Termite Identification

Like most insects, termites are also reproduced and bred through the laying and hatching of eggs.  The queen termite can be impregnated with eggs from several colony members to keep the society thriving.  Since termites aren’t exactly what we call monogamous, it is therefore easier for them to multiply.

A mature queen termite can lay several thousands of each every single day.  Some species of termites, the queen can even grow several ovaries allowing them to reproduce even more eggs!  Like any pregnant creature, queen termites also have enlarged abdomen.  While they are immobilized in their condition, the hundred of worker termites around it work to move and feed her.

Once they are hatch, the eggs will eventually turn into nymphs and further on, into different members of the termite colony.  Worker termites make up the largest part of the community.

Just like many other insects, the termite is reproduced through the laying and hatching of eggs.  Unlike the typical male/female dynamic that we, as humans, know, the queen of the termite colony can become impregnated with eggs from multiple colony members just so that the society is kept going.  In other words, termites aren’t monogamous.  These worker termites are wingless, are blind and are the ones mostly found in infested wood.  Although the soldier termites are blind and wingless as well, the group has the capability to defend the colony when under attack - by humans and termite deterrents.

Winged termites are the reproductives and supplementary reproductives of the colony.  During swarming season, these group swarm to a new location, shed their old wings and pair up with a new termite colony.  Supplementary reproductives stand the chance of being replacement when a termite king or queen dies.

Fortunately for termites and unfortunately for the homeowners,  termites can reproduce into hundreds and even a thousand in a matter of days.  Thus termite colonies and their respective damages are almost always difficult to battle with.

Looking for more information on termites and how they can be controlled?  Click here to check out Termite Identification, Treatment and Control. 

Proper and regular maintenance make homes last longer. One aspect of maintenance is to make sure your home is free from termite.

Termite deterrents are anything that keeps or prevents termites from foraging your home. Deterrents can be in the form of an object, a smell or chemicals that discourage these pests and insects from damaging your home.

Most termite deterrents come in the form of chemicals. Today, these chemicals are readily available for the specific purpose of termite prevention. These chemicals are simply sprayed on thewooden parts of the the structure or in wood or ground tunnels where termites are known to inhabit. Since termites can crawl even into the most miniscule hole and thrive most especially on dark areas, spraying these chemicals can become a bit tricky. Homeowners or termite pest controller companies should make sure to include these parts when applying termite deterrent chemicals.

In 2005, a study has been conducted showing the sap of sugar pine tree as one of the best termite deterrent to use. The research showed termites were appalled by the smell and by the sap of the sugar pine tree.

For more tips on termite control, click here to check out Termite Identification, Treatment and Control.

One of the major concerns of owning a home or a building is termite destruction.  As a homeowner, it is important to understand that once your home is infested with termites, the structure can become weak and thus dangerous.

To the uninformed homeowner, termite damages are barely visible.  However, once you know what to look for, it will be quite easy for you to tell if your home is infested with termites or not.  Periodical or regular inspection of your property can help you spot early signs of damages.  Employing the services of a professional pest control company to do the job is even better.

As mentioned, there are several ways of determining termite infestation.  Here are some of them:

1. Since termites love damp wood, start your inspecting wooden parts that are close to the ground.

2. Termites swarm at certain times of the year.  Swarms of small flying insects can be a tell-tale sign that termites are thriving in your home.

3. Termites workers slightly resemble ants.  These white termites workers do the worst damage to the wood as they are responsible for providing food source for their entire colony.

4. Another sign of termites in your home is the presence of tunnels in woods and mud tubes the size and diameter of an ordinary pencil.  Most of these tunnels or tubes are found on foundation walls, floor joists and on the ground near a wooden structure.  In such cases, the best way to prevent further unseen damage is to break open the tunnels and tubes to see if termites are still present.  Empty tunnels, however, don’t necessarily mean that they are not inhabited.  Quite possibly, its inhabitants may have simply abandoned that particular tunnel to build another.

If you are looking for termite control in Waldorf Maryland, you have many, many options you can choose from.  The number of pest control companies in an around this area are many and varied, and all offer many choices when it comes to termite control for your home or building.  Termite control in Waldorf Maryland is important because once termites get into your home, they can cause devastating damage that must be stopped before they take over your home and make it expensive to repair.  Let’s take a look at a few of the companies we’ve found for termite control in Waldorf Maryland that can help you with your termite problems.

