Are you familiar with the insects known as subterranean termites?

They live in the ground and inside the wood they consume, never exposing themselves to the light—if they can help it. When they get into man-made structures, these simple organisms can feed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without stopping.

The kind of damage they do can be difficult to repair and sometimes leads to structural issues that can't be repaired.

If you live in Maryland, Virginia, or Washington D.C., you should take the time to learn about subterranean termites. These insects are active from early spring to late fall but, when conditions are right, they can feed on structures 365 days a year.

All they need to thrive is warmth and moisture, which are often abundant here.

That is why we strongly recommend professional termite control for property owners in our service area. If your property is not yet protected for the threat of subterranean termites, contact us for a consultation.

The team at American Pest has a proven track record for protecting properties from these destructive, wood-eating pests.

How Termite Colonies Work 

Termite colonies consist of a queen, a king, workers, soldiers, and alates. Each has a role to play in the development of the colony and the establishment of new colonies.

While we put the alates last on our list, they are the beginning of the termite life cycle. Alate, which means to have wings, are the only termites in the colony that can fly.

These male and female reproductives, usually called swarmers due to their swarming characteristic, are nurtured until they are ready to leave their colony to go out and establish new colonies. This usually happens in spring, when temperatures warm up.

After they mate, they lose their wings and become queens and kings.
 
The role of the queen is to create offspring. As she does this her abdomen grows larger and larger, making her look completely different from all the other termites in her colony. But her head and thorax remain the same. The role of the king is to help with fertilization. He stays by his mate and performs his duty throughout the life of the colony.
 
All of the offspring that come from the queen are workers.

These workers make up the vast majority of a termite colony and they are the only termites that have the ability to eat.

All other castes of termites rely on workers for their sustenance. Therefore, these are the termites that damage your property. Male and female alates do not.

As needed, a queen will communicate with workers through the use of pheromone scents and inspire them to develop into soldiers, which have the role of protecting the colony from predators and other threats.

She may also inspire workers to become alates as her colony reaches the appropriate size for replication and the cycle begins again.

Most termites will never show themselves.

You may know what termites look like but never see them to identify them as a threat to your home or business.

The vast majority of termites in a colony are worker termites.

They are the termites that feed on wood. These workers have a characteristic that makes them incredibly sneaky; they have an intense aversion to light. So you're not going to see worker termites crawling all over your walls as they consume your home.

The appearance of termite swarmer's can be a warning sign.

These winged insects are the only termites you're likely to ever see, unless you're digging a hole on your property or doing some renovations.

But termite swarms don't last for more than 30 minutes. Those swarmers quickly mate and disappear into the ground or into the cracks of man-made structures.

Worse still, some property owners don't know how to tell the difference between swarming termites and flying ants or swarming termites and some other kind of insect. This can lead them to miss this important warning sign.

Damage done to the wood of your home isn't likely to be obvious.

As we mentioned, termite workers have an aversion to light but the extent of this aversion will do more than keep them hidden from view; it will make the damage they cause to appear in hard-to-see locations.

You may immediately think of termites feeding on the inside of your wood beams from the bottom of your home to the top but we are referring to initial areas of damage that are close to the ground and are possible to be seen.

While you might be able to see damage done to the sole plates, which are the horizontal timbers of wood just above your foundation wall, termites will prefer to damage your sole plates underneath a deck, patio, porch, exterior stairs, and other structures that provide dark conditions.

If you go into a crawl space under your home, you may see no visible sign of damage as termite workers are going up the inside of your concrete piers to feed on the wood of your home.

Subterranean termites create shelter tubes

They create these shelter tubes on surfaces to create a pathway from the ground to the wood of a home.

These shelter tubes, which are also called mud tube because they are created with soil and moisture, are usually going to be established in dark locations.

And since they are made from the soil around and underneath your home, they can be mistaken for naturally occurring phenomena.

So, as you can see, the warning signs of a termite infestation can be difficult to see. That is why it is important to have a termite control plan that offers a way to easily detect these sneaky pests, like the Sentricon® System with Always Active™. Learn about this powerful termite control product later in this document.

Termite Prevention Steps for Maryland, Virginia, and D.C. Homeowners 

If you do not have ongoing termite protection for your home, there are some steps you should consider taking to safeguard your home investment.

These prevention tips aren't easy but neither is trying to recover from the financial impacts of subterranean termite damage.

 

Do a routine check of your home

Early detection is the key to stopping serious damage. But in order to check your home for termites, you're going to have to get dirty. Subterranean termite signs are usually in dark or hidden locations and sometimes they can only be uncovered by literally uncovering them. You're going to have to go under your deck, porch, patio or stairs. You're going to have to go into crawl spaces. In these places, you may have to dig into the ground to find workers or you might have to use a mirror and a flashlight to search hard-to-see areas.

