Termite dangers and risks
Do you think about termites being a danger or a risk? Termites are a danger to ALL homes and businesses. They can thrive inside your home, feasting upon it without you seeing a single sign. If you ignore the signs, it might be too late.
“Unless you call Alaska home, your house is not safe from termite damage.”
Sentricon, (the number one brand in termite protection…)
That sums it up for us!
Termite risks
Termites are found in over five million homes per year and cause homeowners over FIVE BILLION dollars per year. That’s a lot of termite damage.
Termite dangers
Termites are very organized and efficient. Don’t “wait to see” signs of termites. Not only are repair costs costly, but you are also putting yourself, your family or your employees at risk. Damaged wood is weakened by termites and will eventually rot and fall away.
Signs of termites
- Swarming: look for lots of discarded and broken wings. Windows, doors, vents, bathtubs, and sinks are common places to find termite wings.
- Mud tubes: look on foundation walls, inside walls, and plumbing pipes. Mud tubes (also called “termite highways”) provide moist places and safety from ants. They are made of moist soil and excrement and start around the diameter of a pencil.
- Damaged wood: knock on wood and if it sounds hollow and gives away easily, look closer. Termites are eating from the inside out and following along the grain of the wood. Many times you will find more mud tubes inside the wood along with living termites.
Prevent termite dangers and risks
Whether you suspect you have termites or want to prevent termites from ever entering your home or business, we have options.
Our Sentricon Specialist pest technicians at Lawn and Pest Solutions have been highly trained by Sentricon. Not every pest control company qualifies to be able to provide Sentricon service.
Sentricon is the number one brand in termite protection and there is a reason that Lawn and Pest Solutions is qualified to be a provider.
Contact our office to have your home or business inspected by our specialists. Our licensed technicians serve the North Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee areas.
Spray foam insulation
Spray foam insulation is a cost effective way to insulate your home. The foam is sprayed on as a liquid that hardens. This hardened foam fills in the spaces between the wood framing of your home.
This form of insulation gives your walls and ceilings a hard, waterproof barrier that effectively keeps heat AND cold in OR out. Many builders prefer spray foam insulation for all of these reasons.
Termites are tiny little pests that eat just a little bit of wood at a time, but they never stop eating. They can destroy your home or business if left untreated.
Termites thrive in high humidity environments where they travel in mudtubes or stay underground. These pests are a fact of life for us in the South.
Before choosing spray foam as your insulation
Consider these facts:
- Termites can travel quickly through spray foam insulation without having to go to the trouble of building mudtubes.
- Spray foam insulation provides what some call a “superhighway” of travel for termites in your home.
How can something be too good?
Hardened spray foam can trap moisture between the wood in the walls and frames of any structure.
Moist wood is the preferred meal of all termites.
In the high humidity of the South, moist wood (which can’t breathe due to the highly effective waterproof barrier of spray foam insulation) becomes an easy target for termites.
Spray foam insulation can hide water leaks for years because it can hold a tremendous amount of water.
Hidden leaks and water damage (plus the presence of moisture) create a perfect environment for termites to thrive.
Facts
When conventional insulation is in place, water leaks are more easily detected. These types of insulations can be easily removed and replaced. This is not the case with spray foam.
Termites are not drawn to, nor do they eat spray foam insulation.
More facts:
Termites like to eat wood.
Termites are drawn to moist wood.
Termites are not attracted to spray foam and they don’t like to eat it.
Termites use the foam as a way to move faster than ever between the wood framing of a home.
Spray foam makes termites much harder to detect.
Even the most trained and experienced technicians have a very hard time finding termites in a home insulated with spray foam.
Homeowners insurance does not cover termite damage.
Sometimes by the time that termites are discovered, it is too late.Termite damage is considered to be preventable. Read that again.
If you aren’t protecting your home or business from termites, they are eventually going to get you. All structures including metal buildings are at risk for termites. Every structure has cabinets, sheetrock, flooring, papers, trim and wood to protect.
If you have a home that is NOT insulated with spray foam, Lawn and Pest Solutions can help you to stop current termite troubles, or to prevent inevitable termite troubles.
We are located in New Albany, MS, and cover Memphis, TN, and the entire North Mississippi area. Our licensed technicians can come and inspect your home for Termite360, our termite program and advise you on a plan of treatment. Contact us here to get a very fast and efficient response to your needs.
Cleaning gutters
“One Thing Leads to Another”
The Fixx
Cleaning gutters prevents many other issues. In 1983 an English new wave band hit the charts with “One Thing Leads to Another”. Maybe this song isn’t about cleaning out your gutters, it is a catchy reminder.
Grab a friend for this job!
Cleaning gutters is a job no one looks forward to. A lonely guy on a ladder screams “bad decision making” and YouTube is filled with proof. This link may help you keep safety first in mind!
What if I don’t clean my gutters?
- If you don’t clean your gutters, they become clogged with leaves and debris.
- Clogged gutters don’t drain and they collect water.
- Collected water causes wood to decay and rot
Guess who loves rotting and decaying wood? Termites! Termites feast on rotting wood.
That’s not all.
As a result of clogged gutters, washed areas form. These areas can hold water close to your foundation. This causes the soil to become saturated and water can seep under your foundation. Joining the group of water loving pests are mosquitoes!
It’s not a fun job, but someone’s got to do it.
Overflowing gutters can wash out mulch and flower beds near your home. These washed areas can thin out your lawn. This can then give weed seeds an open area to grow and germinate. In addition to all of the previous problems, no one wants more weeds or a thinned out lawn.
Make it a priority to clean out your gutters this spring. Cleaning gutters is the “one thing” that can stop from leading to “another”. While we don’t offer gutter cleaning services, Lawn and Pest Services can assist you with termites, mosquitoes and weed control. Contact us here and we will send a licensed pest technician to give you a quote. We serve the North Mississippi and Memphis area neighborhoods of Tennessee.