you suspect that your property may be prone to dampwood termites, the best way to get rid of them is to prevent your property from providing everything they need to thrive and increase their population.
If you see signs of a dampwood termite infestation or suspect that your home may be prone to an infestation, you have two options: ensure that your home isn’t the perfect breeding ground for termites to thrive in, and then contact an exterminator to assess your property.
A common source of moisture that homes experience excessive wet and humid conditions is because of a plumbing or roofing leak. When water seeps into your property’s structure, it can reach the wooden areas within your property and cause moisture issues and eventually decay from the inside. This damp wood can attract dampwood termites into finding moist areas around your home.
To prevent this, it’s important to keep your property leak-free. Conducting plumbing and HVAC maintenance at least once a year can help you find potential leaks before they get worse. Leak-proofing your pipes, updating your fixtures, repairing your roofing, and ensuring all moisture is contained can prevent water damage that attract termites.
Practices like maintaining your home’s HVAC systems, opening windows, and installing ventilators in rooms like your bathroom can help you control the moisture on your property. For rooms like bathrooms and kitchens where moisture is prevalent, opening windows and cleaning up puddles can immediately prevent excessive moisture from seeping in. Ensure that places like your home’s crawl space, attic, and basement are well-ventilated to reduce humidity that can turn into moisture.
Dampwood termites are attracted specifically to wood that’s water-damaged or decaying due to excess moisture. Check your backyard for any signs of decaying wood pieces and dead trees and dispose of them properly. If you have wooden objects in your garage, basement, attic, or shed, make sure that these are properly sealed or kept away from sources of moisture.
If your home has experienced heavy rain or flooding, have a professional check your property for any potential water damage. Some signs of wet rot inside your walls and other wooden fixtures in your home include:
A good way to spot rotting wood is to take a sharp knife or any blade. If you can easily stab more than an eighth of an inch into the wood, it’s a sign that the wood has been compromised.
For wooden furniture and wooden fixtures, it can help to use chemical treatment on the outer layer of your furniture. On top of repelling excessive moisture, it can be possible to ward off dampwood termites from burrowing and finding another place to build their colony.
The problem with dealing with termites is that they can silently infest your property. If you don’t aren’t conducting annual termite checks, it’s possible for termite colonies to grow right under your nose until you spot the signs of an infestation through expensive property damage. Termites can also be difficult to remove without understanding their behavior, habitat, and potential areas where they’ve formed a termite colony.
Rather than just trying to kill a handful of termites, professional termite exterminators can remove all dampwood termites from your premises. They understand the behavior of colonies and can administer the right treatment method to use on properties of all sizes. This is the most effective solution to remove all termites from your property and worsen any more damage.
There are several ways to spot signs of dampwood termites on your property. Here are some ways to spot dampwood termites on your property.
Like many other termite species that aren’t considered subterranean termites, dampwood termites burrow tunnels through wood. But unlike most termite species, dampwood termites tend to frequent areas with high moisture. This means they’re likely to infest the walls around your bathroom and kitchen.
Outdoors, you can find them frequenting logs, stumps, dead, trees, fence posts, and many other untreated wooden areas that are prone to wet rot. Unlike other subterranean termites, they don’t burrow underground and instead look for wooden areas they can burrow into.
Water-damaged wood is the most common reason why most properties attract dampwood termites. Start outdoors – watch out for wooden objects like tree stumps, fallen branches, extra planks, and any wood that comes into direct contact with water and the ground.
Dampwood termites aren’t subterranean termites and will find wood to burrow into rather than build underground. These attract dampwood termites onto the grounds of your property, which can then lead them to search for other wet wooden items indoors.
If your property has experienced a major natural incident like heavy rains or storms, it’s important to check for signs of leaks or water damage. If left unchecked, this can both compromise the structure of your home while also attracting termites to come into your property.
Termite nests can be built right under your nose. If you see signs of a dampwood termite infestation, it’s best to contact a pest control specialist as soon as possible to prevent any further damage.
We can eradicate the termites on your property and then help you assess the damage to determine if you should have it professionally repaired or replaced. Some signs of an infestation on your property include:
On top of water damage, wet rot, and structural instability, dampwood termites can cause substantial damage to your property. Keeping your home dry and controlling your indoor humidity and moisture content can prevent your property from attracting dampwood termites. But if you’re already experiencing an infestation, it’s best to contact reliable pest control services to remove all termite colonies from your property before seeking out professionals to repair the damage on your residential or commercial property.
Contact Positive Pest Management can quickly and effectively remove insects from your property for your comfort and safety. Get back your peace of mind and contact us today to receive a free estimate on our termite control services.
Termites are destructive household pests that can cost you thousands of dollars in repair if left alone. While all termite species look the same to most people, there are actually termite species that require different pest control methods. Telling dampwood termites apart from their subterranean counterparts can help homeowners find the best way to get rid of them.
So what’s the difference between dampwood termites and subterranean termites? The easiest way to tell them apart is by looking at their appearance and nesting habits. Dampwood termites are bigger than subterranean termites, don’t build their nest in the soil, andprefer attacking wood with high moisture content instead of sound wood. To eliminate termites or prevent infestations, it’s best to call a professional pest control company.
About 600,000 homes report termite infestations every year, making these pests a common household problem in the United States. These invasive species attack wood for food and shelter, causing the building’s foundation to weaken and the property value to drop. Termites are hard to spot, so most termite damages are only discovered when it’s already severe.
Subterranean termites and dampwood termites are 2 of the most common species of termites to invade homes.Knowing which termite species you’re dealing with is important in choosing an effective treatment method against a termite infestation, but it might be difficult to differentiate them for people who aren’t familiar with insects.
Here are important differences to know between dampwood and subterranean termites:
Dampwood termites are the largest termite types to invade homes with bodies that measure about 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch long. They also have a pair of antennae and 6 legs attached to their long, narrow, and oval bodies that are usually creamy white to brown in color. Another noticeable physical feature of dampwood termites is the large pinchers in their head.
On the other hand, subterranean termites are much smaller with bodies that are only about 1/8 inch long. They also have 6 legs, a pair of antennae, long and narrow bodies, and creamy white to dark brown or black color.
The physical appearance of subterranean termites varies according to which of the 3 distinct castes or roles in the colony they belong. The queen subterranean termite is the largest one in the colony while the king is much smaller.
The alates or reproductive termites have dark bodies and milky-colored wings. Worker termites have small jaws that allow them to chew dead wood and move materials around, while soldier termites have large mandibles they use to defend the colony.
Subterranean species of termites are social insects that got their name from their nesting habit. They live in colonies underground and build tunnels into wooden structures in search of food. These pests need a lot of moisture, so a subterranean termite colony underground is always damp and cool.
Dampwood termites don’t live underground but they still need a lot of moisture to survive. These pests usually attack wet, rotting, or decaying wood in the house. They prefer staying near a water source like the leaky roof or faulty drainage systems. They can also build a dampwood termite colony in tree stumps, woodpiles, and leaf litters that are close to the soil.
Both dampwood termites and subterranean termites consume wood to survive, but the main difference is that dampwood termites are commonly found in dead trees or rotten wood that has high moisture content.
Subterranean termites may attack decayed wood first and then move on to dry wood or sound wood if they need to. They just need the wooden structure to be in direct contact with soil where their main colony is located.
Regardless of their species, termite damages across the country can add up to about $5 billion every year. These destructive pests weaken the foundation of property by eating the wooden structures of the building, as well as the wood floorings. They also cause serious damage when they attack the antique wooden furniture in a home.
But aside from the structural damage they cause, dampwood termites also make it easier for microorganisms like fungi to attack the decaying or wet wood. The dampwood they leave behind also serves as a meal to other pests like carpenter ants and other termite types.
Termite damages also lower the value of a home if the homeowner has plans to sell it in the future. Most home insurance policies don’t cover this type of household issue, so homeowners have to prepare thousands of dollars out of their pocket to pay for the termite control treatments and repairs.
Dampwood termites, drywood termites, and subterranean termites are difficult to spot because of their size and color. But homeowners should remain vigilant of the things that happen in and out of their homes so they can spot a termite infestation before it causes a huge problem.
Here are the common signs of dampwood or subterranean termite activity to look out for:
After identifying the types of termites in the property through a termite inspection, pest experts should develop a recommended termite treatment plan based on the situation.
For subterranean termites, most pest management professionals recommend applying a chemical barrier on the soil around the property. This kind of subterranean termite treatment prevents the pests from entering the house while ensuring that most of them die as they return to their main colony.
Direct treatment of the affected wood using borate-based products is the best extermination method for dampwood termites. The infested wood should then be discarded and replaced to avoid re-infestation.
But regardless of which species of termites attack your home, it’s important to have preventive measures in place after they’re treated. Make sure to fix all moisture problems at home, reduce humidity in crawl spaces, and avoid storing wood debris near the ground to keep your property termite-free.
Subterranean and dampwood termite infestations can be a pain to deal with. DIY treatments are rarely successful in the long run, so it’s best to leave this kind of household issue in the hands of an experienced pest management expert like Positive Pest Management.
We are a top-rated pest control company based in NYC that uses proactive treatment methods to get rid of termites and other pests in residential and commercial properties. Get your peace of mind back and don’t hesitate to call us at 1-800-294-3130 to book an appointment or request a free quote.
Nobody wants to see termites eating their wooden beams and furniture pieces at home, especially if it’s the dampwood termites which are the biggest of the bunch. These pests are a huge concern for many homeowners because of their large size and the amount of damages they cause in a short amount of time.
So how serious are the damages caused by dampwood termites? Dampwood termites attack wood that has excessive moisture content, causing them to be hollow or damaged by fungi. Replacing the infested wood and repairing all kinds of damages can cost a homeowner up to thousands of dollars out of their pocket. With this said, it’s important to eliminate dampwood termites the moment you see signs of their infestation, or better yet, keep them at bay.
Termites are the worst pests to invade a home because they’re extremely destructive. These household pests are responsible for up to a collective $5 billion worth of property damages in the United States every year, so it’s important to keep your home free of termites and avoid thousands of dollars in repair.
One of the many species of termites that homeowners may find in their homes is dampwood termite. They’re the biggest termite species, which makes it easy for them to quickly attack the wet wood in a property and cause significant damage in a short time. It’s important to tell them apart from other species of termites so proper termite control measures can be applied before they cause further damage.
The first step to eliminating dampwood termites is to tell them apart from other types of termites like the Formosan termites, subterranean termites, and drywood termites.
Dampwood termites are larger than most termite species with a body that measures around 1/2 inch to 5/8 inch long. They also have a pair of antennae and 6 legs attached to their long and narrow bodies that are creamy-white to dark brown in color. Some of them may also have wings that extend beyond the abdomen.
Whether or not dampwood termites will attack and build their termite nests depends on the degree of moisture of the wood. They prefer damp and decaying wood over sound wood, hence their name.
Unlike subterranean termites, these pests don’t create dampwood termite colonies in the soil. They only attack wood structures on the ground, like tree stumps, fences, sheds, leaf litters, and decayed wood piles if they have high moisture content.
Aside from moist wood, these dampwood termites are also found near a source of moisture. Even if the climate is already humid, they still need close contact with water or else they won’t survive.
Like other species of termites, dampwood termites that attack the wet or rotten wood in your home can cause serious structural damage. They weaken the foundation’s stability and even attract fungi that attack the moist wood structures.
One of the most alarming things about dampwood termite infestations is how hard they are to find. Unlike subterranean termites that create shelter tubes, these pests can completely live inside the wood they eat and remain unnoticed for years. They also plug the openings of the wood they attack to preserve humidity, making it hard for homeowners to spot openings on the damaged wood.
Although termites aren’t a health hazard to humans, they can cost homeowners thousands of dollars in repair as they chew on the wet or dead wood around the property. Homeowners are also required to discuss to homebuyers about wood destroying insects that infested the home, lowering the value of the property by about 25%.
One crucial part of eliminating dampwood termites at home is to know how and where to look for them. It’s essential to find them before they start causing irreparable damage, so make sure to look out for these signs and check these places for termite activity:
Signs of Dampwood Termite Activity
Places to Look For Dampwood Termites
When it comes to treating dampwood termites, termite control service providers need to evaluate the degree of termite infestation first and check if these pests have soil contact or not before creating a dampwood termite extermination plan.
If the dampwood termites are nesting inside wood that isn’t in contact with soil, then pest management professionals should apply treatment methods similar to drywood termite extermination. But if the infested wood touches the ground, then the pest control company should use the appropriate treatment methods for subterranean termites.
Instead of simply eliminating one nest, it’s important to get rid of the entire colony of dampwood termites so they won’t repopulate and reinfest the property. Here’s an effective guide on how to eliminate the termites and keep your home safe from these pests:
Bora Care is a borate-based product that’s mixed with equal parts of water to kill the dampwood termite as they feed on the treated wood. The thick solution is usually sprayed, foamed, or painted on the wood to interfere with the digestion of the termites. It also works well in getting rid of other termite species.
Most of the attacked wood is already dangerous to keep because they’re already hollow inside. There's also a chance that the surviving termites may reinfest if left alone, so make sure to prioritize the replacements of wood on the property after the treatment of termite attack.
Moisture is critical to dampwood termites, so make sure that they won’t be attracted to your home anymore by fixing all the excess moisture problems. This includes issues like leaky pipes and faulty drainage systems. Another part of effective moisture control is to reduce the humidity of the home by correcting the ventilation in the basement, attic, and crawl space.
Dampwood termites can cost thousands of dollars in structural repair, so make sure that your home is free of these pests. If you suspect termite activity at home, don’t hesitate to call a pest management professional like Positive Pest Management to take care of the problem for you.
We use IPM-based methods to safely and effectively get rid of dampwood termites without harming the residents, their pets, and the environment. We also provide tips and preventative measures to keep your home termite-free for a long time.
To know more about our pest control services or book a free estimate, call us now at 1-800-294-3130.
Termite infestation is a widespread problem and it can affect almost any homeowner. There are many different types of termites and it’s important to know which one you have in order to determine the appropriate method to treat them. Two of the common termite pests that usually pose a great deal of frustration are dampwood and drywood termites.
So how do you distinguish dampwood termites from drywood termites? Dampwood termites species prefer to live in decayed wood with a high amount of moisture content. Meanwhile, drywood termites don’t need moisture requirements and they can live in dry, sound wood. They’re a more destructive species than dampwood termites and cause severe structural damage and infest furniture and other wooden materials.
When it comes to termite species, everyone is probably already familiar with the Formosan termites and subterranean termites. They’re some of the easily recognizable pests with their cream-colored bodies, elongated heads, and large mandibles which they use to chew through wood. They can be found in almost any part of the country, unlike drywood and dampwood termites which usually infest homes in the southern part of the US and along the Pacific Coast.
Another thing to note about subterranean termites is that they feed mostly on wooden elements, making them the most destructive species of termites. However, dampwood and drywood termites can also pose a significant threat to your property and it’s important to know how to look for them to minimize the damage they can cause.
Here are the main characteristics that you need to know about drywood and dampwood termites:
The color of the bodies of dampwood termites can vary from creamy white to dark brown. Their sizes can also differ depending on their caste, with soldier termites growing up to 1/2-3/4 inch and swarmers up to 1 inch with their wings. Their reproductives, or the king and queen termite, can grow between ½ to 5/8 inch in length. Their large head also features a mandible on the front.
On the other hand, drywood termite species are smaller than the family of dampwood termites. Typically, their soldiers can grow about 3/8 inches and the reproductive termites measure about 1/2 inch in length. Their bodies are usually dark brown but some species can have a light brown or yellowish shade. Their winged termites usually have a pair of wings that are transparent or gray in color. They also feature a set of mandibles with teeth on their head.
As implied by their name, damp wood termites are attracted to environments and food sources with a high degree of moisture. Outdoors, they can build their colonies within decaying tree stumps, rotten wood, fence posts, and utility poles. Meanwhile, indoor dampwood termites can be found hiding in infested wood furniture, crawl spaces, and isolated areas with excess moisture. Unlike subterranean termites, they don’t need to rely on contact with soil to survive.
Drywood termites are a unique type of pests because they don’t require access to water and soil contact. They tend to live above ground and actively search for sound wood where they can establish their nests. For this reason, dry wood termites are the common culprits for damage in wooden beams, wood siding, flooring, furniture, and structural timbers of your home.
They also like to feed on any cellulose-containing material such as paper and cardboard. They can also be found nesting on firewood, tree stumps, and dead wood.
Swarming refers to the activity when the winged termites leave their colonies and fly in search of a new living environment. Termite swarms typically occur when their existing colony has matured or reached maximum size and capacity. During swarming seasons, thousands of alates or winged adults emerge from the termite nests with the purpose of mating, reproducing, and building a new colony.
Dampwood termites are usually active throughout the year but their swarms can take flight during the summer months. It normally occurs during evenings when the humidity in the environment is high. Meanwhile, drywood termite swarmers typically come out during late summer or early fall. You can mostly find the traces of drywood termite activity on window sills where they usually discard their pairs of wings after mating.
Drywood termites are an aggressive termite species and once they’ve fed on wooden structures, they can cause costly and irreparable structural damage. They tend to create termite galleries or chambers within the wood they’ve infested so you may notice a hollow sound when inspecting wooden surfaces or furniture. They may also damage the joists in your flooring, causing your tiles to sag and become loose.
Meanwhile, the extent of damage by dampwood termites isn’t as severe as the destruction caused by subterranean and drywood termites. Most of the time, wooden structures that have been infested by dampwood species appear smooth inside and may also have a hollow sound.
Although drywood and dampwood termites are both wood-dwelling pests, there are different ways to determine the presence of their activity in your home. Here are the usual signs of infestation for drywood and dampwood species:
Drywood termite | Dampwood termites |
You can typically find them behind wood framings, attics, cracks, vents, and under eaves and overhangs You’ll notice frass droppings nearby their kick-out holes from their nests Hollow-sounding wood and squeaky floors also indicate drywood termite infestation Flying drywood termites also like to shed their wings on windowsills after swarming | They don’t build shelter tubes on wood surfaces like most termite species do but they leave signs of fecal material or pellets inside their galleries You may also find discarded wings near horizontal surfaces or doors and window sills If you cut a piece of damaged wood, you may notice that it looks clean and soft inside since they like to eat the grain of decaying wood |
To avoid having termites in your home and to prevent a severe infestation from breaking out, here are some reminders that can help you make your home unattractive for these pests:
Dealing with a termite infestation begins with identifying which species of wood termite you have in your home. Dampwood and drywood termites have distinct nesting habits, swarming behaviors, and signs of infestation.
Consulting with a pest control company can also help you better determine which type of termite is the source of your problem. At Positive Pest Management, our team of pest control technicians can perform termite inspections and recommend the best treatment approach for your space. We’re also experienced with exterminating other household pests like bed bugs, ants, rodents, and roaches. Contact us now to learn more about our pest control solutions.
Termites can remain active throughout the year and even cold weather conditions cannot stop them from taking shelter and hiding deep within wood structures inside your home. One of the common species of termites that you may likely find indoors is the dampwood termite.
So what attracts dampwood termites to get inside your home? Dampwood termites get their name because they actively look for decayed wood surfaces and wooden structures with water-related damage or excess moisture content. If you have an existing roof leak, damaged water pipes, plumbing issue, or ventilation problems, dampwood termites will be easily drawn to your home.
Termites aren’t only a nuisance household pest but their infestation could lead to structural damage and costly annual repairs. Unfortunately, these invasive pests are silent wood destroyers and you might not notice that you have a dampwood termite infestation until you see visible property damage.
Being proactive in pest control and using preventative measures can go a long way in avoiding a severe dampwood termite problem. One of the most crucial steps in termite control is having good knowledge about what starts an infestation. Here are the possible reasons for an indoor dampwood termite infestation:
Having poor ventilation can cause moisture and condensation to accumulate in the foundation walls and wood surfaces inside your home. This can make your house an attractive nesting place for dampwood termites since they have high moisture requirements to survive.
