Termite Control Measures for Residential Homes

For many, termite control and management is an issue that occurs more often than they like. These persistent little creatures like to eat wood and other organic and cellulosic materials. They multiply like crazy and they can go unnoticed for several years before the homeowners are aware that they are infested. Their population increase can be tremendous if unchecked because a queen can produce hundreds of eggs. The government recognizes their threat, which is why it encourages people who have property to seek and destroy any colonies that they can find. These creatures are basically susceptible to attacks from other insects and animals, which is why they create distinct tubes where they pass and travel undercover.

Signs of Infestation
One of the first signs that a structure needs termite control and management is when an infestation occurs. A homeowner will know that his house in home to a colony if he sees several of the so-called shelter tubes around the dwelling, especially concrete structures. The problem with these insects is that when they are in a house, they tend not to make their shelter tubes because they have no need for this. Their natural predators are often very few inside a home. If the house is partially made of wood, these creatures stay within the wooden walls and eat their way through them. Once can see these shelter tubes on concrete walls where they cannot eat through and need these tunnels to travel in. Another sign of an impending need for termite control is eaten wood and other cellulosic materials. Once these creatures are in a home, they eat through wood, paper, cardboard and fabric. While the others are not so often damaged by these insects because they are usually moved around and used, wood structures in the house, which are immovable, are often the victim of the greedy little mouths. Wooden beams, walls, flooring and doors are just some of the many food sources of the insects.

Management
In many cases, pest control experts are called to manage the populations that infest houses and other buildings. Modern houses these days have timber that has been treated with chemicals and solutions that discourage the presence of these insects. In spite of this, some of the wood may not have been treated well enough and some colonies can still eat through them. When building a house or structure, it is best to choose well-treated wood for wooden parts of the house. Some trees, which can be used for timber, are also naturally resistant to the creatures. Those with turpentine and resin are found to be basically able to resist being eaten by them. Termite control and management also comes in annual form such as the application of chemicals and substances that can kill most of the population in the structure. The downside to this is that even people will get sick when exposed to too much of the chemicals and they have to be out of the house when these are applied.