5 Things You Should Know About Termites

Termites can be a big problem for homeowners throughout Tennessee. Our warm, often humid summers provide ideal conditions for them to swarm and multiply. And when winters are more mild than freezing, they won’t always die off. With termites a year-round threat, it’s natural to want to take steps to protect your property.  To help you do so, here are five things you should know about termites.

Termites Damage Properties

Perhaps this one is obvious, but many homeowners overlook how damaging termites can be. “What can one termite colony do to my property?” they will ask themselves. Some termite colonies reach over one million individual termites, and if a colony goes unnoticed for several years, the damage will often run into thousands of dollars. On a national scale, termites cost home and business owners over $5 billion each year.

Be on the lookout for these early signs of termite damage:

• Warped floorboards
• Cracks in the ceiling
• Windows that stick
• Weakened siding

To learn more, be sure to check out our Termite Damage Learning Center.

Termites Invade Silently

Termites are like the ninjas of the insect world. They eat away at the inside of a structure silently, and they actively avoid light, so you may never even see them. If termites cannot climb directly from the soil into wood that is touching the soil, they will build mud tubes in hidden places. These tubes allow termites to travel from the soil to the wood of a home, undetected.

Termites Never Stop Working

Most creatures require some form of sleep or rest. Many insects go dormant when the temperatures get cold. Not termites in your house! Once they’re in your cozy climate-controlled home, they’re relentless. Termites work hard from the moment they are sent out until the day they die. Always awake, creating tunnels, and extending their colonies further into your home, termites are active 24 hours a day, every day, all year long.

There Can Be Multiple Termite Colonies on Your Property

Termites are not territorial, so they don’t have a problem infesting the same structure as another termite colony. If you have one termite colony on your property, it increases the likelihood that another colony will infest your home! Here’s how homeowners often end up with multiple termite colonies in their homes:

• If a termite colony on your property is allowed to reach maturity, it will produce winged reproductives (often called “swarmers”).
• Swarmers will leave the colony to find a place to establish new colonies. 
• Swarmers don’t usually travel very far, and new colonies are usually formed close to the original colony. 
• As a result, an average house may end up with three or more termite colonies infesting the same structure.

Homeowners Insurance Does Not Cover Termite Damage

Unfortunately, most homeowners’ insurance policies do not cover termite damage. There’s a logical reason for this. House fires, floods, and damage caused by natural disasters are covered because this damage is not under the homeowner’s control. However, termite damage is preventable with the help of a home pest control plan. As with most types of damage that can be prevented, insurance companies typically will not cover the cost of termite damage repairs.

Know How to Get Rid of Termites in Knoxville

Here at Russell’s Pest Control, we have decades of experience performing reliable termite control services. From termite inspections to treatment and removal to prevention, we’ll create a custom service plan that’s right for you.

Whether you want to eliminate an existing termite colony or protect your property from becoming their next target, give us a call today!