Termites are notorious for being wood destroyers and if you have wooden furniture, there’s always the risk of having a termite infestation. However, dampwood termites will just not infest any wood and they’re more interested in damaged and decaying wood. They’re likely to attack old furniture with untreated wood that has started to rot or have accumulated mildew and fungus.
Another possible cause of dampwood termite infestations is that you have unresolved plumbings issues or water problems. Leaky faucets, sinks, and air conditioners can increase moisture levels and invite termite pests to settle inside your home. Dampwood termites are likely to hide in the crawl spaces, basements, wooden door frames, and attics where there’s excessive moisture.
Having clogged gutters and downspouts can affect how water flows away from the roof of your house. If it’s not draining properly, the water can spill over the sides of the gutters and damage your foundation. This can eventually lead to the accumulation of moisture in the exterior walls and create an ideal nesting ground for dampwood termites. Water may also drain to the soil in the ground and attract dampwood termites once it becomes excessively moist.
Having some parts of your home’s foundation or structural wood in direct contact with moist soil can make it easy for dampwood termites to enter inside. If you have overgrown shrubs or tree limbs that are extending to your home, the termite pests can use them as a way to sneak inside your home. The tree branches may also block the entry of sunlight into your home and encourage moisture to accumulate indoors.
Placing stacks of firewood and damp wood piles close to your home can also attract dampwood termites. Likewise, if you have garden mulch touching the wood siding or foundation of your home, the termites can use this as a bridge to enter your house and destroy the structural integrity of your property.
There are thousands of termite species scattered throughout the country and any one of them can be the culprit of infestation in your home. It’s important to have an idea about the unique characteristics of each termite type to know which species is invading your property. Here are the differences between the common termites:
These pests are normally larger in size compared to other types of termites. Its soldier caste and nymph dampwood termites can grow up to 1/2 to 3/4 inches and the winged swarmers can measure up to 1 inch.
They generally have brown bodies but their nymph caste have a creamy white appearance. Dampwood termites are active year-round but they usually go out to swarm during late summer months.
Unlike dampwood termites, the drywood species are more likely to infest dry and sound wood, furniture, flooring, support beams, and can be found hiding in the cracks, holes, and wall voids inside the home.
They appear smaller in size, ranging from 1/4 to 3/8 inches long. The worker caste usually have cream-colored bodies, the soldiers can appear dark to light brown, and the reproductive termites can vary from brown to black with translucent sets of wings.
These termites prefer to live underground where they have access to soil. However, they can also travel inside homes through the cracks in the foundation and feed on the wooden materials and structures indoors. The workers of subterranean termites can measure up to 1/4 inch while the swarmers can grow up to one-half inch long with a pair of termite wings.
These termites are known for building mud tubes on wall surfaces, ceilings, and baseboards so if you see some mud-like tubes inside your home, you most likely have a subterranean termite infestation. You may also find swarms of subterranean termites during warmer months.
Formosan termites are a sub-species of subterranean termites and they are one of the most destructive wood-eating pests. They can measure up to 1/2 inch long and they have cream to light brown bodies with yellowish wings. Formosan termite colonies can be found inside walls, attics, and roof areas of homes and buildings. They may also establish their nests above ground near water sources.
Unlike other termites, the dampwood species don’t usually leave any external evidence like mud shelter tubes or kick out holes in the wood that they’re infesting. Dampwood termites do a good job at hiding themselves so you may need the help of pest control professionals to confirm their activity in your home. During a pest inspection, the team may look for the following warning signs of dampwood termites:
There are several preventive measures and pest control methods that can help mitigate dampwood termite infestation. Here are some of the things that you can do to get rid of these termites:
You should also consider calling a professional pest control company that can help exterminate dampwood termites. Depending on the extent of the infestation, they may recommend either of the following termite control methods to solve your pest problem:
Dampwood termites prefer living outdoors where they are close to moist soil, dead trees, and decaying wood. However, they can also invade your home if you have wood structures with water damage, damp walls and surfaces, leaky pipes, and ventilation issues.
Our team of experts at Positive Pest Management can help make your home free from dampwood termites. We offer comprehensive pest management solutions, prevention measures, and extermination programs to help give you back your peace of mind. Contact us today to schedule a home inspection with our team.
There are several ways you can address the problem of dampwood termite infestation at home. This can include termite-proofing your property by removing any moisture source, fixing leaky roofs and pipes, and getting rid of piles of damaged wood. However, one of the best ways to protect your property is by eliminating these termites with bait systems.
So how can termite bait stations help kill dampwood termites? Bait stations contain paper, cardboard, or any wood material mixed with an effective insecticide that will kill the termites. The worker termites will discover the bait station during their search for food and they will take the toxic bait and share it with other members and the queen in their colony. Termite baits are slow-acting and it can take a few months for the entire termite colony to be eliminated.
Among the different types of termites, the dampwood termite species are less likely to be found inside wood surfaces and infested furniture like subterranean termites and drywood termites.
However, they may still be present in your home and hide within crawl spaces, attic spaces, leaky roof eaves, utility poles, and frames of buildings that have a high degree of moisture content. They’re also more likely to nest in infested wood and structural lumber with soil contact.
These termites are silent workers and you may not know that you have them until you notice significant damage to your home’s wooden structures and support beams. When you want a pest control method that can help you find the source of termite infestation and eliminate them gradually, installing a termite bait station can be a good solution.
Termite baiting is an extermination approach that kills the termite population slowly but it can guarantee the removal of the entire colony. It uses an active slow-acting insecticide combined with any cellulose material such as paper, cardboard, and moist wood.
Baiting takes advantage of the fact that dampwood termites are social insects and they survive by relying on worker termites who frequently go out to look for food for the colony. Termite baits are strategically set up below the ground or within the perimeter of the home where the worker termites usually travel to.
During their forage for food, the worker termites will discover the bait station and mark it with their pheromone trail so that other termites will easily find it. They’ll take the bait and carry it back to the colony where they will share it with other members and feed it to the queen and king termites.
The insecticides used in bait stations are primarily insect growth regulators and they affect the immature termites that are still growing while having little effect on the adult dampwood termite workers and winged reproductives.
However, once the immature termites die, the colony will have fewer members that can search for food and maintain their nest. After a few weeks without getting food, the king, queen, and worker termites will starve and the entire colony will eventually die.
It’s important to seek the help of a pest management professional when you want to install termite bait stations in your home. The process for setting up baits can be quite complex and it requires a well-thought-out strategy to efficiently eliminate the dampwood termite colony. Here are the procedures for effective termite baiting:
The first step in termite baiting is having a team of termite control experts do a thorough assessment of your home. Termite inspections are an essential part of the pre-baiting process since it helps detect the possible locations of the mature colonies. This also gives you an idea of where to best place the bait system so that the worker termites will easily find and take the bait.
After inspection, the bait stations will be installed underground about 2-4 feet away from the foundation of the home. To increase the chances of being discovered by the worker termites, multiple baits are usually set up at least 10 to 15 feet away from each other. Additional baits may also be placed near areas where they’re known to infest such as tree stumps, decayed wood, and dead limbs or tree branches in the garden.
During the pre-baiting stage, you’ll need to create a feeding connection with the termite colony and the bait system. Like most species of termites, dampwood termites feed on cellulose so you may prepare cellulose-containing food sources like paper, cardboard, or wood in the feeding or inspection cartridge.
In order to establish a solid feeding connection with the worker termites, it’s important to place food consistently in areas where they won’t be disturbed. During pre-baiting, the worker termites will continuously take the bait from the station while leaving behind their pheromone so they can communicate to other termites how to get to their food source.
The process of pre-baiting can take some time but once you’ve successfully created a connection with the colony and the bait station, you can begin to slowly add the active toxicant.
Once the worker termites have started to regularly feed on the bait systems, an insecticide will be mixed with the food in the feeding station. Most of the time, pest control experts use an insect growth regulator which targets the young termites and interrupts their life cycle by inhibiting their growth and reproduction.
The immature termites in the colony will continuously feed on this growth hormone until they die out. Once the young termites are exterminated, there will be fewer termites who can scavenge and replenish their food supply. This will eventually cause the reproductives and adult winged termites to starve to their death until the whole colony is exterminated.
Getting rid of the entire dampwood termite colony can take some time depending on the size of their nest and the amount of insecticide that was used. It can take several months for termite bait stations to completely kill the colony. It’s important to regularly check and maintain the bait stations on a monthly basis to ensure that the baits haven’t been depleted yet.
When installed and used properly, bait stations can effectively wipe out the entire family of dampwood termites. They’re also proven helpful for preventing a serious infestation by controlling termite activity just when they’re beginning to invade your property. Some pest control experts say that termite baits can also work even when you’re unsure about the exact location of their nest.
Baiting systems can also be an excellent long-term solution for termite control. When set up in the right places, the bait stations can deter worker termites from entering your home and infesting on your wooden structures and foundation. Proper bait station monitoring and maintenance is the key to successfully protecting your home from the threat of dampwood termites.
Unlike the conventional barrier treatments, baiting stations are more convenient and you don’t have to worry about setting them up on your own since you can get professional pest control experts to do it for you. It also offers other advantages which can include:
When you want to eliminate a termite colony, you need to target its reproductive members which are the kings and queens. The king and queen termites are responsible for mating and growing the population of their colony. With bait stations, the worker termites can continuously feed on the bait and share it directly with the king and queen.
Once the king and queen are taken out, it’ll be hard for the existing colony to thrive and the remaining worker termites will only be able to live for a few more weeks.
Other common pest control options such as boric acid, insecticide sprays, and liquid and soil treatment aren’t entirely safe and eco-friendly. However, most termite bait systems are chemical-free so you don’t have to worry about the risk of insecticide poisoning or affecting your soil and plants with harmful chemicals.
Unlike chemical treatments which can be affected by the composition and temperature of the soil surface, termite baits are designed to withstand different weather conditions. For this reason, baiting systems aren’t easily compromised and can effectively provide termite protection regardless of the season and environmental conditions.
Chemical and liquid treatments are normally applied by indoor drilling or digging into the soil around your home. On the other hand, the use of termite baits doesn’t require indoor drilling and they’re usually installed outdoors.
To know the best time when you should install bait stations, you need to know when the dampwood termites are most active. While you can notice them at any time of the year, their swarming activity usually occurs during the months of August to October.
During this period, you may find increased signs of their infestation which can include droppings of their fecal pellets and discarded wings of the reproductive termites. You may also notice a hollow sound when you tap structural wood which is a common sign of termite damage by dampwood termites.
To successfully bait dampwood termites, it’s recommended to install them during late-fall and winter months. During this period, termites tend to look for food within the vicinity of their colony so if you’ve installed a bait station nearby, there’s a high chance of discovery. You can also set up bait systems during summer but it may be less effective since termites usually forage in farther areas during this time.
A serious dampwood termite infestation can be a great deal of frustration and they can be harder to control once they’ve infested in large numbers. To avoid a serious termite problem, here are some preventative measures that you can do:
Bait stations are an effective method of termite control that can eradicate the entire colony of dampwood termites. However, since it has delayed action in killing termites, you need to have patience and be sure to regularly monitor and maintain the bait systems to ensure their effectiveness.
At Positive Pest Management, we take pride in offering quality pest control services and prevention measures to keep your home termite-free. Our team of technicians has experience in treating any kinds of household pests including ants, rodents, bed bugs, and roaches. Call us today to schedule your home inspection and get a personalized pest control program.
When you find a termite swarmer within your property, the chances are high that there’s a mature colony nearby and they’re threatening to start an infestation in your home. These swarmers are most likely coming from nearby nests or mounds where termites live with their colonies. Depending on the species of termites, the common places where they build their nests depend on their preferred habitats.
So where are you most likely to find a dampwood termite nest? Dampwood termite species prefer to establish their nests in places with excess moisture. They typically nest inside decayed wood, damp logs, stumps, and dead trees. They’re also likely to enter homes and infest wooden structures and furniture if you have plumbing problems, roof leaks, and other moisture issues.
Dampwood termites are aptly named because of their unique preference to live inside damp and rotting wood. Unlike other species of termites, they don’t require contact with soil but instead, they need close access to water. For this reason, they usually build their termite colonies in places with high humidity and moisture content.
Here are some of the ideal nesting locations of dampwood termites:
The appearance of termite nests can vary depending on which type of termite species built them. But generally, most nests of termites can be found in trees, soil mounds, or hidden underground. Here are the main types of nests that can be established by termites:
There are one-piece nest structures built above the ground and they’re usually created from fecal material, saliva, and mud. Termite mounds are carefully constructed with a series of tunnels which worker termites use when searching for food and it also acts as a chamber for their air supply and regulates the temperature inside.
These ground mounds are known for having a particularly large size, with the biggest one recorded at 19 feet wide and the tallest mound measured at 41 feet wide. The common species that build ground mounds are termites that live in hot climates such as the Macrotermes termite type.
These are termite nests that are usually found attached to the branches, barks, or trunks of large trees. Trees are abundant in cellulose which is the termites’ favorite food source. You may usually find visible shelter tubes or mud tubes constructed along the tree surfaces and this structure protects them from predators and serves as their path when foraging for food.
Some wood-infesting termites can also build their nests at the base of the trees and slowly infest the living tree by munching on its roots and bark in the soil. The common termites that establish tree nests are Nasutitermes and Microcerotermes termites.
These are nests that are found on human structures like fence posts, utility poles, and telephone poles. Like other termite nests, they are usually constructed from fecal matter and soil and have a rough or grainy appearance from the outside. Dampwood termites are one of the common species that are known to build pole nests, especially if there’s obvious decaying on the wood surface.
These are underground nest structures that are usually located at least 4 to 18 inches below the soil. These nests contain several chambers or termite galleries which are connected by the tunnels that termites use to get to their food source. The subterranean termites and Formosan termite species are the ones who commonly build these types of nests. They may also build secondary colonies away from their main nest if they find a suitable habitat with adequate moisture.
These are nests constructed inside living or dead trees. Both dampwood and drywood termites are known for dwelling inside trees. For drywood termites, they can live directly within sound wood and create tunnels or chambers inside the trees that are infesting. On the other hand, dampwood termite nests can be found inside dead wood or decaying trees.
Dampwood termites are social insects and the members of their colony work together to maintain their nests and ensure their survival. Their nests are more than just a pile of dirt, soil, and fecal matter. It can contain thousands of termite members and since they follow a caste system, each termite has a role of their own.
Here are the different types of termites in a dampwood colony:
During swarming season, winged reproductives emerge from their existing colonies and search for a suitable location where they can create their new colonies. Once the termite swarmers find their mate, they shed their wings and become the respective king and queen termites of the new colony.
Dampwood termite reproductives can measure between 1/2 to 5/8 inch in length. They tend to have brown to light tan and yellowish bodies with a pair of dark brown wings.
Dampwood termite colonies typically don’t have a worker caste. However, they have nymphs or young termites who take up most of the responsibilities of worker termites. They can grow up to 5/8 inches long and although they’re small, they can do their job of searching for food and bringing it back to their colony.
They’re usually wingless but they can grow to become winged adults by undergoing molting which is a process where they shed their exoskeletons to become fully-developed reproductives. When the colonies reach maturity, they can take part during the swarming season.
Dampwood termite soldiers can measure up to 3/4 inch in length and they have distinct large dark brown heads with sharp mandibles. The soldier termites are primarily tasked with protecting the colony and nest from external predators. If they detect a threat, they will send a signal to their colony and they are capable of biting other pests who attempt to attack their nests.
There are different signs that can indicate that there’s an existing dampwood termite colony within your property. Here are the usual pieces of evidence of dampwood termite infestation:
When dampwood termites swarmers find their mate, they shed their wings on surfaces like windowsills or near door frames before going off to look for a new place to build their colony. You may find increased sightings of termite wings during summer months which is the optimal time for swarming for dampwood termites.
Dampwood termites like to create galleries inside the wooden structures that they infest and this can lead to a hollow, soft sound that you can hear when you tap on the surface. This happens because the majority of the interior of the wood structure has been eaten away. Another sign of damage by dampwood termite is when the inside of the wood looks smooth and clean.
When you cut open a decayed wood, you may also find frass or fecal droppings stuck to the sides of their galleries. In some cases, you may find them piled up just outside the structures that they’re infesting.
In order to survive, dampwood termites are always in search of food sources and will establish their nesting sites wherever they find a suitable environment. Here are some of the living conditions that may be attracting dampwood termites to your property:
Stacks of firewood and rotting wood debris are the number one attractant for dampwood termites. They may also be easily drawn to dead trees, logs, and stumps in your backyard. To prevent a possible infestation, make sure to keep firewood at least 20 feet away from your home and eliminate direct soil contact. You should clear your vicinity and remove dead wood from your property.
Houses with leaking structures, poor ventilation, and plumbing issues are ideal living locations for dampwood termites since it has excess moisture. Additionally, clogged gutters can lead to unwanted build-up of leaves and water which can cause damage to homes by forming molds in roofs and attracting dampwood termites. You should make sure to fix and repair any leak problems, regularly check your ventilation, and clean the gutters to avoid these pests.
While using mulch can improve your home’s landscaping, it can contribute to an increase in soil moisture which can become an attractive source of food for dampwood termites. It’s best to use alternatives to mulch or if you really want to, just install them at least several feet away from the home’s foundation.
Pest control professionals can use different approaches to solve your termite infestation. Here are the common effective methods for exterminating dampwood termites:
Dampwood termites may not be as destructive as the drywood and subterranean termites but its infestation can still be a great cause of concern for many homeowners. To protect your property from a serious dampwood termite problem, you should minimize sources of moisture and dead wood where they’re likely to build their nests.
At Positive Pest Management, we can help you take control of your termite issues with our pest control services. We can offer a comprehensive pest control and management program which includes inspection, extermination, and prevention to keep your homes termite-free. Call us today and schedule a home visit from our pest control team.
There are over a thousand different species of ants in the world, but the one that’s commonly found in most New York homes is the big black ant or carpenter ant. These ants love to enter homes in search of food sources and shelter so they can survive. However, it’s also not uncommon to see black house ants hanging around your porch or dropping by your garden from time to time.
So what are carpenter ants doing outside your home? Carpenter ants primarily build their main or parent nests outside your property. Their colonies can usually be found in moist or decayed wood such as dead trees, tree stumps, piles of firewood, or old logs. You may also sometimes find winged carpenter ants outside your windows or front doors which is a sign of an active colony inside your home.
Read More: How To Keep Black Ants Out Of The House Naturally
Almost all homeowners can experience having a carpenter ant infestation. As long as you have an abundant food supply, water source, and warm living conditions, these pests will find their way to settle inside. However, these ants are so small that they can sometimes be hard to notice once they’ve moved in. When you want to confirm the presence of carpenter ants on your property, it’s easier to look for their ant trails outdoors.
There are several reasons why there are a lot of carpenter ants outside your home such as:
Carpenter ants create two types of nests: parent nests and satellite nests. The parent nest contains the reproductive queen and at least a thousand worker ants while the satellite nest only has workers without the queen. The main carpenter ant nests can usually be found in tree roots, tree branches, damp wood, logs, and other damaged wood that may have accumulated excess moisture.
The black ants that you see outside could be workers who have exited their parent nests to hunt for food and water sources. These worker carpenter ants will go indoors only when they can’t find a suitable food and water supply outdoors. Once they’ve entered your home, they can build their satellite nests in areas with moisture. Other ants can then follow in by tracking their pheromone trail, and this can lead to an infestation.
If you see multiple ant trails leading to your home from the outside, it can mean that you already have an active ant infestation. Don’t ignore this sign and immediately inspect crawl spaces, wall voids, wood surfaces, and corners where they could be moving. Sometimes, you can also notice winged carpenter ants gathering on your windows which is an indication that you have a mature single colony indoors.