All American Pest Control is located at 2109 Gibbons Court in Waldorf.  Their telephone number is (301) 638-3467
Rudd’s Termite Control is located at 41 Industrial Park also in Waldorf.  Their telephone number is (301) 863-8888
You can find Home Paramount Pest Control Company at 22A Industrial Park, Suite 3 in Waldorf or online at www.homeparamount.com.  Call them at (301) 645-9133
If you are more comfortable going with a national company, Orkin Pest Control has a branch in Waldorf and you can call them at (877) 886-4883

Just as with any other part of the country, finding termite control in Waldorf Maryland is important if you own a home or any other type of building.  Termites can devastate a wood structure because they feed on the wood that constructs the structure.  A licensed pest control company can check your home first and find out if you have an existing termite problem.  Then they can work with you to formulate a plan to get rid of those termites and keep them from coming back

Termite control in Waldorf Maryland is just as important as in any other part of the country.  You must take steps to make sure that your property is protected, if nothing else for your own piece of mind.  The last thing you want is to have to worry about whether or not these boring insects are making a meal of your home and destroying the wood a little at a time.  That’s why you need to contact a pest control company for complete termite control in Waldorf Maryland. 

You have many options.  Just make sure that you choose a company that is licensed and insured so you don’t waste your money on a fly-by-night operation.  Check out their references and find someone you trust.  All homeowners need to take the risk of termites seriously.  Getting termite control in Waldorf Maryland is easy, so get on top of it right away!

If you own any type of wood structure or farm crops, termite control should be one of the top things you should be thinking about if you want to keep your crops and your buildings.  Termite control is such a huge issue for people who own their own homes whether they live there or not, that termite control companies are making money hand over fist as they struggle to take charge over termites and keep them from destroying structures and crops.

Essentially, termite control is most often done with the use of chemicals.  The chemical manufacturing companies have developed all sorts of eco-friendly chemicals that can help with termite control.  Most of these chemicals are not harmful to humans and are extremely effective when it comes to eradicating a termite problem both before and after it starts.

There are lots of ways that you can approach termite control, however.  If you are concerned about the effects of chemicals on our environment, then you might want to consider a green approach to termite control.  That means you will have to remove any possible food sources for these foraging pests that can take over your home and eradicate the wood before you even know it is happening.

Termites lay their eggs in damp, moist soil.  That means if you have a crawl space, you should take steps to either spray that crawl space with chemicals to kill off the living termites and prevent the hatchlings from growing to maturity.  What happens when you do this type of termite control is that you are killing off the living bugs and when the eggs hatch, there are no worker termites that can help get food to those “children” and so they die from starvation.  It might sound cruel, but it is even crueler when you consider what those “babies” can do to your home if they grow to adulthood.

You must make sure that you eliminate any type of moisture leakage that can make the wood that holds your house up structurally unsound.  Wet wood is a buffet table for the common termite, so eliminating the source of the moisture is the best start toward termite control you can take.

Having the expertise of a professionally licensed pest control company is another great step you can take toward termite control.  No one wants termites in their home, so taking steps to make sure that they don’t come around in the first place is the best thing you can do for yourself and your home.  Termite control begins with making sure that you don’t get a problem started.  A professionally licensed pest control company can help you come up with a termite control plan that works for you and can keep your home safe from infesting termites.

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If you are interested in becoming a termite inspector, a good way to break into the field is to find a place as a termite apprentice.  There are many termite apprentice programs that are offered by accredited schools and even universities that only take a couple of days to take.  These termite apprentice programs are in the form of intense classes that will teach you all sorts of information including termite biology, practical field identification of wood-destroying organisms, their damage, and the safe use of tools, chemicals, and other equipment used to rid the home of these devastating insects.

Because these courses are short, they can be quite intense and require a lot of work.  But when you want to become a termite inspector, the termite apprentice program is a great way to get into the field and know what you’re doing right off the bat.  These courses are often not very expensive, but when you consider the experience that you are able to pick up, you will soon realize that they are well worth the money.

Once you have taken a termite apprentice course, you will probably want to hook up with a licensed professional termite inspector and ask if you can be their termite apprentice so you can gain experience in the field.  Many termite inspectors are happy to take on a termite apprentice – especially if you are willing to work with them in the field to help alleviate their work load.  Often, your termite apprentice course will be able to find someone who is willing to work with you and teach you the business.  Sometimes these will be paid positions and sometimes they won’t.  What you have to do is weigh the experience you are getting with the necessity of a paycheck.  Some people just can’t sign on to be a termite apprentice because they need the money, so find someone you trust and talk honestly with them about your expectations as well as theirs.