 

Address areas of moisture around your home.

Subterranean termites are drawn to moisture. Keeping your landscaping and perimeter dry can have a big impact on termite activity. Clean your gutters. Repair leaky exterior spigots. Trim tree branches to allow sunlight into shaded places. Put space between the plants in your landscaping to allow for good airflow.

 

Remove Wood

Removing wood and other potential termite foods from your yard is crucial to prevent a termite infestation. Keep in mind that anything that has cellulose can be a food source for these insects… not just wood.

 

Elevate firewood

The wood we use for our fires is highly attractive to subterranean termites. Always keep firewood and other wood material off the ground. This will prevent termite workers from having direct access.

 

Learn about termite swarmers

An important warning sign of an infestation is the appearance of termite swarmers.

These tiny black insects with their long white wings may appear on your interior or exterior walls. When they do, it is vital that you be able to identify them and understand what you should do during a termite swarm. 

Termite swarms should never be shrugged off. If you see swarmers on your home, they are not likely the evidence of an impending infestation but rather a current and mature infestation on your property.

For more tips on preventing pest infestation this summer, see Crucial Steps for Preventing Pest Infestation This Summer.

 

How Professional Termite Control Works

There are really only two options for effective termite control. One has been around for a very long time and is still a viable option. The other is only a couple of decades old but is quickly becoming the termite control option of choice.
 
The tried-and-trusted method for termite control is liquid termiticide treatments. It works by creating a chemical barrier around a structure. When termites pass through it, they come into contact with the active ingredient and share it with other termites by grooming.

While certainly effective, it falls short in a few key ways. It requires trenching and drilling. It puts tons of chemicals in the ground. And there is no way of knowing when the chemicals will wear out and become ineffective.
 
The newer solution is the use of termite bait stations and the most trusted product is the Sentricon® System with Always Active™.

Sentricon® is the only termite control product to win the Presidential Green Chemistry Award and no other termite bait product has had as many scientific studies and papers written about it.

If you can't tell by our enthusiasm, this is the product we use. It doesn't require drilling or trenching. It doesn't require the use of chemicals. And the units make termite detection a breeze.

If termites try to eat your home, you're going to know about it. Your technician will be able to show you. There is no way to put a price on this.

Many property owners give up on their essential termite protection because liquid barriers don't provide any evidence that termites are a serious threat. With Sentricon®, you'll have no doubt that this was a vital investment for your equity. If you want help winning the battle against termites check out Termite Control Liquid vs Bait.

Why Professional Treatment Is a Necessity for Termite Prevention

There are few pests that can have as much of an impact on a family or a business as subterranean termites.

The damage caused by subterranean termites can be throughout an entire structure and lead to cascading issues.

But the worst part about subterranean termites is that you aren't likely to know when your DIY termite treatments have failed to protect your property. Here are a few reasons why:

• These insects travel as far as the length of a football field under the ground to find food sources. You won't see worker termites crawling in your yard and you won't see them crawling on your home.

• When they attack the wood of your home, they come up from the soil and feed on the inside of your wood. If you're fortunate, you may see mud tubes on foundation walls but worker termites usually create these mud tubes in dark, hidden areas—if they create them at all.

• While the appearance of termite swarmers can be a sign of termite infestation, swarms don't last for more than 30 minutes. A swarm could come and go in the time it takes you to grab some stuff at Walmart.

When these swarmers are released into the air, they could fly right off your property in a matter of a minute or two.

Another important reason to contact a professional is the fact that licensed and certified termite control professionals use field-tested products and methods that are known to prevent termite damage.

Some even provide a termite-damage warranty. This means you'll never have unexpected repair costs stacking up. You'll know exactly how much subterranean termites are going to cost you. For more details on the average cost of termite treatments or how much termite control may cost, see our other articles on this subject.

Why You Should Call American Pest for Complete Termite Protection 

If you live in Maryland, D.C. or Northern Virginia, American Pest is the right choice for termite control.

We have a track record of successfully using the eco-friendly, award-winning, Sentricon® System to protect homes, businesses, and important historical structures in our service area.

We are a certified Sentricon® Installer and an industry-leading pest control provider. But you don't have to take our word for it.

Our reviews speak for themselves. Our team has earned the Angie's List Super Service Award several years in a row. This takes dedication to service and a commitment to ongoing pest control education and certifications.
 
We provide professional termite inspections for home buyers and sellers and ongoing termite control for homeowners and business owners.

Find out if you're in our extensive service area and let our QualityPro and GreenPro Certified team help you protect your investment from the destructive impact of subterranean termites.