Winged ants can also be a sign that their swarming season has begun. In every ant colony, there are swarmers who are responsible for mating and breeding. Carpenter ants actively swarm during the spring months. During this time, both the male and female reproductives emerge from the nest to look for a new home.
If they find your home to be an ideal living environment, they’ll most likely find ways to get in and search for a nesting place where they can lay their eggs and invade your space in the process. A new ant colony can hold up to 3,000 ants which can lead to a future infestation if not exterminated immediately.
Another reason why you have carpenter ants lurking outdoors is because a neighbor has an ongoing ant problem. If their pest control provider failed to treat their infestation efficiently, some black ants may have migrated to nearby properties, which could include your space. Sometimes, your house is a more suitable environment for the ants than the previous location they stayed in, so they settle there.
Among the common household pests, carpenter ants are also considered to be one of the most destructive. They’re usually called silent destroyers since the extent of their wood damage isn’t visible on the outside. These ants may not directly consume wood like adult termites, but they can chew through wood and create multiple nests, weakening the home’s foundation and causing significant structural damage in turn.
Here are other external signs to help you identify if you’ve a carpenter ant infestation:
To prevent a serious black carpenter ant infestation, you need to prioritize setting up measures that will eliminate their access to your home. Here are some simple pest control tips to help deter ants from coming indoors:
Learn More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them
Seeing carpenter ants outside your home can be alarming especially if they’re frequently present in large numbers. It can be especially hard to deal with a carpenter ant problem without the help of an expert pest control team like Positive Pest Management. Locating nests, erasing pest trails, and making sure recurrences don’t happen must be left in the hands of the professionals.
As an experienced pest control company, we’ve helped many residents and businesses in New York with their pest control needs. Our professional services include safe and efficient extermination using quality natural and chemical pest control treatments, home inspections, and preventive measures to keep ants and other pests from returning. Call us today for any urgent pest control needs.
Learn More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home
Black ants are one of the most common nuisance pests that you may find wandering in your home. You’ll often see them lined up in a trail as they go in and out of their ant nests in search of food and water. Compared to other household insects, spotting ants aren’t always a cause for concern and they’re usually harmless as long as they don’t view you as a threat to their entire colony.
So how common is it for black house ants to bite people? When black house ants bite, they do it to protect their nests from threats and keep intruders away. They aren’t aggressive and they won’t bite people for no reason. A carpenter ant bite is not as painful and dangerous since they don’t release any poisonous venom. However, they do let out formic acid which can cause slight irritation or a burning sensation to the skin.
Learn More: How To Get Rid of Black Ants Inside The House
Ants may be small but they have a set of strong mandibles that they use to pick up and carry their food, and to create tunnels or galleries in wood to build their nesting places. These mandibles are also what you feel when you notice a tiny ant on your skin. Ants are said to have incredible jaw strength and they can give a powerful bite that can penetrate the human skin.
When it comes to black house ants, both the carpenter ant and little black ant may carry some degree of bite risks to people. Here’s an overview on how to distinguish between the two black ants and their bites:
Black carpenter ant | Little black ant (Monomorium minimum) | |
What they look like | They’re the most common species of ants that usually appear black or brown with reddish legs. Minor workers of this ant species can be 1/4 inch in length while major workers measure about 1/2 inch long. They have an evenly smoothed thorax with bent antennae on their head. Their jaws or mandibles are located at the front, and behind the mandibles is their mouth which they use to eat their food. | Unlike carpenter ants that are identified by their big bodies, these little black ants are small and usually appear 1/16 inch in length. They also have an antenna on their head with unevenly rounded bodies and thorax with no spines. |
How common are their bites | Carpenter ants only bite when they’re provoked. You’re most likely to get an ant bite when you accidentally come across their satellite nests and the black ants come to swarm to defend their home. When you see a carpenter ant nest in your home, it’s best to avoid them and contact a pest control professional to eliminate the risk of carpenter ant bites. | While they also have a set of mandibles, little black ants don’t pose bite dangers to humans. They may sting a little but their bites aren’t as noticeable as the bite from a big black carpenter ant. |
What are the signs of their bite | When their mandibles come into contact with human skin, they can release a small amount of formic acid which can cause a minor burning or painful stings. It can be itchy but you shouldn’t scratch them to avoid getting an infection. Other signs of carpenter ant bite can include swelling, redness, and visible marks. | Due to their small size, the bite from a little black ant will not cause an obvious reaction on humans. They may elicit a temporary itchy sensation with which a quick scratch can help soothe the discomfort. |
Is their ant bite dangerous | Their formic acid isn’t at all venomous or toxic so it will rarely cause any health risk or severe allergic reaction. | No, little black ant bites are not dangerous. They’re not harmful social insects and are only a nuisance to the home. |
The good thing about most carpenter ant bites is that they can be easily remedied at home. With immediate first aid treatment, they can go away and heal fully within several days of the bite incident. Here are some tips for when you need to treat a carpenter ant bite:
Allergic reactions from a black ant bite are very rare but when they happen, it’s important to seek immediate medical help. Some signs of allergic reaction from an ant bite can be difficulty breathing, hives on the skin, increased heart rate, flu-like symptoms, or pale skin.
Ants bite for one main reason: to defend their ant colony. Like most insects and pests, if ants detect threats to their indoor nests, they will become defensive and put their mandibles to use to bite and protect themselves and their colonies. Although they’re also predatory in nature, black ants aren’t aggressive and they usually don’t view humans as their prey. So as long as you steer clear of their nest location and avoid disturbing them, you’re safe from their bites.
There are over a thousand common ant species in the world and there are specific types that are known to have an alarming bite. Here’s how you can identify other ants and their bite symptoms:
Read More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them
The best way to avoid getting an ant bite is to carefully navigate areas where you suspect there might be ant activity. You should also avoid disturbing their ant trail and don’t touch or swipe them away with your hands. Likewise, you should also be proactive in keeping your house clean and less attractive for carpenter ants. Here are some tips to prevent a black ant infestation in your home:
Bites from carpenter ants don’t pose any serious health risks but its symptoms can still be uncomfortable. The only way to assure that your family is safe from black ant bites is to eliminate their infestation before they get worse.
At Positive Pest Management, our team of pest control experts strive to find and eliminate the source of your ant problem as efficiently as possible. We’re committed to providing professional pest control services including inspection and extermination to ensure a safe and pest-free environment. Contact us today to get a free quote or know about our ant infestation services.
Read More: How To Kill Small Black Sugar Ants Surrounding Your House
Ants are tiny and relatively harmless, but they can still be an unwelcome visitor to any home. Even when you’ve thoroughly cleaned and dusted every nook and cranny in your house, these little pests can still be seen crawling on the floors and kitchen counters. To get rid of incessant ant infestations, it’s important to know the reasons why they’re coming indoors and how they find their way inside your space.
So why do you still see black carpenter ants entering your clean home? There are several reasons why black ants are coming into your home. Typically, they invade homes in search of food sources and water. They could also be looking for shelter from the weather changes or they’re attracted to the decaying wood near or within your property. Lastly, it’s also possible that they’re coming from nearby houses and have migrated to your property.
Read More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them
Carpenter ants are one of the popular species of black ants that can be found both inside and outside your property. If you’re trying to prevent an ant infestation, it’s a common measure to keep your home clean and spotless especially during the seasons when they’re known to be active. But regardless of how much you’ve sanitized and decluttered your home, there are incidences when you can still find black house ants indoors.
A black carpenter ant infestation can happen anytime to any homeowner and here are some of the possible reasons why these pests come to even a clean house:
Like other pests, carpenter ants need to eat in order to survive, which is why they’re very hardworking in their hunt for food and water. This type of ants mostly likes to consume proteins from living or dead insects. They’re also attracted to sweets so if you’ve left any sugary foods unattended, it’s likely that they’ll come into your kitchen pantry to feast on them.
Once they’ve started going in and out of your kitchen, they leave behind pheromone trails for other ants to easily find the food. This ant trail is one of the reasons why ants could be increasing in number in your home.
It’s also possible that you may have faulty pipes or leaking water sinks that can be attracting these ants. Carpenter ants like to build their nests near damp or moist areas so they don’t run out of water to drink. You should check your water structures or pipes and fix any leaks to prevent any ant invasion.
Most indoor ant activity can be spotted during winter when they’re seeking shelter from the cold temperature outside. It’s likely that they’ve entered through holes or gaps in your foundation and have established their satellite nests or colonies in the warm and hidden areas in your home. They mostly stay dormant during this season, but if they encounter any leftover food or stumble upon your well-stocked pantry, you may see them actively going out of their nests to get food.
As social insects, ants don’t tend to stay in one place. They like to move around together in search of new habitats. You may also have a sudden ant infestation because they’ve migrated from your neighbor’s home. If anyone near you has had a recent or ongoing ant infestation, it’s possible that they’ve also spread to your home to establish their nests.
This can happen during the swarming season for carpenter ants. Once their colonies have matured and reached maximum population, the winged ants or reproductives can fly from their nests to look for a new place to start a colony. It’s easy for flying ants to flock to your home, assess its conditions and liveability, and build their new nesting place there if they get comfortable.
Your house may be clean indoors but tree branches and piles of firewood laying outside your property could be their main target. These stacks of wood and tree stumps may be inviting carpenter ants to your home. These ants are notorious for chewing on any wooden materials to create their galleries or tunnels to their nests.
If your home has a decaying wooden foundation, carpenter ants can infest the wood and further weaken your home’s structure. This can amount to thousands of property damage, so it’s best to replace or remove any rotten wood in your home and make sure to have the new wood treated so the ant infestations don’t happen again.
Carpenter ants can build two types of ant colonies indoors. The first one is the parent colony, which is their main nest that houses the queen and some workers. The other one is called satellite nests, where most of their worker ants are. The ants that you find inside the home may have originated from a parent nest located outside from stacks of woods or in trees. When indoors, they usually like to build their satellite nests in:
There are simple pest control measures that you can do to curb the increasing carpenter ant population in your home. From using natural ant repellents, placing non-toxic ant baits, to sealing their possible entry points, here are some of the ways that can help keep black house ants at bay:
Read More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home
Aside from carpenter ants, there are thousands of ant species that you should look out for such as pavement ants, acrobat ants, sugar ants, pharaoh ants, and odorous house ants. To know if you have an ongoing ant infestation at home, here are some common warning signs that you need to know:
These telltale signs can mean that you need to immediately call a professional pest control company to help with your ant problem. They can help inspect and locate the actual sites where carpenter ants are coming from and set up barrier treatments or bait stations outdoors to keep them from coming indoors.
It can be a frustrating occurrence to see black house ants invading your once clean and infestation-free home. The best way to manage your ant problem and ultimately, to maintain the sanitation of your home is to enlist a professional and reliable pest control service like Positive Pest Management.
We’re a team of highly-competent pest control experts who are always ready and eager to help get rid of ants at home, as well as other kinds of pests and insects. We’re equipped with the latest tools and use quality pest control treatments to address and exterminate any kind of pest problem you might have. Contact us today and get a free quote.
Read More: Why Are There Big Black Ants Outside Your House?
While black ants aren’t as destructive as termites, their presence in the home can still be a huge concern. It’s definitely not a pleasing sight to see a trail of carpenter ants all over your kitchen floors or counters. This is why when you spot ants at home, it’s important to immediately get rid of them to avoid escalating into serious problems.
So what are some of the best natural methods to keep black ants away? The most commonly used natural ant repellents are peppermint essential oil, eucalyptus oil, lemon juice, black pepper, cinnamon, orange, and white vinegar. There are also non-toxic substances that you can buy in stores such as boric acid and diatomaceous earth.
Learn More: How To Get Rid of Black Ants Inside The House
When you notice that the ants in your home suddenly increase overnight, you should act fast and set up measures to avoid a severe infestation. Calling a professional pest control company is always the ideal solution for ant extermination, but there are also natural methods that you can try to minimize ant activity at home.
If you want to deter ants from coming indoors, there are some powerful scents that these pests hate. You can use these smells to create a DIY repellent spray to keep ants at bay. Some of the natural scents that may work to fend off black house ants are:
How they work to repel ants: When it comes to an effective repellent for most common household pests, peppermint essential oils are the first thing that comes to mind. Most insects and pests will run away at its minty scent. Additionally, its strong smell can conceal their scented pheromone trail so other ants won’t be able to follow their path indoors.
How to use them: First, you can create a peppermint oil spray by mixing at least 10 drops of the essential oil with 2 cups of water in a plastic bottle. You can spray this treatment onto the areas where there’s ant activity. Another method is to soak cotton balls in peppermint and leave them on surfaces where you see ants crawling.
How they work to repel ants: Lemon is a citrus fruit that contains d-limonene, an acidic oil that most species of ants find toxic and repulsive. It works similar to peppermint where it can disrupt the scent of their ant trails and confuse the other worker ants who are looking for food.
How to use them: You can directly wipe lemon juice onto the visible ant trails onto the surfaces or floors. Likewise, you can place a few drops of lemon juice to the cracks or gaps in your wall where ants could be entering. As for the lemon peels, you can prepare them on a plate and leave them in cabinets to prevent ants from ransacking your food supplies.
How they work to repel ants: Lemon eucalyptus oil is extracted from the natural lemon eucalyptus tree. It contains different chemical components such as citronella and it has a rich strong aroma that can keep ants away. Its scent can also mask the odor of some dead ants and remove its trails.
How to use them: You can soak cotton balls in the lemon eucalyptus oil and leave them in areas where you usually see ants. You can also place a few drops into a cleaning solution and use it to wipe surfaces and kitchen slabs to keep it clean so that no ants can go near.
How they work to repel ants: Another essential oil that can work for repelling ants is tea tree oil. Like most essential oils, it has a rich camphor-like scent that can deter ants and it’s a natural astringent so it may help eliminate existing ants.
How to use them: Mix at least 5 to 10 drops of tea tree oil with clean water in a bottle spray. Apply the spray around the spots where there is high ant activity. You can also choose to mix some drops of peppermint to balance out the strong scent of the tea tree oil.
How they work to repel ants: Cayenne pepper or ground black pepper can also be a good solution for ant problems. The capsaicin content in pepper is a natural irritant for black ants and its smell is potent enough to keep them away.
How to use them: Repelling ants with pepper is fairly easy. All you have to do is to sprinkle a generous amount of pepper powder on the places where ants like to hide and move. This can work great as a barrier to prevent ants from further exploring your home.
How they work to repel ants: Cinnamon has a strong peppery and spicy scent, which makes it an extremely effective natural deterrent. This is available in different forms such as essential oils, ground cinnamon, or cinnamon sticks.
How to use them: You can combine a few drops of cinnamon oil with water in a clean plastic spray bottle and apply them directly on their pheromone trail. You may also sprinkle some ground cinnamon powder around their usual path or near their points of entry. Meanwhile, if you’re using cinnamon sticks, it’s good to break them into smaller pieces and leave them on surfaces where ants frequently travel.
How they work to repel ants: Similar to lemon, oranges contain d-limonene and this compound is particularly found in high concentrations in the oil of the orange peels.
How to use them: It’s important to use the essential oil from the oranges. To get this oil, remove the orange peels and place them in a blender. Mix them with a cup of warm water until you get the ideal solution that you can use for an ant spray.
How they work to repel ants: Most pests hate vinegar, and ants are no exception. While vinegar is colorless, it does contain a strong pungent scent which ants dislike. The smell of vinegar can be effective in hiding their trails indoors so that other ants will no longer be able to navigate your home.
How to use them: You can utilize white vinegar to create a cleaning solution that you can wipe surfaces, counters, and floors with. Prepare a mixture of equal parts vinegar and water for cleaning or you can also combine them in a plastic bottle to create a natural ant spray.
Learn More: Do Black House Ants Bite?
In addition to the natural ingredients which can be found at home, there are other non-chemical substances that can help repel black ants. These materials can be bought in stores like diatomaceous earth, boric acid, and chalk.
What Is It | How To Use | |
Diatomaceous earth or silicon dioxide | This is a white powder that contains fossilized remains of algae or diatoms which have sharp microscopic edges that can cut through the bodies of ants. | Food-grade diatomaceous earth isn’t only an effective repellent but also a great ant killer. You can simply sprinkle them onto the common hideout areas of ants such as under cabinets, near window sills, below the sink, and around baseboards. |
Boric acid | This is considered poisonous to ants but non-toxic and safe for use around humans and pets. It contains a chemical compound that can slowly kill ants once they’ve ingested it. | This is usually used as an ingredient for ant baits or traps, typically mixed with a sweet food attractant to make sure that ants consume it. Another way to use boric acid is to mix it with water to create an ant spray. |
Chalk | This contains an active calcium carbonate ingredient which is a natural repellent for pests. | This can be used to draw a line over surfaces to mask their pheromone trails or prevent their entry. When ants come across the chalk line, they’ll get confused and stop them from entering indoors. |
While black ants are generally harmless, other types of ants like carpenter ants are notorious wood-destroying pests. Instead of consuming wood like termites, they create tunnels and hollow galleries to their nests inside. This can cause wooden structures in your space to weaken. If left unaddressed, it can lead to significant property damage. Other signs that you need to get a pest control service for your ant problem are:
Pest control professionals are knowledgeable in different techniques and methods to address your specific pest problem. Here are some of the ways that pest control experts can help deal with your ant infestation:
After getting the pest control service, there are preventive measures that you can do to assure that the ants don’t return. Here are some reminders to ensure an ant-free environment:
It’s always a good idea to use natural repellents to prevent the breakout of a serious ant infestation. But when it comes to efficient ant elimination, it will take more than natural home remedies to get rid of them for good. This is when you turn to our team of experts at Positive Pest Management.
We are a trusted and experienced pest control company proudly serving the communities of New York and Nassau County Long Island. We have dedicated specialists in pest control who can provide customized solutions for your household pest problem. If you need urgent help with your ant infestation problems, contact us today and schedule an initial home visit.
Read More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them
Sugar ants are social insects that may be native or invasive species. As the name implies, sugar ants like sugar and other sweet foods, although they also like snacking on pet food and dead insects. They go to houses enticed with the food source and water content available.
So how do you kill small black sugar ants surrounding your house? You may opt to prevent sugar ants from entering your house through incorporating cleaning habits or physical barriers or you may kill them using chemicals, natural products, or contacting a pest control professional like Positive Pest Management.
Read More: How To Get Rid of Black Ants Inside The House
The first step in getting rid of black sugar ants surrounding your house is to identify the types of sugar ants you're dealing with because the integrated pest management methods will depend on these. You can do so by looking at their appearance, smell, behavior, nest sites, and other characteristics that may be unique to these ants.
Outdoor sugar ants are the kinds of ants that may be nesting on tree stumps or tree branches, on shrubs, or on porches and patios. These include the following:
Similarly, ants may also invade the indoors through cracks and window sill openings. Sugar ants that prefer going indoors include the following:
The most glaring sign of an ant infestation in houses is the presence of ant trails composed of thousands of worker ants. They're pheromone trails that allow these ants to track down their foods and each other, in such a way that it helps recruit more worker ants in the food once scout ants found their way through them.
Ant trails also help ants go back to their nests, which leads us also to another sign of ant infestation, which is the ant nest. Different types of ants have different versions of their nests. For example, carpenter ants make their nests using wood. Yet another example is the red imported fire ants which make their nests from the soil, with diameters that may be as large as 46 cm (18").
The reason why sugar ants would want to go to your homes is that they see your homes as an abundant supply of food. These ants would want to feed on the sugars, syrups, jams, jellies, cake, and other sugary foods and enter your house in search of food. They also like moisture and they also see your house as a good water source.
As such, a way to control sugar ant infestation is to stop giving them a reason to enter your homes. Pet bowls must always be cleaned after use and must not be left with food after your pets have finished eating. Dirty dishes must always be cleaned after use and not left at the kitchen sink. Foods must be properly sealed and stored so these ants won't have access to food.
