Common Myths About Termite Control

Termites can cause extensive damage to your home. Fortunately, you can avoid an infestation, but you will need to take care to avoid falling for some common myths.

Myth: Termite infestations are obvious

Termites can do a lot of damage before there are any obvious signs of an infestation. By the time you are noticing structural damage, wood dust, and termite leavings or frass inside your home or around your foundation, you will already have an extensive breeding colony infesting your home. Termite colonies work quietly and the usually first invade areas you don't see often, such as crawlspaces, under the floorboards, deep in the walls, or even in the attic. If you live in an area with a high risk of termites, it's a much better idea to plan on annual inspections by a professional.

Myth: Brick homes are safe from termites

Although your exterior walls may be made of brick, metal siding, stucco, or some other non-wood material, the chances are the material used for the framing of those walls is wood. Termites can find an entrance to the wood framing through the same means as any pests. Cracks in the brick mortar or holes in the building exterior, such as where your cable line passes through, are common entrances. Sealing cracks and pass-throughs can help prevent a termite infestation, but it is no guarantee that they won't find a way in.

Myth: One treatment will prevent termites

Often, homeowners schedule a foundation barrier treatment for termites and then assume that the house needs no further treatments or inspections. Although a foundation treatment can last years, depending on the type, it rarely lasts forever. Often, the treatment zone loses efficacy for simple reasons. The barrier gets destroyed by landscaping activities near the foundation, for example, or a flood washes away the treatment strip. Further, termites can bypass the treatment line around the foundation by using a tree branch or similar object as a bridge. You still need inspections, even if you had your home treated.

Myth: Concrete foundations provide suitable prevention

Much like brick walls, a concrete foundation is no guarantee against termites. Crawlspace foundations with wood supports may be more exposed to termites, but a hungry colony won't be stopped for long by a concrete foundation. The insects can make their way in through foundation cracks. If you have wood siding, they may simply just crawl up the foundation and invade through the siding. Inspections and preventative treatments are the only reliable option.

Don't let your home fall prey to termites because of these common myths. Call a termite control service, like Kingsway Extermination, today to take real steps toward keeping your home safe.


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