Wood Rot vs. Termite Damage: How to Tell the Difference
As a homeowner, wood rot and termite damage can both be very challenging issues that can put the structural integrity of your home at risk. While both of these can cause significant damage, they each require different treatments, so it is important to understand how to tell the difference between wood rot and the presence […]
Why Are Termites Bad?
No homeowner wants to experience a pest infestation. Pests like spiders, rodents, and cockroaches can invade the home and spread germs that can make you and your family sick. Other pests, like termites, do not pose a significant risk to humans directly, but these termites can cause damage to your home and put you and […]
How to Know If You Have Termites? 13 Signs You Should Watch Out For
Termites are responsible for over five billion dollars in damage every year in the United States and just about every property in California is at risk of termite damage. But how do you know if termites have invaded your home? Here we identify many of the early signs of termites to be on the lookout […]
What Happens During a Termite Inspection?
Your home is a place to relax and enjoy time with family and friends. For termites, however, your home is often seen as an open buffet. While small pests, termites can cause extensive damage to your home in a very short time, so identifying a termite infestation early is essential. Even if you don’t have […]
Carpenter Winged Ants vs Termites: What’s the Difference?
When homeowners see a swarm of flying ant-like insects in the springtime, they often assume that termites are infesting their homes. But are these winged pets really termites? Flying carpenter ants are often confused for termites in the spring, confusing many homeowners. But what is the difference between carpenter ants with wings vs termites? While […]
How to Look for Termites While Buying a Home
Termites can cause slow but massive damage to your property. And you may never even know how much damage has been done until your structure starts to give in. How do you check if the house you’re buying has termites? To look for termites, you look for mud tubes or mud in small holes and […]
The Dirty Termite Facts
It has happened. Termites are unnoticed by you and made themselves comfortable in the walls and foundations of your home. No pests are as sneaky as termites, even if you have regularly kept a check throughout your property. Termites create a lot of damage to the property, which is a frustrating problem to deal with. […]
Importance of Home Restoration After Termite Infestation
By the time you notice any termite infestation, it is too late, and your home needs restoration. Termites damage the wooden structure of your home. Initially, the property will present smaller signs such as bowing sidewalls, sagging ceilings, or even a sagging roof. At this point, you are in danger of staying at home until […]
Top 5 Signs of a Termite Infestation
Swarmer or discarded wings: Swarmers, also known as reproductives, are young female and male winged termites. In the springtime, after the last freeze, termite swarmers will emerge from their nest to mate and search for a new location to start a colony, which typically includes our homes. Termite swarmers, or their discarded wings near windowsills […]
With the Exception of Termites, Which Wood-Infesting Insect Pests Are Most Commonly Managed by Pest Control Professionals Within Southern California Homes?
With the Exception of Termites, Which Wood-Infesting Insect Pests Are Most Commonly Managed by Pest Control Professionals Within Southern California Homes?
Termite Mud Tube Formations
Everything Ventura County Residents Need to Know About Termite Swarms That Occur in Southern California
Thousands of termite species have been documented worldwide, and all these species can be divided into three groups known as subterranean, drywood and dampwood termites. Due to their preference for excessively moist untreated wood sources, dampwood termites are not nearly as damaging to woodwork as subterranean and drywood termite pests. While multiple dampwood termite species […]
Is Pressure Treated Wood Termite Resistant?
Termites can be a nightmare for any homeowner in California and, despite California building codes requiring the use of pressure-treated wood. But does the use of pressure-treated wood really make a difference when it comes to termite infestations? The fact is, pressure-treated wood is considered termite resistant, but that doesn’t mean that termites still won’t […]
Structural Wood Located Near Plumbing Should Be Inspected Regularly for Subterranean Termite Damage
Western subterranean termite populations reach plague-level proportions in many urban and suburban areas of southern California, and this species is often recognized as the most destructive termite in the state next to the desert subterranean termite. Unlike damage inflicted by the multiple drywood termite species in southern California, subterranean termites access structural wood in homes […]
How Residents Can Determine if California Homes Have Sustained, or Are Likely to Sustain Termite Damage, and How Homes Are, and Could Be Built to Resist Infestations
Pest control companies in California are required by law to file a wood-infesting insect report form with the state’s structural pest control board for every home their employees inspect. These report forms are made available to members of the public for a period of time after they are filed, which is useful for those inquiring […]
One Single Home in Ventura County Can Become Infested by Workers From Multiple Western Subterranean Termite Colonies
One Single Home In Ventura County Can Become Infested By Workers From Multiple Western Subterranean Termite Colonies Despite their tremendous abundance in the natural environment, termites are cryptic pests that are very rarely seen by humans. Since termite colonies are well hidden beneath the ground surface or within infested wood, the only termites humans are […]
How Do Pest Control Professionals Determine if the Structural Wood Within Homes Is Vulnerable to Termite Attack
The most economically significant termite species that can be found in Southern California are well adapted to thriving in arid and semi-arid environments, but this does not mean that they are not thirsty insects. Termite species like dark western drywood termites and desert subterranean termites, both of which are major termite pests in Ventura County, […]
How Pest Control Professionals Search for Signs of Drywood Termites and Damage Wood Within Homes During Inspections?
Since California sees a relatively high degree of annual termite destruction, the state legally requires all homes to be inspected for termites before being sold. California law also states that only licensed professionals can carry out termite inspections on properties, handle regulated pest control chemicals, or perform any kind of pest control service. Since subterranean […]
How Are Delicate Drywood Termite Swarmers Able to Excavate Hard Lumber, and Do They Initiate Infestations Indoors and on Exterior Wood Paneling?
How Are Delicate Drywood Termite Swarmers Able To Excavate Hard Lumber, And Do They Initiate Infestations Indoors And On Exterior Wood Paneling? Unlike soil-dwelling subterranean termites, drywood termite colonies are located within natural and finished above ground wood sources, like dead trees, logs, telephone poles, wood fences, and structural lumber. Mature colonies contain a couple […]
How to Recognize Different Types of Mud Tubes That Termites Construct on Residential Properties
Several subterranean, drywood and dampwood termites can be found in southern California. Dampwood termites rarely cause substantial damage to structural wood within homes, but drywood and subterranean termites inflict massive amounts of property destruction each year in southern California. Ultimately, subterranean termites inflict the greatest amount of annual property destruction throughout the southwest US, and […]
