What do drywood termites eat

Termite swarmers should not be mistaken for ant swarmers. Ant swarmers have a pinched waist, their front wings are longer than their hind wings, and their antenna are elbowed. Many people make the mistake of thinking termite swarmers are ant swarmers and put their homes at further risk. If you have a doubt, call a pest management professional to identify what type of insect it is. Dodson Pest control, like many pest management companies offers free inspections for this type of issue.

A pile of wings is a sign that swarmers have emerged in the recent past. Only finding wings is important since termites pull their wings off shortly after landing and finding a mate, while ants keep their wings attached.

Common places that piles of wings are usually located are by a porch or in the windows. Mud tubes are probably the most recognizable sign of termite activity. These are small straw shaped tubes of mud allowing termites to move back and forth between their food source and their colony while maintaining their moisture requirements. The tubes are typically against a structure, but can be suspended in midair on occasion.

Termite castles are another sign that termites have been present at a location. These look very similar to mud tubes, but you will find a cluster of them and they are usually a little thicker than mud tubes.

These are built around the time a colony releases swarmers. These droppings often look like wood particles or sawdust due to how much wood termites eat. If you find these pellet-shaped droppings, your home may have a termite infestation. Finding damaged wood is never a fun experience for a homeowner, but the condition of the wood tells us everything we need to know. Subterranean termites bring the mud into the wood with them to maintain their moisture requirements and feed along the grain.

You can crack this mud open and see if any live termites are inside to determine if the area is actively being fed on. If the mud is completely dried out and brittle, that spot may have been abandoned for more hospitable areas. A pest management company can inspect this evidence and let you know if there is still active termites in that area and what options you have. Additional structural repairs may be necessary depending on how extensive the damage is.

Other signs that termites are present are not as obvious. Finding damaged boxes with mud in it, picture frames that have been eaten, bubbles in paint and wood that appears to be fine but feels hollow when pushed are a few other signs that termites have been present.

Debunking common termite misconceptions can empower homeowners to protect their property. Termite limitations and preferences reveal the key areas where they enter and damage homes.

While termites are destructive, you can discourage them from building a colony in your home by understanding the ways they behave. Termites eat wood and anything containing cellulose, such as wallpaper, books, boxes, carpet backing, drywall and furniture. In their natural environment, termites support the ecosystem.

They digest rotting wood, turning it into humus, an organic material that improves soil. When land development displaces termites, they can occupy and destroy buildings. Termites cannot eat through plastic. Bed bugs are travelers. Before moving into your mattress or settling down in your nightstand, they may have lived in a hotel, office, school or other place where people gather. Because bed bugs can attach themselves to clothes, furniture, luggage and even your pets, they can also hitch a ride in your car, rental vehicle, taxi or rideshare.

This gives them easy access to anything you transport with you and a free ride to everywhere you go, including your home. But there's a reason why this saying is so old and so well known: bed bugs have been around for a very long time.

These pesky insects have recently seen a resurgence in population and now, it's more likely than ever that you or someone you know will eventually deal with some kind of bed bug infestation. Suddenly, that phrase takes on a whole new significance! No one wants to share their bed with bugs, and this feeling especially applies to the aptly named bed bugs. Bed bugs are small, parasitic insects that feed on our blood while we sleep. If you've spotted large, black ants in or near your house along with small piles of what looks like sawdust, there's a chance you may have wood ants.

As their name might suggest, wood ants — also called carpenter ants — can cause structural damage to wooden parts of your home. Bed bugs are tiny pests that love to hide in furniture and other common areas. In recent years, bed bugs have gone from living in obscurity to taking center stage in the United States. Drywood termite pellets are usually the color of the wood they are eating. They are smaller than grains of rice and pile up around damaged wood. Pellets are also commonly found inside tunnels.

To control drywood termites , a pest management professional is needed. Place fitted, type 20 mesh screen on all doors, windows, vents, openings, etc. Seal up any unfinished wood in, on and around your home. You can use paint, varnish or sealant, but make sure the coats are even and any nail holes or other cracks are sealed as well.

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