5 Things Every Homeowner Needs to Know About Termite Control

Termite treatments are usually costly investments, especially if the home size is huge, infestation is serious or treatment coverage is substantial. Not forgetting additional expenses relating to damaged structural repair, renovation or replacement. 

When you signed a termite control plan, there are some things which may help you to understand more and also possibly why your treatment did not work:

Reason #1: Initial inspection and detection may not be adequate and thorough

As compared to some other pests where pest signs and activities are more obvious, termite presence are more challenging to spot.

• Subterranean termites nest in the soil, hidden within structures and are often mistaken for ants. Symptoms might be less visible unless the problem is escalated.
• Presence of mud tubes on the wall or discarded wings might go unnoticed. Blind spot areas and adequate checks around the homes including door and window frames, built-in cabinets, parquet flooring, roof and ceiling might be neglected visually.

Help: Professional pest control specialists are trained to conduct proper termite inspection and leveraging on microwave technology innovation to detect presence of termite activities accurately.

Reason #2: Confusion among Drywood Termite, Subterranean Termite and Ants

There are 3 types of termite species possibly infesting your home but have different nature and nesting habits.

• Subterranean Termite is dependent on moisture, construct mud tubes and build their way from ground up to feed.
• Drywood Termite are primary found on doors, kitchen cabinets or wooden wardrobes.
• Ants on the other hand physically look similar, however feed on different food source to survive. Termites feed on wood but ants need water for survival. Ants species such as carpenter ants may damage wood structures due to their tunneling activities, they may be easily mistaken for termites.

Help:  There are different types of solutions designed to control the different termite species infestation and ants. For example, post-construction termite protection, baiting methods or even fumigation may be suggested to control effectively.

Reason #3: “Contact kill” Solution vs Colony Control

We tend to treat and resolve issues with a quick fix objective. Targeted and localized spot treatments may be applied at the obvious infested areas. However you should know that:

• The root source in controlling the colony is neglected. We may be misled by observing surface infestation resolution as eradication solution.
• Thus, there is a likelihood of treating an area with other infested spot surfaces the next. This is because termites spread by building mud tunnels for access and feeding.

Help: It may be good to do a long term cost efficiency assessment between seeking regular quick fix solutions vs proper long term protection.  

Reason #4: Resorting to DIY or Researched Pest Myths

With the digital convenience and abundance of quick DIY tips and pest myths sharing, it is said that orange oil can eliminate termites. This is because of the presence of d-limonene that has the killing element in orange oil. However, you should understand if:

• It does not provide residual effect for colony management, which is typical subterranean termites infestation build-up effect (A colony in fact contains more than 350,000 termite members!) 
• No lasting efficacy for assurance and peace of mind. (Termites chew feed on wood 24 hours daily) 

Help: Seek professional help by speaking to a credible and reliable pest control experts. Find out the most common local pest myths here

Reason #5: Compromised treatment quality and efficacy

There are many cheap and affordable packages offered in the market that could potentially compromise the quality and efficacy in infestation control. But you should remember if:

• It could due to quality and type of termiticide, the dilution, volume and brand credibility of termiticide applied and application method.
• The long term cost of ineffective treatment may cost more than a slightly more premium but adequate protection given to the home.

Help: With rising innovation and solution design advancement, there are effective termite treatments that not only controls the colony, but also offer an additional step in preventing further damage done to the home.