Often, when you are trying to get into a new field of work, the best thing you can do for yourself is get some on-the-job training.  Plus, for a termite inspector, it is a welcome advantage having some help in the field as well.  So if you are interested in the lucrative field of termite inspection, you may want to seriously check out becoming a termite apprentice.  Not only with the experience be invaluable, but you will learn so much more than you could ever hope to find from a textbook.

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Knowing termite appearance and morphology is essential in identification of these pests and eventual eradication of the colony.  Most people think of termites as little white ants, but termite appearance and morphology is so much more than thinking they are little white ants.  In fact, the common termite only superficially resembles an ant.  The reason people think of the termite as white ants is because of their similar size and social habits. Like ants, termites live in colonies with very specific structure.  Each termite has a specific job to do in order to make the colony work.  Worker termites bring food back to the mound that is home to colony and they do the most damage to structures and crops.  Soldier termites defend the colony from predators.  They have very strong mandibles and can cause damage to anyone trying to destroy the colony.  Reproductive termites are winged and lay eggs so that the colony is always growing.  The king and queen “rule” the colony and are responsible for making sure that the colony continues and that all members are doing their jobs. As far as termite appearance and morphology is concerned, the termite is softer, whiter, shorter-legged, fatter and generally much slower moving.  In all actuality, they are not even closely related to ants.  Ants, along with bees and wasps, belong to the Order Hymenoptera. Termites are much closer to cockroaches and mantids, and all three are sometimes clumped into a super order called Dictyoptera. Some scientists have concluded that termites should be classified as a family Termitidae within the cockroaches’ order Blattodea. Termites have biting mouthparts, and their soft bodies are small, rarely over one centimeter in length.  Typically, they will occupy dark nests and tunnels only venturing out when the winged alates emerge to leave the parent colony, when constructing shelter or when harvesting their food. The bodies of flying termites are darker while the termites that remain in the nest or mound are generally white in color with only their heads having color.  The wings of termites are long and slender in pairs that are similarly sized and shaped.  The name of the Order they belong to is derived from their having equal wings.  Isopteron (iso=equal, pteron=wing).  The wings are quickly shed after a flight with a simple body flick when the swarming termites find a new nest site, pair up, and dig in.  The remnant of a termite wing is a distinct triangle, but they are small, so don’t try looking for one too hard! Knowing about termite appearance and morphology can help you identify termites around structures and in crops.  Once you are able to determine you have a termite problem, you can take steps to eradicate them before they cause too much damage.

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Even the mention of a termite can send terror into the heart of a homeowner.  Many people know that a termite can cause huge damage to a home and when you take one termite and add it to another termite and then another and another and another, you might find yourself with a home that is not only unsound but extremely difficult to sell and live in.  Many people know about the termite, but not many people know specifics about this pesky insect. A termite – also known as a white ant – is a member of a group of social insects much like regular ants.  They most often feed on dead plant material including wood, leaf litter, and soil.  The termite can cause huge damage to structures such as houses, building, crops, and forests. The termite superficially resembles an ant and is called a white ant only because of their social behaviors and similar size.  However, the regular termite is softer, whiter, shorter-legged, fatter and generally much slower moving.  In actuality, a termite is much more similar to the common cockroach.  Some experts feel like the termite belongs in its own classification of insects instead of being clumped together with ants in the Hymemoptra class or a super order which contains all of them called the Dictyoptera class. The common termite has a biting mouthpart and their soft bodies are rarely longer than one centimeter in length.  As a colony, they typically inhabit dark nests and tunnels, only venturing out when the winged alates emerge to leave their parent colony, when constructing shelter or, in the case of grass- and leaf-litter-feeders, when harvesting their food.  The alate is basically a baby termite growing into a full blown termite and getting ready to venture out into the world to find their own food source to decimate! As with ants, the termite resides in a colony along with other termites.  That is why they are referred to as social insects.  Termite colonies can number anywhere from hundreds to even millions of inhabitants.  They work together to survive and use self-organized swarm intelligence to obtain food sources and sustain the colony.  Just as with ants, there is a certain hierarchy within the colony.  It is usually “ruled” by a queen and there are workers, soldiers, nymphs, and reproductive termites responsible for re-populating the colony. While a termite is a dreaded insect for most people, they are easily recognized and easily controlled when you know that you have a problem.  If you take the time to know about the common termite, see the signs that you may have a termite problem, and then take steps to alleviate the problem, you will have much luck in repairing the damage that these invading insects can do.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Termite Identification Treatment & Control

There is a current debate right now in the pest control industry as to whether or not Termidor termite treatment vs. Sentricon termite treatment is better.  These are two very popular termite control chemicals and Termidor termite treatment vs. Sentricon can bring about some heated debates in the bug control business. 