Regular checkups of water pipes must be done to prevent leaks that may encourage these ants (and may even harbor bacteria). Cleaning parts of the house such as the kitchen counter, kitchen sinks, cupboards, and other parts are also important aspects to consider in stopping these ants from wanting to get inside the house.
Learn More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them
Sugar ants may gain access to your homes through different openings such as cracks in the walls, holes in certain areas of the house, and doors and window sills left ajar. It's thus important to check these parts for possible cracks and holes and to make it a habit to close the doors and window sills. Using window and door screens and always looking for rips on these are helpful control methods, too.
Another food source that sugar ants prefer is plant and insect secretions such as nectar and honeydew, which are obviously found in house plants. As such, it's best to check your house plants for signs of ant infestation so you can control the ant colony frequenting them before taking them inside your homes or giving them as gifts to friends.
Neglecting to check the house plants gives the sugar ants yet another way to access your homes which we don't want to happen.
Insect repellent products that are available commercially usually come in a spray bottle. Look for those that can guarantee themselves as solutions that can effectively kill ants.
There are also commercial insect repellent products that may come as ant bait traps. These traps contain boric acid (borax) or hydramethylnon. These bait traps should be sweet and enticing to sugar ants that they crowd around and collect these traps.
These traps should also be slow-acting such that the worker ants will be able to carry them back to their nests before ingestion and getting killed with chances of their queen also getting killed as well.
Chemicals may contain active ingredients that can be toxic not only to the pests but to you, your kids, and your pets as well. Always make sure to check the product label for toxic ingredients such as imiprothrin and cypermethrin which are dangerous when inhaled or ingested.
Better yet, it's also a good idea to consider alternatives such as natural insect repellents for an effective but safer way to kill small black sugar ants. Examples of these natural insect repellents are as follows.
Diatomaceous earth is a fossilized remains of diatoms, a type of plankton. It works by drying out the hard covering of ants and other insects, leading to them getting killed. It's non-toxic and only an irritant but hands must be protected by gloves when applying it to areas of concern so that it won't get to the skin while the nose should be protected by a mask to prevent it from getting inhaled.
Anecdotal evidence says that the smell of ground black or red pepper is potentially irritating to ants or other insects thus discouraging them from entering your house. Sprinkling pepper to parts of the house that the ants usually frequent such as behind appliances and around corners of the house.
Essential oils are natural insect repellents that can deter ants away from homes because ants and other insects find the smell of these oils irritating when their receptors pick up the irritating chemical compounds found in these oils such as alcohol and menthol. These essential oils include the following:
White vinegar may be used as ant repellent by diluting vinegar to water in a 1:1 ratio, putting it in spray bottles, and spraying them on areas that ants frequently go to. Aside from being an effective insect repellent, it's also a good cleaning agent as well.
Ant trails and ant holes may be treated with boiling hot water, which may kill ants on contact. Since a single application can't kill all of the ant colony, it's a good idea to treat every ant trail or ant hole you may find surrounding your home.
Cornstarch may be used to kill ants on contact through two methods:
If you think you've done everything to try to control these sugar ants but their ant trails are still visible, you may contact a pest management professional like Positive Pest Management. Pest control companies are experts in the field of pest control. We can suggest treatment plans which are effective ways to get rid of pests like sugar ants and prevent them from coming back.
You can choose to control sugar ants through physical or chemical means. Through barriers or housekeeping habits, you may keep these nuisance pests away. You may also do a pesticide application or use natural products to get rid of them. If all else fails, you may choose to contact pest experts like Positive Pest Management.
Positive Pest Management is a trusted solution to your pest problems. We're committed to giving high-quality services through our competent pest control operator and a wide variety of green and effective products. We're highly-skilled and experienced in pest control and ensure that we can exceed your expectations. Contact us today at 1.800.294.3130.
Read More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home
Black ants aren’t dangerous to humans, but they can be a nuisance. From invading your pantry to creeping up around your home, these pests can be difficult to completely eradicate from your home. While some black ants are relatively harmless, some types of ants like carpenter ants can cause serious property damage to your home and belongings. That’s why if you see an alarming number of black ants in your home, it’s best to find the root colony and get rid of it.
So how can you find where black ants are hiding in your home? You might consider steps like following their trail leading back to their entry points, but there are more efficient ways to go about this. Once you find their general location, you can take steps to treat the area and prevent a major infestation from harming your home. Here’s how to find those pesky black ants.
Read More: How To Get Rid of Black Ants Inside The House
Ants can build their colonies indoors within the walls of your home, or outdoors while finding entry points to regularly invade your home. By knowing their ideal habitat, you can search for them more effectively around your home. Here are some ways to find black ant colonies.
Black ants prefer to build anthills outdoors because of the protection underground living provides them. But if your home has suitable areas that can provide for their needs, they can adapt and start an infestation indoors. The most common rooms they settle in are the bathrooms and your kitchen, as they prefer moist and dark spaces with easy access to food sources.
If you want to find where black ants are hiding in your home, the best places to start are your kitchen and your bathrooms. In the kitchen, check dark areas like your cabinets and pantry, behind appliances, and behind cracks and crevices. In the bathroom, check the areas close to your soaps, lotions, and toothpaste. If you find a trail of black ants, their colony is most likely nearby.
A good way to find your ant infestation is to lure them out and observe where their trail goes. One way to do this is with a honey and peanut butter test. As an ant colony grows, their nutritional needs will change, so they may be more attracted to either honey or peanut butter. Using both at the same time may yield better results.
Place a saucer with half a teaspoon of honey and half a teaspoon of peanut butter on opposite sides of the saucer. Leave it in a place where you’ve noticed regular ant activity. Since ants tend to be nocturnal, wait for the late evening to check if they’ve formed a trail. You can follow the trail back to where their nesting area is.
Another possibility is that the ant colony isn’t infested indoors. Rather, they’ve built their nest outdoors but have an entry point to find food in your home. It’s also possible that their parent colony is outside but has a satellite colony indoors. If you can’t find an anthill, black ants may have built their nests in the following areas:
You can tell you’ve got a carpenter ant nest if you find damaged wood or any signs similar to termite infestations. To find their area, you can use the honey and peanut butter test outdoors, but this can also be prone to other outdoor animals disrupting the test. However, the best thing to do if there is an outdoor infestation is to close up possible entry points like cracks in the walls and tree branches providing upper-level access, and then treat the ant-infested area accordingly.
Once you’ve seen an ant trail, you can start tracing it back to where the black ants go. This can be difficult because of how black ants build their trail. The early stages of the trail tend to be in a zigzag pattern because of how ant-explorers leave pheromone trails in search of resources. Over time, however, these scent trails straighten out as ants find shortcuts to get from the food source to their colony.
A good trick is not to follow just one ant, but the entire trail itself. You should see which crack in the wall they enter, and from there you can act accordingly by closing up the area.
Black ants practice necrophoresis, which is the act of carrying dead ants away from the nest to prevent disease or infection from spreading to the rest of the population. Colonies that have settled indoors tend to dispose of their dead ants out in the open, particularly near windows. If you find a large number of dead ants in the area and you haven’t used pesticides or anything that can kill pests, then it’s likely a case of necrophoresis, which means that the colony may be nearby.
Prevention is much better than the cure. Before your home becomes victim to black ant infestations, here are some ways to prevent ants from seeing your home as a potential breeding ground for their colony.
Not just your kitchen and bathroom, but all living spaces in your home. Black ants and other pests will only settle inside or around your home if it finds suitable living conditions and easy access to resources.
Practices like cleaning your house regularly and storing your food properly can make it harder for ants in search of food and prevent ants from finding the resources they need to thrive in your home.
Using a dehumidifier and having proper ventilation in your home can prevent excess moisture build-up in common areas like your kitchen and bathrooms. In your kitchen, opening windows and wiping away spilled liquids immediately can reduce the moisture in the area.
If your bathrooms don’t have ventilation fans, opening doors and windows or wiping puddles and other standing water can prevent excess moisture. Check for any water leak sources and have them repaired.
Aside from commercial pesticides designed for black ants, you can try natural ant repellants. Ants are repelled by peppermint, citrus oil, and tea tree oil, so using these scents around your home can be a natural deterrent from establishing a colony.
You can use a scent diffuser or mix water and a few drops of essential oils into a spray bottle and spray common areas. Ants are also repelled by diatomaceous earth, black pepper, and white vinegar.
Learn More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them
Now that you’ve traced the ants’ trail and found the general area of their colony, what do you do next? If it’s outdoors, you can try to close up any cracks or entry points that they use to enter your home. But for indoor infestations, you can try the following.
Make sure that these pesticides explicitly say they can treat ants, as not all pesticides can. You can find them online or at your local hardware store. Be sure to use these pesticides carefully, as some can be dangerous to children and pets and can linger even hours after application.
Cutting off ants’ resources is a good way to prevent the colony from thriving. In your kitchen, make sure your food items are properly sealed in airtight containers and stored away. Wipe your kitchen counters of any crumbs, spills, and grease, and then sweep the kitchen floor of any debris.
If you have pets, avoid leaving pet food in their bowls around the clock; instead, feed them at designated times and make sure their pet bowls are empty afterward.
Clean your home regularly to avoid crumbs and other organic particles on the ground like dead skin cells and fingernails. Keep moisture to a minimum to prevent them from finding water sources for survival as well.
If the infestation is too far gone to treat with preventative measures and pesticide problems, your best solution is to have a pest control professional handle your ants. Pest experts can track down the colony more efficiently, thin the ants’ numbers, and recommend steps to prevent another infestation in the future.
Black ants are relatively harmless to humans, but they can also be nuisances that can potentially cause damage to your property. Preventative measures can prevent colonies from swarming your home, but in case of an infestation that’s difficult to solve on your own, Positive Pest Management can handle infestations in residential and commercial properties.
Get black ants away from your home and contact Positive Pest Management today for a free estimate.
Read More: How To Kill Small Black Sugar Ants Surrounding Your House
Black ants are a common household pest that is often found in the kitchen or bathroom. They provide sources of food and water for the entire colony to survive. While generally harmless to humans, they can be considered a nuisance to many. This is why many people are looking for ways to keep black ants out of their spaces without having to exterminate them.
So how can you get black ants out of your house without killing them? The simplest way is to use any type of non-toxic ant repellent in your home to treat an ant infestation. Whether it be commercial repellents or home solutions, you should be able to deter ants from entering your home. But if the ants keep coming back, it’d be best to contact professional pest management services.
Read More: How To Get Rid of Black Ants Inside The House
While most would suggest using an ant treatment that will kill off the ants to prevent future infestations, there are non-toxic repellents that can get rid of black ants while not causing them any harm. How these repellents work is that they create an uninviting barrier between your house and the ants.
With ants heavily relying on their sense of smell, most repellents make use of scents that naturally deter ants which can range from a chemically formulated commercial repellent to simply peppermint oil. Through this, ants will most likely leave your home or avoid entering it due to the irritating smell drowning out the smell of a possible food source.
Anything that deters ants from recognizing your home as a potential food source or nesting site can be considered a repellent. There are multiple commercial ant repellents that can effectively treat ant infestations without killing them as well as homemade DIY solutions that can be made from common household items. Here are some commercial and DIY ant repellents you could use to treat an infestation:
Two of the most common types of commercial ant repellents include non-lethal powder ant repellents and commercial non-lethal liquid chemical sprays. Unlike other types of ant repellents, these don’t kill the ants; instead, they drive them away. But if you’re too scared to come in contact with chemical substances like such, you can always seek professional help when eliminating black ants.
How most non-lethal powder ant repellents work is that they use an overpowering scent to break or damage the pheromone trail ants leave behind. These pheromone ant trails are scents emitted by the ant species as a guide to their food supply and possible food sources. Sprinkling a thin line of powder ant repellent where you have previously seen ants congregate will most likely prevent them from reentering the area.
Powder ant repellents are highly effective in treating ants without killing them, however, they do require a bit more effort from you to remain effective. As a powder, it is possible for it to be dusted or blown away allowing for ants to re-emerge and infest your home once again. To ensure that this doesn’t happen, you may want to routinely place powder repellents on all the possible entry points of ants in your home.
Most non-lethal liquid ant repellents or bug spray come in a spray bottle with a non-toxic solution that deters ants by releasing an overpowering irritating strong smell for ants. While it may not be irritating for humans, it should be strong enough to get rid of ants in your house without killing them. However, like powdered ant repellent, you’ll need to routinely reapply the liquid solution throughout your home to keep ants away. Once the liquid has dried up, it’s likely that so will the detering scent leading to ants returning to your home.
In addition to this, it’s important to use the liquid ant repellent as instructed if your main goal is to get rid of ants without killing them. The chemicals used for the solution’s scents can be toxic when sprayed directly onto ants. It will most likely cause a breakdown of their exoskeleton and kill them slowly. To avoid this simply spray the solution near where you normally see ants congregate in your home and that should be enough to keep the ants at bay.
If you want safer alternatives, then you can always make your own solutions. Some homemade solutions you can make include vinegar and water, essential oils, cabinet spices, and citrus fruits, among others. If both non-lethal ant repellents and DIY solutions aren’t enough, then it’s time to call the professionals.
White vinegar and water solutions have been used in home cleaning for ages and just so happens to also be an effective ant repellent. While the strong smell of vinegar often disappears once it has dried down to humans, the smell lingers a lot longer for ants. With ants being naturally averse to the smell of vinegar, they will most likely stay away from surfaces cleaned with this solution. To keep the repellent working simply use the vinegar solution in your daily or weekly chores and that should keep ants away.
While a common misconception, a vinegar and water solution won’t actually kill the ants unless directly targeted or drowned in the solution. The vinegar will simply redirect the ants to another location that could be a possible food source and doesn’t have an irritating smell to them.
Essential oils, especially citrus oils work as a great ant repellent that will not only deter ants from coming into your home but also effectively erase the chemical trails left behind by previous worker ants. These types of oil contain a toxic chemical to ants which is why their scent signals danger to ants keeping them away. In addition, the overpowering smell removes the pheromone trail ants leave behind to signal other ants of a potential food source.
To properly apply essential oils around your home as an ant repellent, it’s advisable to dilute it with some water which can then be applied to any surface inside your home.
Cinnamon sticks, cayenne pepper, black pepper, cloves, coffee grounds, and chili pepper are just some of the most common spices found in your spice cabinet that could work as a non-lethal ant repellent. All of these spices emit an irritating scent to ants causing them to leave your home and scavenge for food elsewhere. To use these spices as an ant repellent all you have to do is sprinkle them around areas where you have noticed ants or on any possible openings in your home.
Do note that spices can be dusted or blown away so you will need to add more to areas routinely with this method. It is also advisable to avoid using this on lower level areas if you have children or pets as it may cause irritation or an allergic reaction to their skin or eyes.
While most house plants are small, they can still play host to ant nests causing an ant infestation in your home. To avoid ant nests from forming in house plants, you can add lemon juice or rinds or any citrus fruit to the pot. Like the essential oils, the smell of lemons and citrus will cause irritation to ants and redirect them out of your home. Additionally, the lemon and citrus scents will also mask the pheromone trail to your home and hopefully prevent further infestations in the future.
Learn More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home
While ant baits and ant repellents are often used interchangeably or even in conjunction with one another, they treat ant infestations very differently. Ant baits use a blend of toxins that have sweet scents to draw ants in and take the food-like substance back to the colony. Once the worker ants bring the sweet bait back to the colony, the entire colony will ingest the ant bait and release toxins into their body. This will effectively kill not only the ants that you see inside your home but the entire colony as the toxins were brought into the ant nest.
Though ant bait is very effective in treating ant-related issues and is often used by professionals to avoid future infestations in the home, it will kill the black ants. If you are set on finding a non-lethal way to treat black ants in your home, an ant repellent would be the safest option.
As mentioned earlier repellents release a non-harmful scent that deters ants from areas in your home. Oftentimes, this is an effective treatment in redirecting black ants outside of your home without having to kill them. However, with the colony structure still intact repellents may simply redirect the ants to another area of your home and become ineffective once the scent has diminished.
To ensure the continued effectiveness of your ant repellent, whether it be commercial or homemade, you’ll need to constantly reapply the solution around your house. With a powdered repellent, you’ll need to reapply after each dusting while liquid repellents will lose their effectiveness once it has dried out.
It’s best to cover any possible entry points such as small holes in the wall, window gaps, and door frames to seal all possible entry points inside your house. Overall, ant repellents offer a great solution to ant infestations but do require a bit more upkeep and management as opposed to ant baits.
While repellents may work in controlling ant infestations, the best way to avoid having to kill ants is to prevent any infestation from occurring in the first place. To avoid having to treat your house for ant infestations, there are many preventative measures you can take to lessen the likelihood of them entering your home in the first place. Here are some things you can do to avoid ants in your home:
The only reason ants are entering your home is because they are in search of food. By cutting off any possible food source to the ants, they will naturally have to leave your home and search for food somewhere else. You can cut off their food source in your home by keeping your food in air-tight containers or air-tight seals.
In addition to this, you should also keep pet food out of reach and wash your dirty dishes immediately as the food that remains on your dishes still qualify as a food source for ants. Ants have very few food preferences so while you may think of something as inedible, chances are that they are still a viable food supply to ants.
In addition to food, ants can be attracted to water leaks and stagnant water sources around your home. This is because it can house certain amounts of food and waste particles as well. To avoid ants congregating to these water sources, you should fix any leaks in your home and remove stagnant water sources like inactive fountains or pet drinking bowls.
With ants heavily relying on scent, food spills may attract ants if not cleaned up properly. While there may no longer be a supply of food available the scent is enough to attract ants. Cleaning up food spills and wiping away food residue on surfaces can help remove the food scent trail that ants are attracted to and are an easy way to rid your house of possible ants infestations.
While most professional ant treatments do intend to treat infestations by killing them, you can consult your local exterminator services to assess the situation and give you non-lethal options. More often than not, an inspection will need to be done to see how they can properly address the infestation.
You can also ask for a pre-treatment during the summer when ants are more likely to enter your home. If the infestation has gotten too severe, there is a chance that they will suggest lethal measures to ensure that your house is ant-free after treatment.
Learn More: How To Kill Small Black Sugar Ants Surrounding Your House
While home and over-the-counter solutions may be effective, there comes a point when you need to call in the professionals. If left untreated ant colonies will continue to grow and cause further infestations in your home. Whether it be the common black ant or Argentine ant colonies, Positive Pest Management can exterminate them all!
With affordable prices and long-term pest control, Positive Pest Management is one of New York’s most trusted pest control services to both residential and commercial spaces across the city. Get your pest infestations under control and contact us at 1-800-294-3130 now. l today!
Black ants are a common type of pest found in many houses. While relatively harmless to humans, they can cause some structural damage to the house as they create holes and tunnels in the structure to get through. Most often you will notice them on kitchen countertops or in bathrooms as they provide a warm damp environment with a nearby food source.
So how do you get rid of black ants in your house? It depends. If you’re experiencing a massive infestation of black ants, it may be time to call a professional exterminator. However, if you’re only dealing with small colonies of black ants, then this can be effectively treated with a few over-the-counter treatments or even homemade solutions.
Learn More: How To Get Black Ants Out Of Your House Without Killing Them
When black ant colonies enter your home, it’s often because they’re in search of food and water. During the summer or any dry months of the year, you’re more likely to see an ant infestation in your house as it’s the nearest available water source to most insects. While a very common occurrence, no one wants black ants in their home swarming areas in their home. Here are a few ways to get rid of black ants in your home:
Ant baits are kind of like ant traps that make use of scent pheromone trails and the ant’s natural habit of searching for access to food. Replicating a sweet substance and the scents of food, the ant bait stations have food laced with toxins that are harmful to ants when in close contact or ingested after some time.
How this works is that worker ants will be drawn to the laced sources of food and bring it back to the colony itself for all the ants including the queen to share. Slowly, the toxins found in the sweet bait will kill them off and fix the ant infestation inside your home.
