Stay Ahead Of Termite Problems In Fort Worth

Your home is a big investment. It is essential to guard that investment. Today, we're going to talk about termite damage and how you can stay ahead of termite problems. We'll tell you how to identify termites and what you need to know to catch signs of termites in your home or on your property. We'll explain why termites get into Fort Worth homes and what you can do to keep them out. Then, we'll share professional methods for termite removal and termite damage prevention. In this short article, you'll find everything you need for tracking and stopping termites. If you'd like to speak to a professional about your termite concerns or get specific answers regarding termite control on your Fort Worth property, contact us by phone or navigate to our Contact Us page. Your All-Safe Pest & Termite service team looks forward to assisting you.

How To Identify Signs Of Termite Activity

Termites in Fort Worth can strike at any time. The first question you need to know how to answer is, "Do I have termites?" It is a tricky question to answer because termites are incredibly elusive. Fortunately, we have a lot of experience tracking these sneaky insects. Here are our best suggestions for locating signs of termite activity.

• Look for worker termites. A worker termite is a pale insect. If you see one, you might think it is a fat ant or a maggot with legs. Check underneath termite food sources in your yard, such as branches that have fallen from trees, campfire wood, cardboard boxes, etc. After checking for termite workers, consider removing these food sources or taking steps to manage them. For example, it is best to store dead branches in a storage bin or elevated platform rather than on the ground.
• Keep watch for winged termites. These termites are called swarmers because they gather together in a swarm during the mating process, which occurs in spring. A termite swarmer is a black insect with wings. It is ⅜ of an inch from head to tail tip, so you'll have to look carefully if you hope to find one little swarmer crawling around in your backyard. You're most likely to see swarmers when these insects are gathered together.
• Inspect your home for shelter tubes. The most destructive termites in Fort Worth are subterranean termites. These termites create mud structures on foundation slabs or walls, brick stairs, and other surfaces. A shelter tube usually looks like a line of mud about the width of a pencil. You may see the mud structure wiggle and branch off as it goes up your foundation wall, resembling the shape of lighting. Seeing shelter tubes is not proof that you have an infestation. Break off a piece and check back in two days. If the piece is reconstructed, you have the proof you need.

These are the primary warning signs to watch for on your property. If you see termite activity, the next step is to consider what it means. There are many misconceptions regarding termites and termite damage. Let's address those before we get to control and prevention.   

Understanding The Termite Threat: Why Termites Infest Homes

If you find termite workers in your yard, does it mean you have them in your home? No. But it is a warning sign you should definitely heed. Those termites aren't going to go away. They'll apply pressure to your home until they find a reason to get inside. What causes termites to want to eat your home? There are a few factors you should understand.

• Termite workers continually search for food. They never rest.
• Termites will travel a long distance, as much as the length of a football field.
• When termites find food, they don't stop looking. They can feed on a brush pile in your yard while they're also feeding on the subflooring in your kitchen.
• When termites find food, the queen is alerted, and she produces more offspring to collect the food. Termite colonies grow, replicate, and spread in response to food. Their preference is to eat natural, dead wood, such as sticks, logs, and stumps.
• When encountering a home, termites are more attracted to homes with decaying wood, such as a wooden skirt that touches the soil and clogged gutters.
• Homes with wood-to-soil contact are at risk of faster termite damage. If termites find wood-to-soil contact, they can enter the wood and directly access your home without creating shelter tubes, increasing the speed at which they can consume the wood.
• Once a nest matures, swarmers are produced. These male and female reproductives are the kings and queens for new nests.

When you are fortunate to find evidence of sneaky termites, it is best to contact a termite control professional immediately. Termites can eat the wood in your home right underneath your feet without alerting you to their presence. Over time, this can lead to structural changes that will catch your attention, like a sinking floor or a bulging wall.

Contact The Pros At The First Sign Of Termite Swarmers

Why is it so important to call a professional for termite control? Is do-it-yourself termite control really ineffective? The answer is straightforward. The best way to describe the problem is to explain that termites are hard to detect, even for professional technicians who know where to look and what methods work to bring evidence to the surface. That's why the experts here at All-Safe Pest & Termite have moved to using the Sentricon® System with Always Active™. It is a termite bait solution that eliminates colonies and provides an effective way to catch sneaky termites red-handed. Termiticide treatments do not come with this benefit. You can treat your home and have no idea that termites are still damaging your property.

What about bait? Is there a bait solution for homeowners? Yes, but they do not have the scientific research, laboratory studies, university papers, awards, and real-world success of Sentricon®. You're rolling the dice by using anything less than the best to protect your property, and, unfortunately, the Sentricon® System is only available to certified professionals. The manufacturer chose this business model so that it could ensure the highest success rate and maintain its reputation.

If you're in Fort Worth, contact All-Safe Pest & Termite for installation of Sentricon® with Always Active™ to correct a termite infestation. We are the largest Sentricon® operator in the Western United States.

Along with using the Sentricon® System to eliminate infestations, our certified technicians also use Termidor foam to treat infested structures. Applying Termidor termiticide with its transfer effect allows us to arrest all indoor termite activity as quickly as possible.    

How Do I Permanently Control Termites?

Once the termites are gone, what comes next? How can you permanently protect your property? When it comes to termite prevention in Fort Worth, nothing beats the Sentricon® System. It uses science to win the battle with termites.

• Sentricon® takes advantage of the fact that termite workers never stop looking for food. At some point, the workers will find the bait in the bait stations because they are relentless.
• Sentricon® bait is placed in the ground, where subterranean termites will find it. These insects build their nests in the ground and come up through the soil to find a pathway into your home.
• Sentricon® bait is formulated to attract the attention of workers. In laboratory studies, worker termites were more interested in the Sentricon® bait than sources of wood presented to them. It is quite a claim to say that your bait is more attractive to termites than sources of natural, decaying wood.
• Sentricon® gets better with age. While termiticide treatments wear out over time, Sentricon® gets more and more savory to termite workers as it ages.
• Sentricon® is always actively protecting your property against termite colonies. It does this 24 hours a day, all 365 days of the year. 
• Sentricon® is routinely checked by your technician as a part of your one-year warranty. Each year you continue with your warranty, you get inspections, maintenance, and bait station checks. Your warranty also comes with termite damage protection, so you can sleep well knowing that your finances are guarded. 
• Sentricon® pays for itself the first time you're told, "Your Sentricon® System has stopped a termite infestation." Why? A liquid termiticide treatment can stop termites, but you won't know it. And, when you don't know it, you may decide to stop getting termite control. Having the evidence that your termite control is worth it is your incentive to keep going and never let your guard down.

Want to learn more about Sentricon®, Termidor foam treatments, or other termite control services in Fort Worth? Contact All-Safe Pest & Termite today. We'll walk you through the details and help you figure out what will work best for your specific needs and budget. It is so nice to have termite control you can trust. Get the best sleep you've ever had by getting Sentricon®.