Termites are the most damage-causing insects you could get in Oklahoma. Termites are very destructive insects that cause almost $5 billion in damages within the US every year. If you have a termite problem that goes unchecked or is not treated, termites could destroy some of the wood inside or outside your home, resulting in an unstable structure and a considerable repair bill. At Healthy Homes Exterminating, we take termite control very seriously and offer Trelona ATBS and Termidor as long-term termite solutions. Our pest control solution is a process that eliminates termites from your home safely and efficiently.
918-855-9332
Do You Have Termites?
Most people find out they have termites after encountering a swarm of them flying in or around their homes. Kings and queens will fly off and pair up to start a new colony when a colony gets big enough. A termite colony in Oklahoma usually is two to five years old before it produces swarmers. After they have found their mate, they will drop their wings, and many times people will discover wings all over a floor or window sills.
8 Signs That You Have Termites.
- If you find discarded wings of swarmers, it is either Termites or Ants.
- Find mud tubes running in any direction on the interior or exterior of your home. Mud tubes will range in size from a little smaller than a pencil to a little larger than a pencil. For example, mud tubes could be ¼ to ½ inches wide.
- Tiny pinholes in your wall with a bit of dirt around it is a possible sign.
- Termite droppings, known as frass, can be found around or under tiny holes in walls. Frass looks like fine wood shavings. But sometimes, what people think is Termite frass could be signs of Carpenter Ants.
- Walls and paint on the walls that appear water damaged, bubbling, or indented could be signs of termites.
- If you tap on infested wood with a hammer or screwdriver and it sounds hollow or extreme softness when probed with something sharp, it could be a sign of termites.
- Any wood in or around your home that appears to have wood rot with mud inside or around it could signify termites.
- Soft clicking or other strange noises coming from inside your walls could signify termites.
Always have your home checked by a professional before assuming you have termites. Out of all the calls we get where people say they have termites or were told they have them, less than half did have them. Don’t fall for scare tactics to make you sign something right away. According to OSU, Termites feed very slowly, and you usually have plenty of time, so don’t panic. You have time to make the best decision regarding how and who will do your Termite control.
What Do Termites Look Like?
There are three types or castes of subterranean termites with physical differences. Alates, also known as swarmers, have long dark brown to almost black bodies and clear to milky-colored wings. Their bodies are usually ¼ to ½ inch in length. When customers call us and want to check if the winged bugs they have are termite swarmers, we ask them to make sure the body of the swarmer is not pinched at the waist as an ants waist is because ants also have swarmers.
Then we have the workers and soldiers who do not have wings. Workers are generally ¼ inch or less in length and have a cream-colored body. These are the ones that cause damage to your home. Then we have the soldier with larger mandibles and bigger heads than the workers. The soldiers look similar to the workers except for the darker and larger head. Termite workers are white to cream-colored, and ants are black, brown, red, or a combination of two.
918-855-9332
When Do Termites Swarm In Oklahoma?
Swarmers usually start coming out from morning to afternoon on warm spring-to-fall days. For example, termite swarmers most often come out after a rainstorm in March, April, and May, but here in Oklahoma, swarmers could come out during fall months too. If you find swarmers, try your best to save some of them in a plastic bag or container to be correctly identified. Then, call us for a free inspection or if you have any questions. Ants also have swarmers, and to someone that has not been trained, they may look like a Termite swarmer. If someone tells you that your swarmers are Termites and you are doubtful, always get a second opinion before getting termite control. Over half of the time, someone or some company misidentifies swarmers costing the owner a lot of money for a problem they didn’t even have.
If you have Termites in Tulsa, Broken Arrow, Jenks, Bixby, Owasso, Sand Springs, Catoosa, Claremore, or any of the surrounding areas in Green Country, call us today for your free estimate.
Difference Between Ant And Termite Swarmers.
- The easiest way to spot the difference is Ants have a pinched waist, and Termites do not.
- Termites have straight antennae, and Ants have bent antennae.
- Both have four wings, but the Ant’s front wings are larger than the hind wings. On a Termite, the wings are all of the equal size.
What Is The Best Way To Kill Termites?
Trelona ATBS Termite baiting stations or Termidor (fipronil) are the best ways to kill Termites. With Telona ATBS, all of the stations are loaded with Termite colony killing bait, not just wood, as others use. Termidor, with the active ingredient fipronil, has been proven to be the best liquid chemical treatment for Termites. Healthy Homes Exterminating only uses Trelona ATBS or Termidor for Termite treatments.
The first termite baiting systems that came out were terrible. We have had a ton of work from people that used the old baits and couldn’t get rid of the termites. These days we have one excellent bait system and one good active ingredient for chemical treatments. We use Trelona ATBS as our baiting system, the only baiting system we confidently put our name and guarantee on. We also use Termidor because the active ingredient fipronil is the best by far for a chemical treatment. The baiting system Trelona ATBS is not like other baiting systems because every station has termite poison bait inside, not just wood monitoring like others. Tests have shown it to provide the fastest termite control of any baiting system.
When we come out to treat and exterminate your termite problem, we target the colony and future colonies. We also provide a written guarantee that’s renewable and can be transferred to the new owners if you sell your home. Back in the day before, we had the excellent baits and chemicals we have today; we had to trench around your house and drill holes all over in and around your home, making your home look terrible. The old chemicals created a flawed repellent barrier and were toxic to people a lot of the time.
How Often Should You Treat For Termites?
If you have decided to use Trelona ATBS termite baiting stations, then each station is loaded with termite colony killing annual baits and needs to be monitored at least once a year and only replaced if damaged. If you have chosen a Termidor liquid treatment, then it is put into the soil, and it also should be monitored once a year after treatment. With both treatments, you only treat once and then have the company monitor it each year after the treatment. Some companies may try to sell you a liquid treatment every year, and that’s a scam. Both Trelona ATBS and Termidor will last for many years. Some sources on the internet will tell you to have it retreated every 4 to 6 years, and that’s not true either. If you had a Termite treatment done and it killed your problem, why pay for another treatment if you don’t have termites? It is, however, important to have your home checked and monitored every year, just in case.