You can buy ant bait traps over-the-counter and they are relatively safe to use indoors as long as you follow the instruction guide. Some effective and fast-acting bait for ants that can be found across the country includes Amdro ant bait, Terro liquid ant killer, and Advion ant bait.
These are great options as ant bait not only targets the black ants that are visible to you but also treat the entire colony. Once the queen has been exposed to the ant bait, the colony will no longer be able to reproduce thus effectively eliminating them all and preventing future infestations.
Ant repellent or bug spray can refer to anything that deters ants from your home and makes it an unsuitable place for their settlement. Often these things have to do with scents or tastes that ants naturally keep away from due to an innate aversion. By using an ant repellent you are able to create a barrier between your home and black ants so that rather than entering your home they go elsewhere.
This differs from ant baits as ant repellents do not necessarily kill the black ants. Ant repellents were created to simply make an uninviting environment for the ants and signal them to settle in a different area. While this may work well in some cases, there’s a risk that the ants will simply avoid one room in your house and settle in another. They also do nothing to prevent the reproduction of ants as the queen ant is left unharmed so it may cause a larger infestation in the long run if not done correctly.
Ant repellents come in both liquid and powder forms and are effectively treating your home temporarily. However, once the powder and liquid repellents get swept away or dry down, they’re no longer effective in protecting your home against black ants. If ant repellents are your chosen form of ant treatments, then you’ll have to constantly reapply them around the house to effectively protect your home.
If you would prefer to not use any chemicals in your home for whatever reason, there are natural substance solutions that you can use as an effective method to repel ants from your home. Some solutions you can make are glass cleaners and dish soap solutions, pepper or chili powder, white vinegar and water, and hot water.
To control the amount of ants entering your home without any toxins or chemicals, you can use a mixture of any glass cleaner and dish soap to wipe down areas with a paper towel that you usually see ants in.
While this doesn’t exactly repel the ants, this solution will remove the scent trail emitted by other ants that directs other ants to your home. By destroying their scent trail with the DIY solution, they are less likely to recognize your home as a food source and won’t see the need to enter your home.
Black pepper or Cayenne pepper as well as chili powder are both known to release an irritating scent to insects, especially ants. While this won’t cause any harm to the ants, it will work as a repellent and keep them from areas that have this scent. To use this method as an ant treatment, simply place pepper or chili where you have seen ants congregate or enter from. You may also place them behind appliances and areas that are prone to attract ants like the kitchen counters and bathroom.
Though proven to be an effective ant treatment, you’ll still have to sweep your house eventually subsequently causing the repellent to be removed. If you’re looking for a long-term one-time treatment, this may not be the best choice for you. This treatment is only effective for short periods of time and requires constant reapplication to remain effective against ant infestations.
A common DIY cleaning combination, a mixture of white vinegar and water in a spray bottle can also help repel ants from surfaces treated with this solution. While cleaning your surfaces, the vinegar will create a barrier treatment between your home and repel them as the smell irritates black ants.
Unlike the chili powder or black pepper, when vinegar has dried down, insects including ants are still repelled by it because they can still register the lingering smell of the vinegar. Vinegar is also an effective killing agent against ants. While it will not do any harm to ants that don’t come directly into contact with the vinegar-like ant baits, it will still help in the control of ants and infestations around your home.
The most effective way to permanently treat an ant infestation is to target the ant's nest directly. While they will be often found outside in your garden, they may also live in house plants or other areas of the house. To eliminate the ants' nest, boil a pot of water and slowly pour the liquid into the nest’s opening or on top of it to saturate the entire exterior. The warm water will exterminate the ants immediately.
While it’s rare to have a massive ant infestation outbreak that cannot be treated without the need for professional help, in extreme cases commercial and DIY solutions may not be effective. If you notice a large congregation of ants or experience reoccurring ant infestations, it would be best to call your local pest control services. They will assess your home to see the root cause of the infestation and come up with a customized plan to treat your home and prevent ants from reemerging.
As part of the ant species, black ants scavengers fight for their survival. Ant colonies will come inside your home to either search for food or create an ant nest within your exterior walls. More often than not, they’re attracted to scent trails your house may omit from food waste, trash, water leaks, or anything ants may deem useful to their entire colony.
A regular sized colony of ants can have thousands of worker ants with one egg-laying queen to produce more ants at any given time. This means that once the ant colony settles in your home it may be quite difficult to keep them at bay due to the sheer numbers. While you may just want to leave the ants alone as they’re not necessarily harmful, if left untreated for a long period of time, black ants can form super colonies if left untreated for a long period of time. If this is the case, it would require professional help from pest control companies.
Read More: How To Kill Small Black Sugar Ants Surrounding Your House
While black ant colonies will most likely enter your home at one point or another, there are ways to lessen the likelihood of them reappearing. To keep ants at bay and prevent them from coming to your house in the first place here are a few things you should consider doing:
The main reason black ants will enter your home is to scavenge for food. By storing food supplies including pet food properly inside your house, you’ll decrease the chances of ants coming into your home. To avoid attracting ants to your home, you can use air-tight containers and air-tight seals which will prevent the scent trail your food may leave for ants.
In addition to this, you may want to store food wastes in a properly sealed trash can outside your home. Ants don’t have food preferences and will still be attracted to its scent once in the trash. Keeping your food waste outside in a sealed container will prevent ants from entering your home and possibly keep them away from your food wastes as well.
Ants are attracted to smells and scents more than anything. They’re heavily reliant on this sense when looking for food and water as well as in detecting threats. In the event of a food spill, while you may remove the initial spill and run a rag over the surface, the scent of the food lingers. This scent will be enough to attract ants to your house even if the food itself is no longer visible. To avoid ants congregating onto these surfaces, it’s advisable to not only wipe the food spills off the surface but also use a cleaning agent to remove any possible scent trails.
With the average black ant only half an inch long at most, they are able to enter your house through the smallest holes available. To prevent them from coming in, it would be a good idea to physically block and seal all entry points to your home. This includes small holes in your wall, widow gaps, door gaps, etc. If you can’t seal them completely, you can use ant chalk as a repellent around the areas that can’t be physically sealed.
Do note that if you chose to use an ant chalk that they’re not FDA-approved but have been widely considered to be a safe and effective way to prevent ants from entering your home.
While you may have done everything to keep ants out of your home, it may be difficult to control ants from coming into close contact with the tree stumps and plants around your garden. To avoid migration from your garden to inside your house, you can trim the overextending branches nearest to your home.
If ants are able to enter your home from the tree branches, they may recognize it as an abundant resource for food supply and attract other ants to seek food there as well. By trimming the tree branches, it will be less likely for tree ants to enter your home as the pathway is a lot harder now that the proximity is much wider.
Learn More: How to Find Where Black Ants Are Hiding in Your Home
If you’re looking to treat your home for pests or you simply want to take preventative measures, it’s best to consult with the pest management experts. Aside from comprehensive treatment plans, you’ll also be given the right guidelines to prevent re-infestations of common pests and insects.
Whether it be carpenter ants or Argentine ant colonies, we can do it all. Positive Pest Management has been a reliable pest control service in New York for years. From commercial to residential spaces, we offer you quick and effective long-term pest management solutions at the best prices across the city. Contact us at 1-800-294-3130 for an inspection and a list of our available services today.
Mouse traps have gone a long way from just a piece of cheese and a trigger mechanism - now, you have several lines of mouse traps to choose from. While the usual wooden mouse trap can work for the odd mouse or rat that just wandered by, you might be looking for something more heavy-duty for a severe infestation. This is where premium mouse traps come in.
So what are some of the premium mouse traps you can get? Premium mouse traps include electric mouse traps, catch-and-release mouse traps, and bait traps. Depending on the brand that you choose, you can also opt for extra features like Wi-Fi connectivity, no-touch disposal, and even have refillable baits.
Read More: How to Safely Open a Mouse Trap
You might be wondering what exactly makes a premium mouse trap deserve its title - or in most cases, the price. Their primary difference lies in the three separate factors: comfort, convenience, and catch rate. Let's discuss them more in detail.
This is arguably one of the most significant reasons why "premium" mouse traps are priced accordingly - unlike snap traps, glue traps, or other conventional mouse traps, premium mouse traps also prioritize the user's comfort and safety. Conventional mouse traps can be difficult to handle and may even injure the person setting the trap if handled improperly. Premium mouse traps are designed to be as unobtrusive as possible to both humans and their pets, which makes them easier to deploy around your home.
Convenience is another significant factor for premium mouse traps. Many conventional mouse traps need to be set, refilled, or even monitored manually before confirming a pest has been caught. Most premium mouse traps don't need this oversight - all you need to do is get it out of the packaging, fiddle with it for a few minutes, then put it in the mouse's path. Some types of mouse traps even make disposal a breeze, which can be extremely useful for people who are squeamish about handling a dead rat.
Premium mouse traps are designed to be almost irresistible to mice, which means their catch rate is higher compared to your usual mouse trap with cheese. Because mice can quickly figure their way around conventional mouse traps, premium mouse traps are geared to catch multiple mice before needing either replacement or repair. Some models go even further by being designed as "mouse friendly" traps, which can safely catch the pest then remove it.
Overall, a "premium" mouse trap has a lot more versatility and features compared to your regular mouse trap. While the features may not always be what you're looking for, they’re all geared towards making the trap more efficient with catching mice.
Learn More: Facts About Mouse Traps That You Need to Know
While there are different types of traps that someone can use to catch mice, only a few have the features necessary to be considered a "premium" mouse trap. If you want to get rid of a small mouse or a stray rodent in your home (and are willing to spend a little extra), then these are the types of traps you should look out for:
Electric traps are undoubtedly one of the more effective - and expensive - ways to catch a rat. The design of most electric traps is simple - by luring the rat to a chamber, it closes itself on them and delivers a high-voltage electric shock, killing the pest instantly. While others consider it a more "humane trap" compared to other methods like glue traps or snap traps, some people may still find the use of electric shocks too damaging or ruthless to the rodent.
The advantage of using electric traps is that the features that come with them work well with areas that have small children and/or household pets. Electric traps can often be configured to turn off on demand, or have safety switches that depower the unit when it’s not in use. This is particularly useful since the trap space that you'll most likely choose for your mouse trap is fairly close to high-traffic areas around the home like the kitchen.
Live-catch traps vary widely depending on the brand, but they all function the same way: by catching the mouse instead of killing it. This can be useful if you can't use chemicals or baits to catch mice, especially if you happen to be allergic to certain chemicals and have children around. Live-catch traps are easy to set, with some models alerting you remotely that a mouse has already been caught. You can even get a model that has the option for you to remove the trapped rat without ever having to make contact with it.
Most people will argue that the catch-and-release method of getting rid of mice doesn't really solve the problem, since you're just removing the mouse from your property. This may be the case especially if the owner doesn't take the necessary steps to prevent their house from hosting another mouse infestation. Combined with pest prevention strategies, live-catch traps are a friendlier alternative for humans, pets, and the mouse itself.
Bait traps often dance on the line between conventional and premium mouse traps - but the difference between the two lies in the effectiveness of the bait and how easy it is to set. Most conventional bait traps require multiple baits in multiple places to maximize their efficacy at killing mice. However, premium bait traps are self-refilling, tamper-resistant, and only need a few trap spaces around your property to work.
While effective, bait traps are arguably some of the most troublesome of all premium traps to use, since it leaves behind the body of the mouse that you need to find and clean up. The toxin used in bait traps is also extremely potent, which means that you need to be careful with using it around small children and pets. But if neither of those is a concern, bait traps can be an extremely effective way of getting rid of small to medium mice infestations.
Keep in mind that no amount of premium mice traps will help you if you're dealing with a severe mouse infestation. In these cases, looking for a professional to help you is always the best call, and is more likely to give you better results than simply trying to take on an infestation by yourself.
Read More: How To Remove Your Scent From Your Mouse Traps
Positive Pest Management provides long-term and effective pest control services in New York and Long Island. We use a mixture of traps, baits, and other pest control methods to make sure that unwanted pests and animals are safely and quickly removed from your property. For more information about our commercial and residential services, contact us at 1-800-294-3130 today.
Covering a mouse trap might seem like a counterproductive idea - won't that mean that fewer mice will fall for it? However, you need to remember that while mouse traps aren't designed to be fatal to humans, they can still cause serious harm to people, and especially to children and household pets. This is why getting covered mouse traps can help you save a lot of time and potential injuries even as you're trying to remove the odd mouse in your house.
So what exactly is a cover for a mouse trap? In most cases, this means using mousetraps that have built-in covers with them - these are usually electric or catch-and-release type traps. But if you want to make sure that you don't need to cover your mousetrap at all, you should be careful where you place them, and call a professional if you're dealing with a particularly stubborn mice infestation.
Read More: How to Stiffen the Spring of a Mouse Trap
There are several reasons why you'd want to get mouse traps with covers: you want your trapped area to remain sanitary, there are pets and/or children in the vicinity who might make contact with traps you've set, or you just don't like seeing a trap in your home. Whatever your reason is, there are plenty of products out there that can help you get the trap that you want without having to expose itself.
There are two particular types of traps that you can use for this purpose:
By its very design, this type of trap isn't open to the elements or exposed at all. This makes it an excellent product for anyone who's looking for mouse traps with covers. The cover isn't just for protecting their electrical components or making it child-resistant - it also helps with disposal.
Electric traps are almost always lethal to mice, so you need a way to keep the corpse inside the trap without it attracting scavengers. The cover of these traps helps mask the scent of dead mice, which can allow the trap to be used again after being cleaned out. Some models are even packaged as a Wi-Fi electronic mouse trap, allowing you to customize everything from bait options to opening the bait tray or bait slot remotely.
However, one significant drawback of this trap is that it can be somewhat expensive compared to bait traps and glue traps. But while they're far from the cheapest traps that you can get, they're excellent alternatives to the classic wood-and-wire snap traps that can get you a lot of dead rodents and mice.
Catch-and-release traps (or live-catch traps) are also designed to catch mice and not let them go: but the goal of the trap is to capture them with the intent of releasing them later. This is particularly useful to people who feel like regular traps are too inhumane for mice. Since they're supposed to hold mice in place until they're released, these mouse traps will always have a covering that keeps out unwanted animals - or prying fingers.
Catch-and-release traps are easy to deploy, with some premium models even allowing contactless release. Some allow storing more captive mice at a time, since it's a no-kill trap that can be reused instead of buying multiple mice traps. But If you want to play it safe, you can use two traps per mouse to ensure their capture.
One thing to remember when using catch-and-release traps is that you need to be quick to release any captured mice in the trap. This prevents other mice from picking up on the nature of your trap and makes it easier to reuse in the same area if you're dealing with more than one mouse.
While these two traps are not the only effective trap that you can use against mice, they're the type of traps that you should be looking for if you want your mouse trap to be covered. They're affordable trap options that can fit in almost any trap space, and are great alternatives for spreading a bunch of traps around an area.
Learn More: Facts About Mouse Traps That You Need to Know
But what if you don't have a mouse trap with a cover? You might be tempted to DIY your own mouse trap cover, but there are several reasons why this is a bad idea:
However, this doesn't mean that you can't get a cover for your mouse trap. If you really want to get a mouse trap cover, your first search for answers in product info pages or on the actual product packaging of your mouse trap. Some brands like Snap-E mouse traps have compatible covers with their open-air traps, and they even include useful features like inspection holes to make the checking of traps easier.
If you can't use covers at all, then the best option would be to place your traps where they're more likely to catch mice and less likely to attract attention from anything else. Here are some things you can keep in mind to make sure that your trap areas are a success.
Proper placement will depend on where exactly the mice have been feeding, and where you suspect they're making their dens. Good places to check would be your kitchen, along the walls, upstairs in an attic, or downstairs in a basement.
Learn More: What Are Some Examples Of Premium Mouse Traps?
While you can have the best possible bait station or electronic mouse trap to use when dealing with mice, there's only so much that quality products can get you if you're dealing with a sizable mouse infestation. Because they're prolific breeders, it's extremely easy for a small mouse problem to spiral out of control if you don't deal with it early enough.
If you're seeing signs of frequent mouse activity - or actually seeing them in the daylight - it could be a sign that your mouse problem is a bit bigger than you'd think. Mice usually keep out of human sight as much as possible, so if they're starting to venture out in the daylight, it usually means there's a sizable colony nearby.
For these occasions, hiring a professional pest removal service is your best option. Not only will they have more effective products and strategies to take care of your mouse problems, but they'll also help you with long-term pest removal and prevention. Even if your mouse problem only involves one mouse, it's always a good idea to get a professional to come by and check out the situation, since they can pinpoint how the mouse got in and prevent any more from finding their way inside your property.
Positive Pest Management specializes in providing commercial and residential pest removal services to New York and Long Island residents. We make sure that our rodent control solutions are long-term and child-safe, while using the best product and bait possible for the best results. Contact us at 1-800-294-3130 today to get your quote.
Mice and rodents are some of the most persistent pests that you'll ever encounter in urban environments. While there's a lot of options to catch and get rid of them, traps aren't exactly the option for everyone. Fortunately, there are a few non-trap options that you can look into to remove mice from your property - just make sure that you use these methods properly.
So how do you get rid of mice without traps? By far the most effective method of getting rid of a mouse invasion would be to use mouse repellent - which can range from artificial barriers to natural compounds. If these methods are done correctly, rodent infestations can be successfully kept at bay. Nonetheless, keep your eye on signs of rodent activity. If these infestations persist, it’s time to seek the help of pest control professionals.
Learn More: What Are Some Examples Of Premium Mouse Traps?
For many people, a snap mouse trap is their go-to when they think of methods to get rid of mice. While this certainly works sometimes, mice are clever rodents with an excellent sense of smell, as well as small and agile bodies that make your conventional traps - or at the very least, a wooden snap trap - difficult to use against them.
Some people think that traps in themselves are too aggressive to use on a mouse infestation, including the more “humane” traps that function as an alternative to your conventional mouse traps. Regardless of personal preference, some homeowners will just opt for a no-trap approach to getting rid of mice especially because there are children or household pets in the vicinity.
This is where mouse repellents come in handy. Since these methods focus on keeping mice out instead of capturing them after they come in, they're a more humane alternative even to non-lethal traps to keep mice at bay. You also have the option to choose between natural repellents and physical barriers aside from chemical products, which can be extremely useful for people who may have problems with artificial compounds.
Keep in mind that while these traps are effective at getting rid of the one or two odd mice, they're no match for when a severe infestation has already settled in your home. But if you're looking for an affordable option to get rid of a particularly small rodent problem, then these methods should work for you.
By far one of the most common mice repellents used for pest management is peppermint oil. The strong smell of the peppermint might be pleasing to the human nose, but it's absolutely irritating to mice.
Simply put some peppermint oil on a cotton swab and place it around areas that you know can attract mice, like a food source or somewhere with water. You can put additional cotton balls if needed, especially on a larger space.
Spices like Tabasco and cayenne peppers contain a compound called capsaicin, which is responsible for the burning sensation that most spicy food gives. Unsurprisingly, they're also extremely effective mice repellents, since their sensitive smell makes them even more vulnerable to the scent of pepper compared to other animals.
There are various mixes and recipes of spice-based mice repellent that you can find online, so mix and match between recipes until you find one that works the best. Like the peppermint oil above, putting some of your spice mixture on a cotton ball can be a strong enough deterrent for some mice - you may need to spray them on surfaces if you want to cover a larger area.
This may sound a bit gross if you don't have a cat, but hear us out: mice are naturally afraid of the scent of cats. They recognize that it's a predator, and will actively avoid any areas with the smell of cat urine on them. Simply place the kitty litter in shallow containers without any lid, and put them around the entry points in your home.
If you do have a cat and a mouse has made their way inside your home, you can reasonably expect your furry friend to track it down - or at the very least, chase it away. Cats are more likely to hunt down mice because of their smaller size, compared to rodents that may put up a fight.
