Before You Start Looking for Termite Control Services in Kitchener

Of all the household pests that we know exists, termites can be considered as among the most notorious of them all simply because these cryptic critters devour the wooden elements of our home.  They consume anything made from wood and any other kind of cellulose-based material. Aside from wood,  trees,  books, piles of documents, shrubs, floorboards,  porches, attics, outdoor sheds and many more are all in harm’s way when you have a termite infestation at home. The moment that you’ve found out that your home  is termite infested, consider enlisting help of a renowned pest management company offering termite control services in Kitchener.

Did you know that termites are actually costing private homes and business enterprises billions of dollars in property damages each and every year?  Due to the potential damage of unimaginable proportions that termites are capable of wreaking out, it is crucial to address them right away the first time that you have sighted their presence anywhere in your home or property.

termite control services in Kitchener

If you are a homeowner, it is important that you have a good idea on how you could properly address termite presence before they can actually start to have an invasion to your home. You need to know that there are actually some effective measures that you can do on your own, however, it is always best to consider enlisting professional help for this kind of concern you have for your house.

Identify Damaged Spots

Armed with a flashlight and a screwdriver (in the absence of a screwdriver, you can make use of any other similar tool), head yourself down to your basement. If your home does not have a basement area, go to that very spot in your house where you suspect would be most likely to have termite presence.

Normally they would start in the foundations where wood and soil would meet. Make use of your flashlight to inspect the presence of termite mud tunnel. They are sometimes attached to the ground itself, walls, ceilings, concrete or what not. Termite mud tunnels are used to help them gain good access to their food source, often wood or any other cellulose-based material such as paper or cloth.  You might also come across with shed off termite wings. Winged termites are called swarmers and they are shedding off their wings to spawn  at another location and start another colony of their own. Therefore, you need to keep them from doing so.

In the absence of termite mud tunnels, use your screwdriver or any other similar tool you can use to gently tap on the wooden surfaces of your home. Tapping, say for instance, on your walls will help you determine, by the sound that it produces, if the integrity of the wall is already compromised or what not.  If you hear a hollow sound as you tap a wall or a wooden beam, it is an indication that that particular structure has been compromised and consumed by termites already. And if it creates a crack as you tap on it, it might mean an extensive damage has been wrought already and you might need to enlist the services of a reputable termite control services anytime soon.

Seal the Area

If you see small cracks and crevices on your walls and cornerstone, an effective way to seal them would be with the use of a caulking gun. You need to pay special attention to door frames and windows, and if they have tiny spaces underneath them it may serve as an entry point for swarmers (flying termites).  

If you have an indoor venting system, seal them off with a wire mesh. This will help prevent  the swarmers and any other outdoor elements from gaining access to your indoors. It is dangerous to have swarmer termites getting entry to your home because they will definitely start another colony anytime soon. Therefore, if there is a way you can keep them out and this measure is one of those, you should delay in doing so.

Treat the Area

You may use of boric acid to treat termite infestation and many other pesky critters that qualify as household pests. It is among the highest impacting home remedies for termite control that are readily available. You may begin treatment by pouring over generous amounts of boric acid directly into the termite holes. Boric acid is a noxious chemical, and therefore, you need to handle it with great care and caution.  I highly recommend that you make use of gloves to protect yourself from accidental spills, as it is highly corrosive to skin.

Alternatively, you can come up with a boric acid and water to come up with a mixture that is less acidic but still remaining as toxic as it should be to termites. A word caution on this, NEVER MIX WATER DIRECTLY TO ACID. It may engender a violent chemical reaction to acid. The best way you can do this is by pouring the boric acid, little by little into, say a pail of water. It should not be the other way around. The resulting mixture can be used as a chemical spray to termite holes, mounds and so forth. Spray also a generous amount of this mixture to the surroundings of infested area, this measure would help in exterminating the surviving termites.

You can’t underestimate the pointers I’ve shown above, they are highly effective but then again if your home does have a serious termite infestation and you think that a DIY approach will have a minimal impact on it, you should reach out to professional termite control team in Kitchener.

Preventing Re-Infestation of Termites

If you want to keep termites at bay or prevent them from re-infesting your home, there are a few important habits that you need to develop. Like for instance, make sure that your gutters are always clean and clear from dried, dead leaves. Decaying and wet leaves will serve as a special treat to termites, and if you leave them on your gutters for an extended period of time they will sure have a feast on it.

Since termites thrive in damp areas, you must see to it that there is no moisture being collected or deposited in your house’s foundation. Leaky pipes, regardless of how small they may be, must be fixed immediately. They may seep deep into the ground but that can can eventually attract termites.

And if you have an overgrown brush in your front yard, have them trimmed as needed and do so on a regular basis. Lastly, if you need to keep firewood on purpose, I highly suggest that you have them stored at a safe distance from your house and keep them off the walls. Elevated them from the ground, at least 12 inches off of it would be good enough. This is to prevent them from attracting termites that may be lurking underground.

Termite Prevention Tips

Termites are very proficient when it comes to gaining access and have an entry to your home. If these critters are of that caliber, you need to be smarter than them, right? The last thing that you will want to do is to make things and their work easier.  Indeed there are some effective and proven ways to keep your home from becoming a home to termites, too.

Reach out to a reputable pest management group. They can offer significant help in uncovering, treating and preventing termite and other kinds of household pest infestation.

Watch out for the tell-tales signs of termite infestation, small holes on  your walls or wood structures, sagging floors or doors, insect wings and at times small swarmer wings left out on the ground or at their openings.  However, the absence of any of these signs does not automatically mean to say that your home is termite free.

The best way to really keep your home free from termites and any other cryptic critters we qualify as pests would be to have a regular inspection of your home by a team of professionals. This should be conducted by a licensed pest management group. They are very efficient on these matters because it is not just their work per se, but they are trained in termite biology, foraging habits and behavior, too. Knowledge of these things are critically relevant to termite identification and treatment.

Here are some important tips and reminders you need to know.

• As much as possible, never affix a trellis to the exterior walls of your house. As much as possible, keep any wooden material off of your house external walls
• Discard pest/termite infested trees and shrubs
• To keep water running away from foundations, consider grading the surrounding soil
• Keep pieces of wood from soil contact
• Keep your stucco, wood siding, and foam boar at least 12 inches off the ground soil
• Plastic sheeting may be used to cover, at least the majority or 80-90% of the soil in your crawl space
• Make sure that your crawl spaces do have proper ventilation, this measure will help prevent moisture from developing
• Faulty or leaking faucets and water lines need to be fixed as soon as possible
• Stack  wood debris, mulch, scrap lumber, firewood, and sawdust at a safe distance away from your house

Keeping termites at bay is a measurable action that you and your household members can make. However, there is the only way in which you can keep them at a manageable, controllable level and that is by enlisting the services of a professional pest management group offering termite control services in Kitchener.