So what do you think?  I suppose we should give you a little background information first. The Sentricon System consists of a series of bait stations surrounding the perimeter of your house. The pest control company periodically monitors these stations and, once they detect termite activity, they replace the wood bait with a poison that is supposed to wipe out the colony. Sentricon is probably the most ‘green’ solution out there, but its effectiveness has also been brought into question by a number of so-called experts. That’s the first part of the Termidor termite treatment vs. Sentricon debate. 

So what is the Termidor system? Termidor is a chemical termiticide that provides a soil barrier surrounding your house. Published reviews of Termidor say that it is far more effective than Sentricon, and not particularly dangerous to people. Termidor costs about $50 more than Sentricon up front, but the annual contract, which covers monitoring, periodic reapplication, if necessary, and repair of any termite damage is about $150 less for Termidor as compared to Sentricon. It is obvious that Sentricon is the more eco-friendly solution to the problem of termites.  However, it might not be as effective as other chemicals out there.  Termidor, on the other hand, introduces chemicals into your yard as well as into the soil that surrounds your structure. 

Some people feel that any chemicals that are exposed to people are horrible not only for the environment so they oppose the use of Termidor. So when we consider the Termidor termite treatment vs. Sentricon termite treatment debate, the choice really isn’t clear.  Our job isn’t to sway you towards one or the other.  It depends on your point of view and what you feel is the best choice for you. 

If you are committed toward living a clean, green lifestyle, then you will want to choose Sentricon.  If you’re more interested in making sure that termites don’t infest your home, then you might want to consider Termidor for its effectiveness. As new chemicals begin to emerge onto the pest control scene, there is likely to be debate.  That’s why it’s no surprise that the Termidor termite treatment vs. Sentricon debate rages on.  It’s likely to keep raging as well.  Choose your side and argue to your heart’s content.

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If you live in the great state of Florida and find that you have a termite problem, you are very lucky since you have easy access to one of the premier termite eradication companies in the state – St. Pete Termite. This amazing company is located in St. Petersburg, Florida and is a member of the Fumigation Advisory Council of Florida. St. Pete Termite has also received numerous awards including the prestigious Commitment to Excellence Certification in tent fumigation by Dow Agrosciences. St. Pete termite has been in business since 1946 and has committed themselves to providing termite fumigation services to the people of Florida on a large scale. They have state of the art technology for termite and general pest control and keep up-to-date with any new technologies that might come about from research and testing in the field of pest control. Their employees are highly trained and they offer up guarantees that assure you will be getting the best service and rid you of your pest problems.

When St. Pete Termite was founded, their owners wanted to fill a gap in the pest control industry. What they wanted to do was give Floridians a choice in who they wanted to take care of their termite problem – a company who could do the job effectively versus a company who could come into your home and do the best they could without any type of promise or guarantee that the job would be done correctly and efficiently. One of the great things about St. Pete Termite is that they specialize in tent fumigation. What that means is that if you have a termite infestation, they will come in and spray your home with the most effective chemicals on the market. They will then erect a tent around the area that has been treated and allow those chemicals to go to work and get rid of your termite problem.

This company is one of the premiere termite and pest control companies in the greater Tampa Bay area. They have successfully fumigated all sorts of structure like high-rise towers, commercial buildings, boats, condominiums, and even mobile homes. St. Pete Termite is a company that takes pride in their work and does every single thing that they can do to eradicate a termite problem and save your structure. Something to keep in mind about St. Pete Termite is that they are fully licensed and sanctioned in the state of Florida. That means that the Florida government deems them able to provide the services that they advertise and that they do so with an amazing sense of accuracy. If you are in Florida and want to contact St. Pete Termite, go to their website at www.stpetepest.com.

CLICK HERE to learn more about Termite Identification Treatment & Control