Read More: How to Stiffen the Spring of a Mouse Trap
These repellents work well to make sure that your unwelcome furry guest quickly finds a new place to scarper off to, but they're less effective for long-term methods to keep away mice and pests in general. For urban areas where living spaces are so close together, mice can survive reasonably well on things like food debris and pet food. As a prolific breeder, mice populations can quickly escalate if you leave them unchecked.
But like all infestations, the best way to avoid a mice infestation is to prevent one from happening to begin with. If you've tried any of the methods above and want to increase your chances of never having to use them again, you should do the following:
Overall, keeping mice out of your home needs to be an active decision that you need to make consistently, just to make sure that you don't need to deal with things like traps and repellents ever again.
Read More: Should I Be Getting A Cover For My Mouse Trap?
Positive Pest Management has been a long-trusted name in New York City for rodent extermination and for the removal of other animals. Serving both commercial and residential properties, we help our clients with quick and long-term pest control solutions at affordable prices. Contact us at 1-800-294-3130 today to get your quote.
Because of their keen sense of smell, mice are exceptionally sensitive to the scent that you leave on any trap that you set out for them. This can make all but the most appetizing of traps almost useless especially if you have a sizable mice problem or a particularly clever critter on your hands. Luckily, there are ways that you can even the odds by masking your scent from mouse traps.
So how exactly can you remove the human smell from a human-set mouse trap? An effective trap can lure in mice, but it only takes one caught mouse or one skin-to-skin handling of the trap itself to serve as a warning to other mice in the area. Aside from masking the signs of human activity on the trap itself by minimizing your contact with it, you should also take into account non-human scents that can also act as warning triggers for mice.
Learn More: Facts About Mouse Traps That You Need to Know
Mice may have a subpar vision in the dark, but their sharp sense of hearing and a keen nose for scents allow them to evade most predators - and in this case, most traps if you aren't careful. Fortunately, the rule for lessening the "human" scent from your traps is very simple: avoid skin-to-skin contact.
Humans have a unique scent that mice can easily distinguish from anything else - this is why they feel comfortable going through the areas at home with the highest foot traffic while also keeping close to the dark recesses where they can easily retreat. Anything you touch, come into contact with, or are nearby most of the time are all triggers for mice and can be more than enough reason for them to run.
So if you're looking to avoid that when it comes to your mouse traps, the easiest way to do it is to minimize your contact with your trap entirely. You can do this in the following ways:
Mice can easily smell where you've come and gone, and if you draw attention to an area where you've set a trap, they're more likely to be a little cautious around any traps you might have set. This doesn't mean that your traps don't work anymore even if you touch them once - there are some types of traps that are almost irresistible to mice infestations - but it significantly lowers your chances of getting a catch.
But what if you live in a small space, or are in a home where human scents are everywhere? What exactly can you do then? The simple answer is to get creative.
Read More: How To Get Rid Of Mice Without Traps
A mouse infestation can seem overwhelming at first, but it doesn't take a lot of observation to note that all mice are creatures of habit. They like to frequent certain places while avoiding other areas, and they're almost always after three things in a home: food, shelter, and warmth.
Once you've figured out the behavior of the mouse that you're dealing with, it becomes a little simpler to make the issue less of not leaving your scent on your traps, but rather making sure that the mice come to the trapped area either way.
There are a few ways you can do this:
While putting cheese in the trigger of snap traps still works for rodent infestations, mice tend to be faster, lighter on their feet, and just as clever as their rodent counterparts. This makes conventional rodent traps a little difficult to use on your average kitchen mouse.
However, there are some types of traps that work better than others when it comes to catching mice, the foremost being bait traps. While human foods like peanut butter, foodstuffs like pet food, or any other food debris are attractive to a mouse, it's the specially-formulated mix that you find in bait traps that can be the most successful.
For these traps, the mice may smell your scent but continue towards the trap either way because the bait is just that appetizing. If you see frequent signs of mice activity (especially around areas where you keep food) bait traps are far more likely to give you successful results, since the mice are already conditioned to go after things that smell like food.
Most homeowners make the elementary mistake of leaving their traps exposed in the middle of the kitchen or in the corner of the dining room, trusting the bait to be attractive or enticing enough to catch mice. While this approach isn't wrong, it's definitely prone to a lower catch rate since the mice will notice the trap long before it gets caught by it.
This is why some experts recommend trapping specific areas where the mice already feel comfortable going in and are therefore less likely to be on guard. This includes recesses in your walls or ceilings, behind your cabinets, or underneath your drawers. Since these are the places that mice often run to when they feel threatened, you can essentially drive them there when you see them and force them to run into your traps.
Traps along walls, traps with a trigger plate, or even glue traps are excellent ways to catch mice using this strategy. While they’re not exactly the easiest methods, they're undoubtedly effective and should help you catch the odd mouse or two that's managed to sneak their way inside your house.
A mouse trap that successfully catches a mouse is more than a sign that it's worked - it's a potential warning to other mice in the area that you're taking action against them. A spooked mouse is almost impossible to capture, and trapping it will require a lot of time, patience, and effort - all things you might not have the time for.
So if you're facing a sizable mouse infestation, always make sure to maintain your traps when necessary. If your traps catch and kill a mouse, replace or clear it out immediately as mice can sense the smell of death on a trap that hasn't been maintained. Even a no-kill trap should be maintained and checked once in a while to make sure that bait or the trap itself hasn't been moved or ruined by mice activity.
You should also use this opportunity to make your traps more difficult to detect. While it's generally a good idea to place traps along with places where mice like to travel, they'll catch on if it's left there for too long. It's an ever-developing race of you understanding your mice's behavior as they change it, and making sure that your traps are set to take advantage of those behavioral changes.
Overall, making sure that your mouse traps do their job isn't just limited to reading the instructions and setting it down properly - it's to integrate how your particular mouse is behaving to give yourself the highest chance of catching it. For the single mice inside your cupboards, the above strategies work just fine - but for a full-on infestation, you'll need the help of a professional to get that work done.
Learn More: How to Safely Open a Mouse Trap
When a mouse trap isn't enough, Positive Pest Management is there to bring the best and latest innovations in pest control to New York and Long Island. Specializing in both residential and commercial pest control, we remove insects, unwanted animals, and other pests from properties while implementing long-term solutions to prevent them from returning. For more information about us and the services we provide, contact us at 1-800-294-3130 today.
Glue traps, also known as glue boards or sticky boards, are often made of plastic trays or sheets of cardboard that have been coated with a ultra-strong adhesive. Mice, rats, and other small creatures that come into contact with the glue become immobilized and unable to move without assistance. While this is great if you’re trying to trap little insects and pests at home, this can be a problem if your cat gets caught in the glue.
So how do you get mouse trap glue off cat paws? You’ll have to cut the cat's hair that has become stuck to the glue in order to free it. If the actual paw is still stuck, then you’ll have to use oil to remove the adhesive completely. This will soften the hardened glue on the paw and you’ll eventually be able to remove it without hurting your cat.
Read More: Facts About Mouse Traps That You Need to Know
If your cat's hair is still stuck to the trap, you can cut the hair off with scissors. Only the hair that is adhered to the trap should be trimmed. Make sure that you’re not cutting too close to the surface of your cat's skin.
Pick up your cat and place it on your lap or on a flat surface such as a table or a bed for the time being. Some mousetrap glues contain poisons that could be toxic to cats if ingested. A towel will keep your cat from licking the poisoned area and becoming accidentally poisoned as a result of it.
To remove the glue, you can use a variety of oils such as vegetable, canola, olive, sunflower, or maize oil. To massage the oil into your cat's fur, use your fingers to do so. Check to see that the glue is completely covered with oil before continuing. Alternatively, you can massage peanut butter into your cat's fur to remove the adhesive from its coat.
It’s best not to use eucalyptus, tea tree, or citrus oil to dissolve the adhesive because these oils are harmful to cats. Avoid utilizing solvents such as paint thinner or acetone as well.
Allow the oil to sit for 5 minutes before using. As the glue hardens, the oil will begin to soften it. When you allow the oil to sit for a longer period of time, it’ll be easier to remove the glue.
To remove the adhesive, wipe it away with a clean, dry towel. Wipe the affected region with the cloth in a gentle manner. Wipe the surface until all of the adhesive has been removed. If adhesive is still visible on your cat's fur, continue rubbing your oil of choice until the glue has been completely removed from the cat's fur.
Glue traps aren’t generally poisonous to animals unless the glue is ingested by the animals. In contrast, you should consider glue traps to be hazardous to the health and safety of your pets.
Because these glue traps use extremely strong adhesives, it’s probable that any cat that becomes entangled in one of these traps would suffer severe injuries as a result of the adhesive ripping and tearing the animal's skin or fur. The imprisoned cat will then sustain more injuries as a result of their desperate attempts to escape the trap by scratching or biting at their own flesh.
According to how the cats come into contact with the traps, they may be stuck on their side or face down, by all of their legs or just one, and they’ll most likely scream in distress. Cats trapped in glue may try to release themselves and may become increasingly entangled in the adhesive as time passes. In an attempt to free themselves, some cats may attempt to bite through their own limbs. The result of a hopeless effort is that they become exhausted, collapse face down in the glue, and die as a result of asphyxia as the glue lodges in their nasal passages. Fatalities are most frequently caused by a combination of tiredness, dehydration, and malnutrition.
Learn More: How to Stiffen the Spring of a Mouse Trap
Despite the fact that they appear to be practical, mouse glue traps are perhaps one of the most brutal methods of capturing a mouse. A trapped mouse may panic and have a heart attack, get its nose stuck in the glue and drown, or starve to death if the glue is not removed quickly enough. If you aren’t comfortable with glue traps, there are less cruel methods of capturing these rodents available.
This is the most popular type of mouse trap, and also the most dangerous. Nevertheless, they’re quite effective. A spring-loaded metal bar clamps down on the mouse when it takes the bait. For individuals who want a more compassionate method of getting rid of the nuisance, certain snap trap types don’t kill the mouse but instead keep it caught.
All you have to do to bait a snap trap is place the bait on the pressure-sensitive switch and wait for the mouse to try to eat it. Be prepared to cope with the consequences, since the mouse may be severely damaged but not killed outright, which may be unpleasant to some.
These traps are relatively new on the market, but they’re already proving to be rather popular. They're simple to use and incredibly effective at immediately killing mice. The mouse is given a deadly electric shock as it enters the trap to obtain the bait, which kills it nearly instantaneously. The mouse is dead in a matter of seconds, yet the corpse is still intact, making it lovely and easy to dispose of.
Although they’re fatal to mice, they aren’t harmful to other creatures such as pets or children who accidentally stick their fingers in them. They’re battery-powered and are available in two types: multi-use and single-use.
These traps are ideal for those who don't want to damage or kill the mouse, but nevertheless want to get it out of their house. Live traps are similar to a small cage with a door; when a mouse enters the cage, the door is activated, trapping the mouse within.
The biggest disadvantage of these traps is that you must inspect them on a frequent basis, especially if you don't want to injure the mouse. Otherwise, the mouse will starve to death if you keep it in there for too long. You must also transport the mouse far away from your home before releasing it or it’ll most likely return. It's possible that this may become a recurring cycle of trapping and releasing the same mouse if done haphazardly.
Read More: How to Safely Open a Mouse Trap
The best option for getting rid of those pesky rodents is hiring a professional pest control service. Allowing a professional pest control company such as Positive Pest Management to conduct the task on your behalf will save you a significant amount of time and effort. A professional pest management company identifies pests and their entry and departure points into your home, as well as other necessary details on how these pests operate and move about.
At Positive Pest Management, we provide industry-leading pest control service at competitive prices. We can offer customized pest control solutions that will meet the unique needs and challenges of your space. It’s time to solve your pest control problems for good. Give us a call today.
Spring-loaded traps are some of the most common types of traps that you can find. This is because they’re mostly affordable, can be bought in bulk, and effective. It does this by snapping down with its powerful spring mechanism. The problem that most people face is that setting up the trap requires you to pull back the bar and spring. Most people are afraid of doing this because if it’s done incorrectly, it can cause the trap to painfully snap on their fingers.
So how can a mouse trap be opened safely? You need to be very gentle with it. Place your bait before pulling back the bar. Once the bait is placed, pull back the bar. Hold it down with your finger. As you do this, place the hold-down bar (the long bar at the other end of where you place the bait) right on the notch of the small bait platform. Slowly release your grip on the bar so that there's tension on the bait platform. Once that’s set, gently place and position the trap wherever you plan on placing it.
Read More: Facts About Mouse Traps That You Need to Know
Prior to understanding how to set up the mouse trap, it's first important to know the actual parts of the mouse trap itself. That way, it makes it easy for you to follow along.
The mouse trap is a very simple device, with each part being vital to how it works. While other mouse traps over its long history have sported a more experimental design, we’re mostly dealing with the most common type of mouse trap: the spring-loaded, snap trap. This is the most popular way to kill common house mice, which are a breed of light grey or brown mice that may be causing you distress.
According to a scientific article on the history of the mouse trap, there are 4 main components of a mouse trap, namely: striker, set/release mechanism, power source, and the base or framework.
Another common name for this among trappers is the "kill-bar." This is essentially what is going to swing around the mouse trap, trapping the mice, and ideally breaking their back or neck, killing them instantly. The hammer is essentially a small metal bar that doesn't hurt -- until it smashes down with full force.
On one end of the mouse trap platform, there’s going to be a long bar with a hook at the end. This is the hold-down bar. It's important to not tamper with this as much because its length is just right to reach the notch of the catch.
Where the mouse trap gets all its snapping power from is the spring in the middle, which is known as a torsion spring. As opposed to a spring that you see used for pogo sticks or car suspensions that go up and down, this spring rotates. Think of it like twisting a rubber band around a pole; the more you twist, the more energy it releases when you let go.
The torsion spring extends on either end of the mouse trap, with one end holding down the hammer. If you notice, when it isn't set, each end of the spring faces opposite sides. Only when they face the same direction is there force.
This is where all the parts of the mouse trap are nailed down on. The most common material that's used for the platform is wood, which helps make it so lightweight.
On the other end of the mouse trap is the catch or bait platform. This is where you can place whatever bait you prefer to use. The catch usually has a portion of it going up. On top, there will either be a hole, lip, or protruding notch, and this is because the hold-down bar needs something to hold on to. When the hold-down bar slips its grip on the catch, that's when the hammer flings forward.
The important thing to remember about setting up a mouse trap is that you need to be very careful and gentle with it. The average weight of an adult mouse is anywhere from 20 to 35 grams. This means that mouse traps have to be really sensitive so that something so light can trigger the mechanism. It's also important to be confident. If you're nervous and shaking, worried about whether the mouse trap will snap on you, then it most likely will.
It’s also recommended to wear a pair of gloves. When holding a mouse trap with your bare hands, you unintentionally rub some of your scent on the platform. Mice have excellent sniffing abilities. That means they can tell if a predator -- i.e. you -- has been handling the mouse trap.
Upon unboxing, the mouse trap will have the hold-down bar stapled onto the platform. This is so that the hold-down bar doesn't move about in the mousetrap package. When attempting to remove the staple, don’t simply pull the hold-down bar up. Doing this might deform the hold-down bar, making it unable to reach the notch of the catch. Instead, it's recommended that you use a pair of pliers to pull it out gently.
While the trap hasn't been set is the best time to place your bait. While movies and TV shows might suggest that cheese is the ideal bait for mice, it’s actually wrong. The problem with cheese is that it's far too easy to swipe away from the catch. Instead, smear bread spreads like peanut butter or Nutella on the catch to make it harder for the mice to snag the bait food and force them to stay a bit longer. The longer they interact with the catch, the more likely they’ll get trapped.
This is the part that can bring the most anxiety for people. The most important thing to remember when pulling back the hammer is to hold it down with your fingers, pinching the base and the hammer down together. Make sure your grip here is secure. New mouse traps will have fresh torsion springs, so it’s going to want to fight your grip; don’t give in.
While you’re holding down the hammer with one hand, use the other hand to set the hold-down bar. Place the hold-down bar over the hammer to hold it down while hooking it to the catch. Only a small portion of the hold-down bar is actually going to reach catch. This is so that even the slightest movement will make the bar slip, releasing the hammer down. Think of it like pulling a long rubber band only with the tip of your fingers; one small movement could make the rubber band slip from your fingers.
Once the end of the hold-down bar is tucked under the lip or notch of the catch, slowly release your grip from the hammer. This is so that there’s a force acting on the hold-down bar to secure its position at the catch stronger. But still be very careful. There’s no need to rush.
Place your fingers on the side of the base. Very gently place it on the ground where you intend to position it. Avoid placing your fingers anywhere near the catch area to avoid accidentally triggering the trap on your fingers.
Although mouse traps are small, they can still inflict a lot of pain on those who don’t handle it well. The force that the torsion spring acts on the hammer is meant to be powerful enough to break the bones on their neck or back while their head is at the catch area. Compared to your adult finger bones, mouse bones are tiny; that doesn’t mean that it still can’t hurt.
Children are naturally curious, without understanding the inherent danger of certain objects, including the usually brightly colored mouse trap. When they go to reach for the mouse trap, the force of the snap can actually do serious damage on the child. Especially if you have infants or toddlers at home, the force of mouse traps has the potential to break their finger bones, or damage their entire hand.
Since mouse traps are usually on the floor, accidentally stepping on a mouse trap may break their toes or damage their entire foot. Given this, it’s important to keep these devices out of reach of children. Instruct them regarding the mouse traps around the house and place it in areas where they’re either difficult for children to reach or where children aren’t allowed to roam around in.
A similar mouse trap concern is if you have pets. Much like children, they’re also curious beings that have no understanding about the harm that mouse traps can do to them. While larger animals like dogs or cats may walk away with injuries, it’s the smaller pets such as gerbils, hamsters, or guinea pigs that you need to be watchful of. Since these animals are roughly the same size as the light grey or brown mice that mouse traps are meant to catch, it has a high likelihood of killing your pets especially if they run around freely, unprotected from your traps.
Read More: How to Stiffen the Spring of a Mouse Trap
If you aren’t willing to risk having mouse traps in your home because of your children or pets, there are other ways to help deal with your pest infestation. Glue traps and rodent poisons are potential no-snap pest control options that you can use. However, if the infestations persist, then by all means, you can contact the professionals to deal with your rodent infestations.
Another reason to call the professionals is the fact that mice tend to reproduce fairly quickly: a female mouse can produce 32 to 56 pups every year. If you don’t act on your rodent problem as soon as you can, there’s a high chance that it will become an even larger problem for you. They can also be carriers of diseases like Hantavirus, which is highly dangerous for children.. Lastly, with professional help, you can better understand where mice scurry around the house. Since mice are too small and fast for ordinary folks, the professionals can step in and form an analysis of the whereabouts of mice, and deal with them effectively.
Positive Pest Management provides the highest quality rodent control and extermination services in New York City, as well as in the Nassau County, Long Island area. We specialize not only in residential pest management but commercial pest management as well. For highly effective pest control, contact us at 1-800-294-3130 and get a free quote.
Rodent problems are universal, and people around the world address these problems through using mouse traps, which have proven effective and even more innovative through time. The heart of an effective trap is the spring, what is called a helical torsion spring, or simply a torsion spring. It's a spring that operates on a twisting motion, which tends to bounce around and be ineffective in turn. Some people are bothered by this, which is why they want to stiffen the springs of their mouse traps.
So can mouse traps springs be stiffened? Yes they can, but it can be tedious. You can try using a pair of pliers and manually twisting one of the ends of the metal spring around the bar of the trap. This adds another coil to the spring, making the torque and tension even greater, which will make the snap more powerful, leading to more chances of killing mice.
