The Silent Destroyers: Uncovering The Threat of Termites In Dallas

We usually associate loud sounds with something deadly or intimidating. For example, tornado victims describe the experience of hearing what sounds like a freight train coming through the house. Although we correlate loud sounds with calamity, the inverse is also true; something can be silent yet destructive. For example, termites can silently destroy the wood in a home without the occupants hearing a sound until it is too late.

Secure pest control in Dallas from All-Safe Pest & Termite to prevent termites from silently destroying your home. Our family-owned and operated company has removed termites from homes since 1984. Our commitment to low-toxicity pest control solutions, integrity, and customer service has allowed us to become the area's largest independent pest control company. We are proud of the thousands of five-star reviews, our A+ Better Business Bureau rating, and being voted the "Top Pick" for pest control in a survey of over 10,000 metroplex households. 

We are committed to resolving pest control problems for our community. We achieve our goals through excellent service by highly-trained technicians and by educating our community. You probably found this article because you suspect termites are silently destroying your home and need answers. So, continue to read, and we will teach you what you need to know to stop these quiet destroyers. 

You're Not Likely To See A Termite: How To Identify Signs Of Activity

Termites are insects, but they are not a visible nuisance like bees, wasps, ants, or the dreaded cockroaches. There are three types of termites in the Dallas area: Eastern subterranean, Formosan, and drywood termites. The first two termite species build massive colonies and structures in the dirt near damp, fungus-infested wood in the yard or crawl space; the last group lives inside the wood in the attic, in wall voids, or wooden furniture. Unless otherwise noted, we use the term "subterranean termites" to refer to Eastern subterranean and Formosan in this article. 

Because all termite groups live in wood or under the dirt, you will not see them unless they are swarming. However, that does not mean no signs of termites exist. Investigate your property for the following indications of termites in your Dallas home: 

• Mud tubes
• Saw-dust-like material 
• Discarded wings
• Flying termites
• Wood damage
• Live termites

Since not every termite species leaves behind the same indicators, let's look at each one in-depth to learn more.

Although colony size, body size, and coloration vary slightly between Formosan and Eastern subterranean termites, the two species leave behind the same indicators, like mud tubes. To avoid being dehydrated by the sun, these dirt-dwelling termites create passageways for protection between the nest in the soil and the wood they use for food. You will find tubes on the side of the foundation and basement walls.

As termites eat the cellulose in the wood, they produce waste that looks like sawdust. They kick the feces into the tunnel opening so they can continue working without clogging up the work zone. If drywood termites are in your Dallas home, you will see these piles near pinhole openings in the timber around door and window frames, picture frames, wooden patio furniture, and lumber in the attic. If subterranean termites are the culprit, you will notice the piles at the base of support beams and timber in the crawl space and basement.

A termite nest has a highly organized caste system consisting of the queen and king, sterile and blind workers and soldier termites, and, once the nest matures, winged, reproductive termites known as swarmers or alates. After the temperatures rise and heavy rain in the spring, the flying termites leave the nest to find new locations. Light attracts swarming termites, so they fly around outdoor lamps and windows at dusk or dawn. 

If the future king and queen survive the flight and find a nesting area, they land, mate, and discard their wings. Because light attracts swarmers, they often land inside window sills and release their wings, leaving yet another sign of their presence in your Dallas home. 

Worker termites eat wood, return to the nest and regurgitate the fibers to feed colony members. Subterranean termites eat along the wood grain, but drywood termites eat across the grain. Signs of a termite infestation in the wood are: hollow-sounding wood, discoloration, and wood that crumbles when tapped. 

In addition to swarmers, witnessing live termites is an indication of infestation. You will not see the king, queen, or soldiers in the earth-dwelling termites since they dwell deep in the soil, but you will see the worker termites. Eastern subterranean worker termites have a 1/8 inch long creamy white to dark brown or black long, oval-shaped body. Formosan termites have a slightly larger 1/2-inch creamy white to brown body. The creamy white to light brown bodies of drywood wood termites ranges from 3/8 to 1-inch long. 

Whatever termite species infests your Dallas home, All-Safe Pest & Termite is the best termite company near you. Decades of pest control experience have taught us how to remove termites effectively from your property. 

Don't Wait To Act: The Dangers of Ignoring Termite Damage

Termites are silent destroyers. After a swarmer king and queen begin a new colony, it takes a few years for damage to appear. During the first years, the nest expands as the queen adds primarily more worker termites. Worker termites are the ones who eat wood, and as their number increases, the more lumber they consume. Of the three termite species in the Dallas area, Formosan termites are the most destructive. These termites create colonies of 350,000 to three million workers capable of consuming one foot of wood every 25 days.

Eastern subterranean termite nests are slightly smaller than their Formosan cousins, with an average of 60,000 to up to two million termites capable of consuming 2.3 feet of lumber annually. Drywood termites create smaller colonies of about 2,500 members and are slower to cause harm to your home. 

Ignoring termites in the house will eventually prove costly. A few years of silent destruction by subterranean and drywood termites will suddenly become apparent when doors and windows do not close properly due to warping frames. Hollowing-out of timber in the crawl space or basement by subterranean termites will cause floors to sag; drywood termite damage may cause ceilings to droop or appear water damaged. In some cases, wooded porches and decks may collapse. In all cases, termite damage can cause thousands of dollars in repair and replacement costs. 

All-Safe Pest & Termite offers termite treatment options for your home so you can avoid future costly repair bills. 

Say Goodbye to Termites! Call Our Expert Team Today

The best termite control company for your Dallas home is All-Safe Pest & Termite. When you call our award-winning customer service team, we will listen to your concern and dispatch a highly-trained termite technician to your Dallas home. We will inspect your property to determine if there are signs of a termite infestation, attractants, and hot spots. 

If our technicians find evidence, they will create a strategic plan targeting the termite species infesting your home. Since subterranean termites live in the soil, we use treatments that stick to their bodies as they travel through the dirt to forage for food. They take the product back to the colony and inadvertently spread it to the other members. This treatment prevents growing termites from molting, causing them to suffocate and die, eventually eliminating all the nest members. We use locked bait stations that allure termites and infect them with nest-destroying agents in addition to termite foam spray and other treatments. At All-Safe Pest & Termite, we offer one-time and re-occurring options.

Stay Termite-Free: Helpful Tips To Prevent Reinfestation

Once our All-Safe Pest & Termite technicians eliminate the termite infestation in your Dallas home, that does not mean they cannot return. Considering that a mature Formosan termite colony can release up to 70,000 swarmers in the spring or fall if there is a nest on a nearby property, you will have swarmers fly onto your property searching for nesting locations. 

These are termite prevention tips that will deter a future infestation:

• Remove rotting tree stumps, landscape, and fence posts
• Elevate firewood and move 20 feet from the house
• Provide drainage around wood in the yard
• Dehumidify the crawl space, basement, and attic
• Install a barrier between in-ground timber and the soil
• Seal cracks in the foundation and around frames
• Paint and seal exposed wood on the property

Swarming subterranean termites can detect the odor from fungi in waterlogged wood in the yard or home. Maintaining dry wood underneath the house will deter flying termites from settling on the property. Rotting wood does not attract drywood termite swarmers, but they find drywood in humid areas attractive. These termites do not need moisture from the soil to survive; they get their moisture needs met from the wood and moist air. Reducing humidity in the home will discourage drywood termites from entering your house. 

When an experienced All-Safe Pest & Termite technician inspects your home, we can provide additional suggestions for your situation. Contact us today to learn about our termite treatment programs and get a free estimate.