It’s one of those things that keep any property owner up at night. You may do everything in your power to keep your home or business well maintained, but a bad termite infestation can definitely affect your property value. So you need to be on the lookout and this is the time of year you should pay special attention to possible termite problems. As the weather gets warmer, termites will become more active. It’s also common to see termites swarm in the spring. If you’re worrying about termites right now, you can protect yourself with Arrow Exterminating.
Arrow Has Been Battling Termites For More Than 70 Years
Arrow Exterminating is no newcomer to the battle against termites, we’ve been helping customers battle termites on Long Island in Nassau and Suffolk Counties since 1947. We also serve the 5 boroughs of New York City. Our expert technicians know all the ways termites can get onto your property. We will inspect the premises as well as the interior of your home or business for evidence of infestation. If we see something, we’ll design a plan to take care of the problem. We want our customers to know about spring termite swarms.
Termite Colonies and Swarming
To understand why termites begin to swarm in the spring, we need to understand a bit about the life cycle of termites and what goes on in termite colonies. According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), termites are usually classified in three groups: Workers, Soldiers and Swarmers. Workers are basically in the construction and repair business; they build and repair the colony’s nest. Soldiers take care of protecting the nests. Swarmers handle reproduction and there’s a lot of that going on in the spring.
When the weather gets warmer, NPMA estimates this occurs around the time temperatures hit 70 degrees Fahrenheit, both male and female swarmers become active. Termites look like ants but with a straight waist (instead of pinched) and wings about twice the length of the body. They leave their nests in large numbers and female swarmers release mating pheromones to attract males. The termites couple and begin to nest. When the coupling happens, the male termites shred their wings. If you see those wings in your home, it’s a telltale sign that you may have an infestation.
According to Angie’s List, you will only see termites swarm once and that is early in the spring. Very often the swarming will occur right after a heavy rain. If you see any other type of insect swarming after spring, they usually aren’t termites. They might be ants and you shouldn’t ignore them but now is the time to begin looking for termites. The swarming termites won’t immediately damage your property, but once a colony is established you could see damage and termite damage can be extensive. These insects cause over $2 billion in damage each year.
If You Have Termites, You Need Arrow
Discarded wings aren’t the only signs of termite infestation. Other things that indicate you may have a problem include dark, blistering or rotted wood, and dirt colored tubes in or around your home or wooden structural features of your home or building which sound hollow when tapped. If you have any of these problems, don’t risk the damage. Contact Arrow today.