Read More: Facts About Mouse Traps That You Need to Know
Before understanding how to make the spring of the trap stiffer and stronger, it would first be helpful to know what a helical torsion spring actually is.
A helical torsion spring, simply called a torsion spring, is one of the different types of springs that people commonly use in daily life. Other types of springs are the compression spring (found in pogo sticks and mattresses) and the extension spring (found in trampolines). The torsion spring can be found not only in different types of traps but also in a common garage door, except it uses a much larger version of the spring. Another name for the torsion spring is "clock spring", because it's commonly used for analog clocks.
The torsion spring is essentially a metal rod that’s spun around a bar to create coils. The ends of the torsion spring generally don’t face the same way. Using Hooke's Law, it will show that the greater the end of the spring rotates around, making a coil, the greater the force. More coils tend to mean more force. Think of it like twisting a rubber band. It can only twist so much; the more you twist it, the greater the force that it releases once unwound.
Common types of mouse traps -- flat snap traps, catch-and-release traps -- use the force released by the tension spring to hold back the bar, or the "hammer", until it's time to kill.
When looking at the common trap, you’ll notice that the spring in the middle has its two ends facing opposite sides of the trap. One end of the spring is usually twisted around the hammer, while the other end lies flat on the base of the trap facing the other way. When you pull back the hammer, you're simultaneously twisting the spring once more. These springs are already wound so tightly that when you release your hold of the hammer, the tension you generated from twisting the spring once more finally gets released, flinging the hammer forward with a powerful force.
Note that tampering with the spring of a mouse trap may permanently alter the spring itself. The more coils on a torsion spring, the greater the force output. That's because the more that you twist it around, it's as if you're building and storing energy. To stiffen a torsion spring and make it more powerful is to add more coils. This can be difficult and tedious done alone and caution is advised.
Take a pair of pliers and pull the end of the spring that isn't attached to the bar. There should be an excess amount of it protruding outward from the spring, laying flat on the mouse trap. What you can try doing is pulling that and twisting it around the hammer. The spring tends to “fight back” if you try to twist it around the hammer, so make sure that you have the mouse trap clamped down securely.
Pull the end of the spring over and under the spring to make another coil; it must twist around completely or else the spring may not be as effective anymore.
Learn More: How to Safely Open a Mouse Trap
As time goes on and you use the trap more and more often, the spring is bound to loosen up. There are a few things that you can do to prevent this from happening.
To check if the spring is still wound tightly, try setting up the trap once more. This time, use a straw to trigger it. If the trap lifts off the ground, it means that it's snap is still powerful. Checking up on how your traps are prior to using them will help you catch if there's something that needs to be cleaned or if it needs to be replaced already.
Blood can spew from dead rodents caught in the trap. It's also possible that peanut butter or hazelnut spread used as mouse trap bait can be left over in that area.
To clean a mouse trap, it's recommended that you use a cotton swab and warm water. People tend to also use cotton balls as part of the mouse trap bait, so make sure that those pieces are gone as well.
Try to be as thorough with cleaning the mouse trap as possible. Mice have excellent senses of smell. If they detect blood on the trap, it will make them avoid it even more. Mice can also urinate on the trap which signals to other mice to avoid the trap altogether.
Additionally, while cleaning or handling a mouse trap that you plan on reusing, use gloves. Kitchen gloves or dishwater gloves -- even putting a plastic bag over your hand as you place the trap can help. This is because as you touch the trap, you unintentionally rub some of your scent on the trap as well. When mice get a whiff of the scent of a predator -- i.e. you -- they’ll avoid the trap even more.
After some use, the mouse trap will begin showing signs of wear; there will be rust, the wooden platform may not be as clean, or the spring may not be as tight as before. In either case, it’s still recommended practice to replace traps at least once every year -- or more if you use it often.
Since mice tend to urinate on the trap itself, it will begin to build up in the wooden platform. It will get harder and harder to wash off, making the trap less and less effective. When you notice that the trap is no longer catching mice, or if the spring mechanism is no longer working as effectively, that's the sign that you should think about replacing your trap.
Since spring traps can become tedious to maintain, there are different kinds of mouse traps that are simpler and don't have a spring in them. You can use these along with your spring-loaded traps to further deal with your mouse infestation.
This is one of the types of no-kill traps that people often use. As one of the trap kinds that don’t kill mice, it has led to multiple ethical and moral concerns about the mice. A glue trap won’t kill a mouse immediately nor is it the kind of trap that allows you to relocate the mouse to a different location. A glue trap will keep the mouse on it for as long as they starve or gnaw their limbs off just to get out alive, making it less humane than other traps. Still, this is a springless alternative that's available in the market.
This is one of the more modern traps for getting rid of mice. Electric traps tend to be easier to set up because all it takes is a few batteries and switching it on or off.
Electric traps kill mice much faster since it administers a fatal shock when mice trigger it. Since it comes in a box, it can be much easier to dispose of the mouse carcasses without having to touch them with your hands, which is always ideal.
This is one of the kinds of no-kill traps that you can find in the market. Live-catch traps come in different shapes and sizes but all serve similar purposes: capturing mice to be relocated later. These traps tend to be more humane in the sense that there is no killing involved. When you're relocating the live mice that you've captured, take them as far away as you can. Mice have been known to return back to their nests when they're as far as a quarter of a mile away from them.
Relocating mice is going to depend on your state's laws. In some states, it may actually be illegal to relocate mice. Relocating mice may also have effects on the local wildlife, which aren’t the regular habitat of certain house mice.
Read More: How to Get Mouse Trap Glue Off Cat Paws?
A female mouse can produce about 32 to 56 pups in a year. If you aren't able to contain your pest problem, it may lead to a mice infestation. Aside from having frustrating pests scurry around the house, they also pose another problem if left by themselves. Mice are common carriers of dangerous viruses that could harm adults or be highly dangerous to children.
If the traps simply aren't working, then it may be time to call a professional. Professional pest control services are thorough with their procedures. This is to ensure that there are no mice nests left behind, and to prevent recurrences of rodent infestations. Having professionals take a look at your house will also help you gauge how serious your pest situation is. For professional pest control services, you can look into Positive Pest Management.
Positive Pest Management has the highest-quality pest extermination tools, techniques, and methods carried out by our team of experts in New York City.We offer our services to New York City and Nassau County in Long Island , as well as nearby areas.
We understand how big of a hassle it is to have a mice infestation, and we'll take care of it for you to set your mind at ease. We don’t only handle rodents but insect infestations as well. To know more about our services, visit our website or contact us today.
Rodents are a common household pest that often lurk in the shadows in the cracks, crevices, and small crawl spaces inside your home. Unlike termites that can be difficult to detect and control on your own, rodent control at home can be easily done by placing mouse traps. These bait stations or traps are one of the most effective and cheap ways to capture and eliminate them from your property.
So what are the things you need to know about using mouse traps? You have to know first the benefits of using a mouse trap, where to best set up a mouse trap, the best baits to use for trapping mice, what kinds of mouse traps are available, how to properly dispose of mice and clean the trap after. Knowing these things can keep you motivated to set up a sturdy and well-planned mouse trap in your home and even make some necessary tweaks so that you make the most out of your mouse trap.
Read More: How to Stiffen the Spring of a Mouse Trap
The mouse trap that features a rectangular flat base, wire fasteners, and a spring-loaded trap was designed and patented by William C. Hooker. This mouse trap design is the classic house trap that many homeowners are likely using for mouse control.
The invention of the mouse trap certainly paved the way for the management and control of multiple mice infestation. Here are some of the things and facts you need to know about using mouse traps:
One important thing to note about rodents is that they multiply and reproduce at a fast rate. If you don’t place traps at home, the rodent population indoors can grow very quickly and you can have an unwanted multiple mice infestation. Here are the several advantages of using mouse traps for rodent control:
Unlike mouse bait stations that use rodent poison or rodenticides, you only need food baits for a mouse trap. Most of these food baits are readily available in your pantry and can be easily restocked so you can regularly put out your live-catch mouse trap. The most common irresistible baits for mice are the following:
Over time, there have been innovations added to the classic spring-loaded bar trap to make them easier-to-use and more effective at killing and trapping mice and other small animals and pests. There are humane traps whose sole purpose is to capture live mice so they can be later released in the backyard. There are also no-touch traps that can usher mice to their slow death once they are captured. Other specific types of traps for capturing mice are the electric trap, snap trap, live trap, lightweight traps, and glue traps or glue boards. Most mouse trap products today can be bought at hardware stores and even grocery stores.
Inspecting your home for areas of high mouse activity is important for setting up spring mouse traps. Like most household pests, mice like to dwell and move around dark places such as behind furniture, appliances, storage cabinets, and the attic. They can also be seen moving and sticking close along wall corners.
For effective control, a mouse trap should be set up at a decent distance from areas where there’s high activity. It’s ideal to place traps at least 2 to 10 feet away from their location since they have a good sense of smell and may avoid them if they instantly notice them.
Upon successfully trapping a live mouse or seeing dead mice left at the trap, you also have the responsibility of disposing of them to avoid possibly spreading diseases at home. Here are some tips on how you can safely dispose of the captured mice and clean the trap:
Learn More: How to Safely Open a Mouse Trap
Although mice and rats are small creatures, they can still deal a great amount of damage to your objects and property. The most common house mouse (Mus musculus) is very troublesome and they can contaminate the surfaces they walk and live on with their feces, urine, and mouse droppings. Mice infestation can also compromise your family’s health and safety, or even cause illnesses such as food poisoning, asthma attacks, and leptospirosis.
Here are the things that may be attracting mice into your home and their common signs of infestations:
Enlisting a professional pest control team can help in eliminating rodents and ensuring that your home is mouse-free. But before calling for their assistance, here are some precautionary tips that can help control mouse activity at home:
While it’s easy to set up rodent traps at home, nothing can bring you better peace of mind than having pest control experts take care of your rodent problem. At Positive Pest Management, we perform safe and effective rodent control and elimination to ensure the safety of your family at home or your business.
We are proud providers of quality pest control services such as pest inspection, extermination, and prevention measures to keep unwanted pests from infesting your space. Call us today to know more about our rodent control services and get a free estimate for your property.
Winged termite swarmers are a serious sign that you may have a termite infestation. At the very first sightings of their traces in your home, it is a smart move to immediately set up termite bait traps to prevent the infestation from getting worse. Most termite killers and termiticide options in the market are chemical-based and if you have children or pets at home, you’d want a more natural way to eliminate and drive off the termites for good.
So what are the natural methods to get rid of flying termites and other household pests? You can set up your own termite traps and treatment using non-chemical ingredients that you can buy from the local store like boric acid, vinegar, rubber mulch, cayenne pepper, orange oil and other essential oils, and diatomaceous earth. You can also use a bug zapper to catch and electrocute them or put your termite-infested furniture out in the sunlight.
The first thing you need to do before preparing your DIY termite treatment in place is to do an inspection and locate the area with high termite activity. It’s easy to identify a flying termite because of their winged bodies and they usually like to shed their wings on window sills, floors, and corners. If you’re having a hard time finding their termite colony, you can enlist the help of professional exterminators to do a thorough sweep of your house.
Once you have an idea of their location, you can begin to plan for your termite elimination methods. Before these termites do any more irreparable damage to your furniture and property, here are natural treatments and simple measures you can do to eliminate and stop them from building their entire colony in your home:
Borates, also known as boric acid or borax powder, is a widely known effective termite killer and repellent. This substance is an all-natural pesticide that can slowly bring termites to their death once they have ingested it. It works by disrupting their digestive systems and cutting off their supply of nutrients from the dry wood. It can take up to 72 hours for boric acid to completely take effect in the termites and pests’ organs.
It can be bought in powder form and you can use it to make your own pesticide spray. All you need to do is to mix one teaspoon of boric acid in a cup of warm water and place them in a bottle spray. Stir the mixture until the powder is dissolved and you can spritz a generous amount of the boric acid termiticide in the affected areas.
White vinegar is another great alternative for homemade termite repellent spray. White vinegar is a highly acidic substance made of acetic acid and termites have extremely fragile and soft-shelled bodies. When they come into contact with surfaces sprayed with vinegar, they could absorb the acid moisture which can dehydrate them to their death.
To make your own termite spray with white vinegar, you need to prepare two lemons and squeeze their juices in a cup. Put half a cup of vinegar in the lemon mixture and shake them in a bottle until they are well-mixed. This homemade spray works for any termite and carpenter ant that you may see on surfaces. You can also spread it on the entrances of a termite nest that you see on the walls or crevices.
Aside from wood, the one thing that termites also like to feed on is plants. If you are raising a garden, the potted plants and shrubs can serve as a conducive environment for termites since they are moist and a good food source for these insects. If your house’s foundation has close contact with the soil where your plants are growing, termites can easily make their way into your homes through holes and cracks.
To protect against termites trying to enter your home, you can use rubber mulch for your plants and flowers. A rubber mulch is made of recycled tires and they don’t attract termites, ants, and other pests as much as wood mulch does. Since it’s made of rubber material, they don’t have cellulose and termites will not feed on them.
Cayenne pepper is a readily available termite bait ingredient that you can find in your kitchen. This powder ingredient popularly contains capsaicin and it can cause irritation to the exoskeleton of the termites. Similar to boric acid, termite baiting with cayenne pepper works because it directly harms the termites’ nervous and digestive systems.
If you have a localized area with minimal termite activity, you can simply place a good amount of cayenne pepper powder on the surface or directly on their trail. You can also choose to create a natural paste by mixing the pepper with vegetable oil and applying them to the infested areas. When you check back on the treated areas after several days, you can find that the termites have been exterminated.
A nematode is a type of parasitic worm, more specifically known as a microscopic roundworm, and it works by hunting on the termites in your home. They are a natural predator to termites and they will attack their digestive systems by releasing a harmful poison. The nematodes will enter the host’s body and release a symbiotic gut bacterium that will induce blood poisoning and kill the termite.
Once they are done with their first host, the nematodes will find and consume their next termite victim. This means that termite elimination with nematodes is a long-term solution and they are very effective in controlling widespread termite infestation.
Beneficial nematodes can be bought at pet stores or shops that offer termite control solutions. You can simply use them by releasing them in the termite-infested areas or you can mix them in water to create a spray. The spray method is effective for application to wooden furniture and wall structures where you suspect termites are residing.
A winged termite and flying ant can also be eliminated with the help of essential oil treatments. Most ingredients used to produce essential oils are known to be toxic to termites. One of the most common organic essential oil termite treatments is orange oil.
Orange oil is extracted from the rinds of orange fruits and it contains D-limonene which is said to be toxic to termites, particularly the drywood termite. A termite’s exoskeleton will immediately dissolve upon contact with the oil, and they will become dehydrated and lose their ability to process nutrients.
Neem oil and tea tree oil are also believed to be helpful in termite control and elimination. Both are natural repellents to termites and other insect species, and more specifically, neem oil has a toxic property that affects the hormonal system of termites. It effectively prevents reproductive termites from laying eggs and stops them from spreading. When applied to the infested areas, these oils also have a unique smell that deters termites.
Diatomaceous earth is a natural substance that contains remains of fossilized algae that are found in bodies of water. They are made of silica compounds and are thought to have sharp particles that can dehydrate and dry out the exoskeletons of termites. The worker termites can pass on the food to the queen termite and soldier termites and they will die within 24 to 48 hours.
You can simply buy a bag of diatomaceous earth in your local store. The trick for successful termite elimination with diatomaceous earth is to apply them to all surfaces where termites pass. You can also mix a good amount of powder into their food in a termite bait station.
Bug zapping is a pest and termite control method that doesn’t require a meticulous preparation of any bait system or ant traps. A bug zapper looks like a lamp but it emits a UV light that will attract any flying termites or flying ants into the electrical trap. The electric discharge instantly kills the flying termites the moment that they enter the trap.
You can strategically place the bug zapper in a corner of the room or you can hang them outside on the porch or balcony. This equipment can also come in the form of a racket, similar to a fly swatter, so you can just swing them in the air to catch the flying termites.
If you have wooden furniture or structures that you suspect have been infested by termites, you can bring them outside and let them sit in the sun. It’s said that almost all termite species cannot stand sun exposure and they will immediately die if they are exposed to brightness and open air. During the summer months, you can clean your furniture and carry them outside for a few minutes to allow the sun to kill the termites.
There are more than a thousand termite species found in the world, and these destructive termites are responsible for hundreds of dollars in annual termite damage and repair for many residential homeowners. Termite infestations at home can be caused by the following types of termites:
Termites are social insects and they move and live in groups, also known as a termite colony. This colony is composed of members namely the king and queen termites, worker termites, and soldier termites. During peak swarming season, a termite swarmer moves out of its nest and flies to look for a new home. This happens when the colony has reached its maximum members and they need a new colony where they will survive.
Most species of household termites, such as the subterranean termites and dampwood termites, are most active in swarming during the spring and summer months. Meanwhile, swarmers of drywood termites come out during the late summer season.
Swarming termites are mostly active at night and they are drawn to any light source which is why you’ll find traces of their discarded termite wings near window surfaces. Other signs of flying termite infestations are visible wood damage, hollow-sounding woods, the presence of mud tubes along the interior and exterior walls, and termite droppings or frass.
Termite control and treatment don’t need a specific time or season. It’s best to have year-round protection from termites to avoid irreversible structural damage and minor health risks. You should contact your pest control provider for a regular termite inspection and they can help set up proper measures to prevent infestation.
You should always keep an eye out for flying insects and winged termite sightings within your home. Here are some tips to help you manage and get rid of termites to prevent a serious infestation:
When it comes to effective extermination of termites, you may need more than just natural household remedies and require professional pest control service to eliminate them for good. At Positive Pest Management, our expert pest control team can suggest the right methods to remove flying termites, ants, and other insects safely and efficiently.
We offer quality extermination treatments, termite inspection, and preventive measures to help keep your home free from termites and household pests. All our services are customized according to the needs and problems of your home. Contact us today and book our pest control team for an initial home visit.
Termites are extremely destructive pests and without any sort of structural protection, they can easily make their way to your home and start an infestation. Naturally, no homeowner wants to have a termite infestation so it’s always best to set up your defenses as early as possible. One of the popular termite control measures is the termite baiting system.
So can you use a termite bait system to drive away swarms of winged termites? Yes, a termite bait system is an effective termite killer that can eliminate an entire colony. The presence of a termite swarm usually indicates that there’s a nearby termite nest and you can prepare a termite bait station to lure the foraging worker termites of the colony. Bait systems contain termites’ favorite food combined with conventional insecticides or liquid termiticide to poison them until they die.
Flying termites or a termite swarmer usually appear for one main reason: to multiply and expand their colony. The swarming season is typically different for every species of termites but it normally falls in the summer months for the common subterranean termite and drywood termite. You may notice that their swarming activity often happens late at night because they prefer the high humid conditions in the evening.
Winged termites are harmless and they won’t attack you in any way. However, they do strongly indicate the presence of a nearby termite colony which you will want to find and treat immediately to avoid a potential serious termite infestation.
Among the available methods for termite treatment, a termite bait station is one of the most effective solutions for controlling and exterminating these pests. What a termite bait system does is that it attracts the worker termites of the colony. A termite worker has an important role in hunting down food and bringing it back to the entire nest.
Bait stations commonly contain any cellulose-based material since that’s what a termite’s nutrition usually consists of. Any type of wood, plastic, cardboard, or paper can be placed in the termite bait. To make it effective for termite colony extermination, the baits must be laced with a slow-acting insecticide or poison to kill the termites.
A baiting system doesn’t instantly exterminate termites unlike chemical-based termiticide and termite sprays which are fast-acting termite killers. When you use a strong chemical to instantly kill termites that find the bait, there are chances that the other termites in the colony will recognize the bait and move their colony to another location.
While using a slow-acting chemical on the bait may take several months, this process will eventually wipe out the entire colony. Worker termites won’t immediately notice the presence of the chemical and they can take back the food to their nest. This means that the flying termite swarmers and reproductive termites can also ingest the bait.
