Increased Rain Can Bring Termite Trouble to Your Home

Subterranean termites require a combination of moisture, protection, and warmth to survive. When there is significant rainfall in warm weather, termites become more active, eating wet, moldy leaves and other organic matter as they burrow their way to your home. When there’s an increase in rain, it’s a good idea to be aware that your home could be infested by termites and to consider the need for termite control.

Increased rain affects termite activity in three ways:

Swarming

Termites swarm during warm rainy weather in the spring to find mates, reproduce, and form new colonies. A termite swarm indicates that a colony is thriving, either within your home or nearby. If you know what to look for, you can see telltale signs of a swarm such as tiny wings around doorways and windowsills. These termites can produce millions of offspring if left unchecked.

Standing Water

Standing water or overly damp places in or near your house after it rains make for ideal termite conditions, especially for subterranean and dampwood termites. Large puddles or continually damp crawl spaces, attics, or basements are prone to a termite infestation as termites thrive in wet or rotting wood. These tiny destroyers will burrow under the soil and create tunnels into your home. They only need the tiniest of openings to enter.

Diluted Termite Treatments

Some traditional termite eradication products, such as liquid soil treatments for subterranean termites, can be less effective after heavy rains. These treatments can be diluted by heavy or increased rainfall and flooding, sometimes to the point of being ineffective. If this occurs, termites living in your yard or home pick up their destructive activities again.

Choose Alternative Pest Control Methods

Drywood termites are difficult to discover on your own. If the weather has been exceptionally rainy, or if you’ve seen evidence of wings or have damp areas in your home, your best defense is to call a professional pest service such as Ecola for a free termite inspection. Ecola recommends natural, nonchemical termite treatments, such as ECOLA Heat and Electro-Gun .

Ecola Heat uses propane-powered heaters to raise outdoor air temperatures to levels lethal for insects and pests. The air is directed into the treatment area and maintained for one to three hours to ensure the treatment was effective.

Electro Gun produces a current directed toward the termites in your home via a 90,000+ voltage push, killing them upon contact.

These natural methods let you protect yourself and your family from harmful liquid toxins while still effectively eliminating pests. Your Ecola pest inspector will be able to not only tell you which treatment is right for your home but also point out how you can make your home less vulnerable to termites. To protect your property, call ECOLA today at (800) 332-BUGS (2847) for a free annual inspection from our qualified pest professionals.