DO IT YOURSELF PEST CONTROL
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DO IT YOURSELF PEST CONTROL
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Termites and other home wreckers
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How Termites Find Their Way Into Your Home
Subterranean termites build nests in the ground. They search ("forage") for wood (food) farther and farther from their nests their numbers grow. Foragers may make underground tunnels or above-ground "shelter tubes" of mud, feces and debris used to search for new food sources and to connect their nest to their food.
Worker Termites (They look a lot like little lice) Worker Termites in damaged wood. They can enter a building without direct wood contact with the soil through such tubes. Termites can enter buildings through racks, expansion joints, foam insulation below ground, hollow bricks or concrete blocks, or through spaces around plumbing. They can find their way into a structure through an opening as small as 1/32nd of an inch. Any building, whether constructed with a slab, basement or crawl space foundation, can be infested by termites.
Picture of a termite gallery made by termites in wood.Within this gallery you would find mud or dirt that the termites use to keep them from dehydrating.
In certain areas of the country you may encounter different types of termites, such as Formosan, dampwood, or drywood termites. If your home is infested with one of these termites, it may require different or more extensive treatment procedures including wood treatment or fumigation,How ever Homeowners are finding that they can control the size of the population and a lot of the damage Subterranean Termites do with a termite bait. First Line above groundTermite Bait is one such bait,and Firstline Ground Monitors and Bait is another tool which is very effective
Soldier Termite Worker Termite Swarmer (reproductive) Termite
Lyctid Powder Post Beetles
Powder-post beetles are small (1-7 mm) reddish-brown to black. They are; narrow, elongate, dorsoventrally flattened, with head visible dorsaly. The antennal club is abrupt and 2-segmented. Their name refers to the adults boring into seasoned wood reducing it to powder. Lyctid Powder-post beetles tend to eat hardwoods, and the wood can be dry to moist (8-32 % moisture content). The exit hole is so small a ball point pen tip can barely fit in. The debris (frass) is a fine powder, feeling like talc, and is loosely packed in the chambers.
Damage from Lyctid Powder Post Beetles
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter bees are large (18-20mm in length) and resemble the
bumble bee, except that the dorsal surface of the abdomin only has yellow hairs
on the first abdominal segment, while the rest is bare. Bumble bees have yellow
hairs on the other abdominal segments as well. Carpenter Bee
Carpenter Bee Damage
Iowa -Illinois Termite & Pest Control Inc. 3909 Marquette St. Davenport Iowa 52806 (319)-386-0598 Fax email info@iailtermite.com |