Baits are excellent solutions for managing the issue of flying termites infestation, as well as exterminating them for good. At the same time, using a current termite baiting system for pest control has several benefits such as:
Effective termite baiting can be done with the help of a professional pest control company. If you suspect that you have an active infestation, you should call a pest control team to conduct a termite inspection in your home. Once they’ve confirmed the locations of the current termite activity, there are three steps that can be done to set up the bait stations:
Some of the most popular bait monitoring systems and solutions for household termites are Advance Termite Bait System, Spectracide Terminate, and Hex Pro Termite Baiting System. But there are other termite control options that can work for getting rid of flying termites. Your termite treatment options can include:
There are types of termites that live in the soil beneath the ground such as the Eastern subterranean termite and Formosan subterranean termite. Putting up a barrier within the perimeter of your home can serve as good protection against termites.
A pest control technician can put a liquid soil treatment or termite barrier around your property to stop termites from reaching possible entry points. Liquid termite treatments can also be applied in the location sites that they have already infested to instantly kill them.
Wood termite treatments are good for getting rid of termites and preventing future termite infestations. This method typically requires applying varnishing and termite sprays to treat any type of structural wood to keep termites from chewing on the wood. This is especially effective for drywood termite species who love to cause termite damage on wood structures and furniture.
Another method to get rid of termites is termite sprays. Unlike liquid chemical barriers and baits, the application of pesticide typically needs to be directed to visible flying termites. The active ingredients in the termite sprays will penetrate their exoskeleton and dehydrate them until they die.
If you live in an area infested by swarming termites, flying ants, and other pests, there are some practices that you can follow to prevent a potential infestation. Here are some professional tips to avoid an active termite infestation:
Keep yourself from worrying too much about termite infestation with a reliable and effective termite bait system in place. At Positive Pest Management, we offer quality services and termite control measures that will help bring back a termite-free environment for your home and give you and your loved ones peace of mind.
Our team of pest control experts guarantee effective extermination of your pest problems. Our services aren’t limited to termites as we can create a customized and comprehensive plan to treat any kind of household pests including carpenter ants, bed bugs, roaches, rodents, and more. Call us now to book an appointment and we’ll drop by your home for an initial assessment.
Read More: Could A Flying Termite Come From A Neighbor’s House?
Flying ants and winged termites are a sight that no homeowner wants to see in their homes. These two destructive pests are known to cause extensive damage that can amount to thousands of dollars in repairs. Now if you have an active ant or termite infestation, you might be wondering why they only appear at certain times of the day, specifically when it’s dark out. They might even appear in swarms and frighten your family in turn.
So what exactly is the reason for the swarming activity of ants and termites at night? Swarms of winged carpenter ants and termites often come out at night because of the high humidity levels as well as attraction to sources of light. Both flying termites and winged ants like to swarm in huge groups because they’re searching for food, or pairing off with a new partner to establish a new colony.
One thing that sets ants and termites apart from other household pests is that they’re social insects. This means that they thrive in living together with large groups, and ant colonies or termite nests can house up to thousands or hundreds of individual members.
To have a better understanding of where swarming ants and termites come from, you have to understand that these insects follow a very specific caste system or hierarchy in their colonies. They’re divided into three general groups: workers who are tasked with hunting for food; soldiers who are responsible for protecting the queen and the entire colony from predators; and male and female reproductives who will lead the swarm when it’s time to leave the colony.
It’s the group of reproductive ants and termites that have wings and when swarming season comes around, they will depart from their colony to mate and create a new nest. Ant and termite swarmers are most widespread during evenings. You’ll most likely see them in a huge huddle flying around a streetlight or near lights in your backyard or porch.
The warm and humid temperature at night is highly favorable for these winged ants and flying termites. It’s also said that a swarm is more likely to happen after a heavy rain during summer months. Ants and subterranean termites that live underground will fly to look for a dry shelter after the rain.
Once the reproductive swarmers have successfully paired off, they’ll look for a new location where they will build their colonies. So if you see an ongoing swarm outside your homes, it’s best to turn off any light source to avoid attracting them inside. You should also make sure that all windows are tightly shut and any potential entry points are blocked to keep them from swarming into your home.
From afar, it can seem that flying termites and flying ants have similar appearances and characteristics. But if you observe closely, there are quite a number of differences when it comes to their bodies, habitat, and diet. It’s important to know the difference between the two to help determine the appropriate method of pest control.
A termite swarmer can differ in color according to their specific termite species but in general, they have a straight antenna on the top of their head. They have a broad and thick waist and their body shape is typically uniform in width. A female or male termite swarmer can measure around 6 mm to 12 mm in length. They also have a unique set of wings that can appear white or almost translucent in color.
Some species of termite may also have distinct markings or patterns on their wings. For a Formosan termite and Eastern subterranean termite swarmer, their wings can have two peculiar vein outlines while drywood termites will have three or more. Termite wings are also equal in size and length and they come in two pairs.
Termites are usually attracted to environments with moist conditions and their population can be typically found near piles of wood debris, tree stumps, lumber, trees, garden mulch, and wooden structures. Their diet consists of cellulose and they prefer to feed on furniture, dead wood, paper, and other cellulose-based material.
On the other hand, you can identify a carpenter ant swarmer with their uniquely bent pair of antennae. They also have a thin body and a pinched waist which clearly separates their abdomen and thorax. Flying ant swarmers also have two sets of wings but compared to the wings of termites, theirs have different lengths. The front portion of the ant wings is usually longer than the ones in their back.
Flying ants are also considerably bigger than flying termites. The size of the body of the ant swarmer can range from 13 mm to 17 mm in length. Ants are adaptable insects and they can survive both in the underground or inside trees when outdoors. Meanwhile, you can find their satellite nests or ant colonies inside wall voids, behind cupboards, countertops, or in any wood structure.
Unlike termite insects, ants are not particular with their diet and can eat almost anything. They’re omnivorous types, feeding on sugars, sweet snacks, pet food, grease, meat, leftover food debris, and even dead insects.
A professional pest control company can help determine whether you have an ant infestation or termite infestation at home. For starters, here are the common telltale signs of carpenter ant infestation:
Meanwhile, the signs of termite infestation are the following:
There’s no telling when flying ants and termite swarmers can come attack your home. So before an active infestation happens, here are some best prevention practices that can help keep ants and termites from swarming indoors:
Find the best termite and ant elimination methods and services with Positive Pest Management. We have an experienced team of pest control technicians who can quickly and effectively exterminate your pest problems for good.
Our services include pest control extermination, safe application of pesticides, thorough home inspections, and more. We offer a customized and comprehensive treatment plan for all kinds of pests including bed bugs, roaches, fleas, mites, and moths. To learn more about our pest treatment solutions, call us now for a free quote or book an initial inspection.
There is no homeowner who’s completely safe from the risk for termite infestation and other pest problems. Without a proper termite control or barrier in place, termites will always find their way into your home in search of food source and shelter to ensure their survival. It’s important to know that termites are active almost all year round so it’s best to always be prepared to keep swarms of flying termites away from your property.
So could a flying termite come from a neighbor’s house? You won’t necessarily get an infestation of flying termites from your neighbor. Professional pest control companies today can effectively kill a single termite colony without driving them to your property. However, there’s a chance that your home may be infected with termites since it could mean that the termites are already present within the vicinity of your community.
Termites are one of the most active pests that cause problems for many homeowners in the United States. In particular, the subterranean termite and the drywood termite are the two common termite species that infest homes. They’re also destructive and can cause significant termite damage that annually amounts to millions of dollars in damage and repair.
If you live in an area or state where these pests are widespread, there’s a high possibility that you and your neighbor will be a potential living space for termites. Even if you haven’t detected any sign of termite activity in your home, you should be on high alert if your neighbors have reported that they have a flying termite problem.
The preferred method of travel of termites is through the mud tubes that the worker termites create in the underground or along cracks inside the walls. Once they have established their colony in one house, they will stay put in that place and occasionally roam the area for food.
It’s during their peak swarming season that winged termites emerge from the colony and find a new location for their termite nest. A swarming termite may depart from their original colony to find their mate and then fly until they make their way to your home. If the living conditions in your property are desirable for them, they will land on your ground and enter your house through the gaps or holes in the foundation connected to the soil.
In most cases, your neighbors will call for a professional termite exterminator or pest control company to handle their termite infestation. They can choose among soil treatment, termite baiting system, or fumigation (termite tenting) to exterminate the termites in their property. The treatments are precise and they will kill the termites inside the house without pushing them away to your house.
So you’ve discovered that your neighbor has recently gotten help from a pest control company to eliminate their termite issue. The best thing you can do is to check for any signs of flying termites swarm in your own home. Here are some of the most visible signs of termite presence:
If you have checked all these signs, the next thing you should do is to call a professional pest control company to do a thorough professional inspection of your home. They will help confirm that you have a termite attack and will pinpoint the exact location where they built their entire colony. The team will suggest the right termite solution that can help eliminate them and prevent further damage to your home.
There are different types of termites that may be causing a ruckus inside your home. The most common household termite species are the subterranean termites, formosan termites (also known as formosan subterranean termite), drywood termites, and dampwood termites. They all have distinct appearances but the one thing they have in common is their swarming activity.
To better understand why active termites swarm, you have to understand that termites are social insects and they follow a specific caste system within their colony. An active termite colony is usually comprised of the following:
When a colony matures, winged termites or alates prepare to leave the colony. Termite swarmers usually come out at night and they’re drawn to areas with light. The swarm will last for several minutes to hours. Successful pairs of termites will look for a new suitable location for their colony and if you’re unlucky, they may decide to settle in your home. So if you find an ongoing swarming activity in the streets, you should switch off your lights to avoid luring them inside.
It’s never too early or too late to put up termite prevention measures that will repel flying termites from your home. Here are some of the best practices to help termite-proof your surroundings:
When swarming termites get out of control, the smartest move is to entrust the safety of your home to the hands of pest management professionals. At Positive Pest Management, our pest control technicians have years of experience and expertise in effectively dealing with termites and other pests.
We offer safe and quality pest control services like inspections and exterminations to residents troubled by common household pests such as termites, bed bugs, roaches, mosquitoes, and flying ants. Our team will visit on-site to check your home and come up with the best solutions to get rid of termites for good. Call us now for a free quote and discuss a customized plan with our team for your termite control needs.
Termites can weaken or entirely destroy a house's timber-bearing structures over a few years. Termite extermination is a matter of life and death for your home. A termite treatment that you can do yourself is a must.
So what are the best outdoor deck insecticides to kill flying ants and termites? Harmful pests will have permanently destroyed most wooden buildings when the homeowner finds the existence of termites, and DIY termite remedies will be ineffective. As a result, it's critical to uncover the insects' existence as quickly as possible to begin eradicating termites right once.
If termites have infested your home, you must act quickly to avoid more structural damage. Termite killers are available in a variety of forms, including liquid termiticide, baits, and direct chemical treatments.
There is no certainty that a do-it-yourself termite treatment can eliminate termites. The degree of the infestation, the skill of the individual performing the DIY termite treatment, and the termite killer chemicals utilized are all factors to consider.
Since selecting a termite killer might be difficult, we've compiled a list of the top termite killers for 2021. While these remedies may provide some temporary respite, they are no comparison for expert termite control.
Termites can harm your home a lot. Fortunately, there are various tools for termite extermination on the market that can assist you in protecting your house. Yet, there are so many alternatives available that picking the finest one might be challenging.
The essential point is that you should choose pesticides with a lot of positive feedback and excellent ratings. You might prefer one of the items listed in this brief review if you want to save time on research. You can rest assured that each of them will give you the most remarkable customer service possible, and you'll never have to worry about termites again.
Commercial bug poison baits are available for use against all types of ants including carpenter ants, and any ant insecticide spray should be adequate against flying ants. Choose an aerosol kind with an easy-to-direct spout if you want to catch the ants in mid-flight.
Cleaning their path with soap and water, or using incorrect signals or removers like peppermint oil, would break the chemical track and dissuade the ants from returning. Suffocation is how peppermint oil kills flying ants. To make your own natural pesticide spray, combine peppermint oil, water, and dish soap in a spray container.
Dish soap is excellent against flying ants because it adheres to their bodies and dehydrates them, resulting in death. Dilute the dish soap with water in a regular spray bottle to generate a solution that can easily combat flying ants.
As long as any ant bait and other commercial poisons have indications that they should be used against ants in particular, they will work against flying ants. Look for chemicals that the ants will bring back to the nest, as these will cause the most harm especially to other ants.
In killing pests, both inside and outside the house, orange oil is effective. D-Limonene, the primary component of the oil, is a powerhouse peel extract. The ants are killed by the destruction of the wax cover of the respiratory system of the insect.
You can buy or produce the orange oil yourself, or you can cold-press orange peels and collect the oil that comes from it. Another approach to getting orange oil is by filling a container and covering it with water with citrus peelings. Just leave them sitting for a few days and then your oil is ready to use.
The killing power of orange oils on fire ant mounds may be improved by molasses or compost tea. A simple approach to make a solution for fire ants is to mix 6 oz. of orange oil, one blackstrap tablespoon, one squeeze of a liquid dish of soap, and one gallon of water.
Termite chemicals can best eliminate termite wings. They are chosen according to their behavior and which is more appropriate for the situation.
Learn More: Is It Okay To Spray Swarms of Termites?
It can be difficult to find the right control effective methods with a flying ant colony at home alone. When a swarm starts, hundreds of thousands of flying ants will emerge. Fortunately, it usually lasts a few hours to a couple of days before it stops.
The objective of the ants is to make use of their wings to quit and replicate the carpenter ant colony. There is not much swarming, thus pesticide control firms concentrate on preventive rather than reactionary services. You may suction and remove the fourths flying as you can see.
By choosing Positive Pest Management,, you have better control of termites and flying ants in your home, among other pests and insects. Not only do they have exceptional customer service to ensure they handle your pest problem right away, but they're also home to licensed pest control experts that get the job done efficiently and effectively.
Whether it's flying insects, termites, bugs, ant infestations, or any kind of common pests, they've proven their reliability in their pest control services. Contact them today to know more about their services.
There are flying insects that look like winged termites, which can be difficult to distinguish from other insects because of their similar characteristics and elements. However, drain flies can be annoying and bothersome to have in your home, and it’s essential to seek damage control immediately.
So what are those flying insects that look like winged termites that come out of the drain? Drain flies (e.g. black carpenter ants) are tiny moth-like organisms that can be seen in abundance around sinks, showers, and bathtubs. These pests can multiply in as little as 48 hours, making it easy for your bathroom or kitchen drains to become infested in a short period.
Drain flies thrive in wet places that are covered with nutrient-rich organic matter. They’re found in homes and storm drains, as their name implies. You can also spot them among compost piles and decomposing logs.
Almost anywhere where there are degrading organic materials, eggs are laid in uneven heaps. Drain fly eggs hatch into white larvae that are practically translucent. Temperature changes and low oxygen levels have been known to kill these larvae. The flies can go through one generation in as little as one week under ideal conditions. It's more common to wait two to three weeks.
After maturing, the larvae will pupate or rest until they’re ready to emerge as adults. Adulthood is the only stage of life that is commonly witnessed. Drain flies live for about two weeks as adults, but newly emerging adults quickly replace them. Because of their appearance, these flies are sometimes known as moth flies: they’re tiny and hairy, with large, oval termite wings and conspicuous antennae.
In just 48 hours, drain flies can nest and produce up to 300 eggs, so it's critical to get ahead of the problem before it spreads across your pipelines. They can live for 8 to 24 days.
Drain flies prefer stagnant water, which even gathers a tiny quantity of bacteria and wastewater and is therefore typically found around:
Shallow, stagnant water is a common factor in all these areas. Drain flies can lay eggs inside the pipes through which the water baths are formed and the waste collected. Drain flies can therefore also be attracted:
Drain flies feed on organic substances found in standing water, including wastewater or other polluted water. They’re attracted to it when a film forms in a humid section of pipes with standing water. Drain flies flourish and multiply in these conditions, so your drains are significant for them. Food and sewage can also be found near rubbish, food source, or compost piles. These factors are what attract drain flies in your home on a regular basis.
Learn More: The Best Outdoor Deck Insecticides To Kill Flying Ants and Termites
Humans are unaffected by drain flies. Drain flies are not disease-carrying insects, although they can spread bacteria in large groups. Even if they’re a significant annoyance in your home, they have not been shown to cause any health problems. As previously said, drain flies may multiply quickly, establishing nests in your pipes that can be costly to remove if left unattended.
Depending on the severity of the infestation, you may get rid of drain fly infestations using either a natural or chemical approach. In many cases, you may get rid of drain flies quickly by using materials already in your kitchen or under the sink.
Washing out your pipes can sometimes eradicate both the drain fly eggs and any opportunity for drain flies to resurface. Use these ways to handle your infestation as both a preventative and a management strategy. Here are some natural ways to get rid of drain flies.
Pouring boiling water down your drain 1-2 times a day for approximately a week is the simplest way to clear out your drain fly problem. If the water did not catch all of the organic matter accumulated inside, the flies would not return tonight.
To make a natural cleaning solution, combine these pantry staples and pour them down your drain overnight. Baking soda expands when combined with vinegar, allowing it to reach more locations than boiling water. After letting the solution sit until morning, flush the drain with boiling water.
A cup of water, sugar, and apple cider vinegar mixed with a few drops of dish soap can also do the trick. Allow the bowl to sit near the drain for a few days to draw drain flies in. The other soap thickens the water, trapping the insects.
You may make a decent DIY fly trap by wrapping a bowl, jar, or mug in plastic wrap. You should add an inch of apple cider vinegar to the bottom of the container. You should punch small holes at the top of the plastic to allow the flies to go in but not exit.
Use the detecting as mentioned earlier procedure to get rid of some of your drain fly problems. Cover the drain with duct tape for several nights in a row to catch flies that try to reach the surface.
Drain flies are typically found in or around pipes; thus, you can also use conventional drain cleaners and chemicals to get rid of them. Always read the instructions before using chemical cleaners, and never mix them with other chemical or natural cleaning solutions. Here are several chemical-based methods for getting rid of drain flies:
You may clear up the residual residue with solutions after emptying your tank with warm water and brushing it with a metal pipe brush. Check if these goods may be used more than once and if they can be used in plumbing outside of the toilet if necessary.
When the pests are indicated on the label, many standard pest control agents, such as fruit flies or gnats, can also kill drain flies. Because many of these include caustic chemicals, see if you should store them out of the kitchen and be cautious of drain damage.
This well-known fly killer is safe to use in sewers, septic systems, and even sewage systems.
This gel-based cleanser is excellent for clogged drains requiring a giant cleaner to catch different nests or insects.
It’s a radical alternative for removing germs from drains, especially with a drain pest outbreak. American BioSystems is typically advised for commercial gutters.
Read More: Is It Okay To Spray Swarms of Termites?
Since they infest in vast numbers, these insects can be an annoyance. Drain flies may clog drains and spread germs from the squalor they reside in once inside, potentially poisoning food. Drain flies, while annoying, are rarely dangerous to humans because they don’t bite.
On the other hand, Drain flies can quickly become a problem due to their tendency to block plumbing systems in large numbers. Despite their filthy living conditions, these bugs are not reported to spread infections in humans.
The invasion of drain flies should not persist for more than 20 days. If you've tried and failed to get rid of drain flies on your own, you might want to hire an experienced exterminator. This is where it’s best to call Positive Pest Management to handle all your pest and drain flies problems. Their licensed pest control experts are thorough in termite control, spotting obvious signs of termites, controlling drain flies, or dealing with any kind of pest problems you may have.
Especially when you're dealing with something out of hand like termite colony or termite infestations, you’ll need professionals to do the job. They currently have 6 locations to cater to homes and communities that need help with the insect infestation and other related problems. Contact us today to learn more about our services.