Termites are scary pests to find on your property. They feed on wood, making buildings a common target. These insects travel through hidden tunnels to avoid discovery and slowly damage structures. As a result, they can remain for months and years without detection. Professional termite control in Santa Barbara can find and remove these pests to protect your property. Read on to learn about termites and how to keep them away from your house.
Termite Activity: How To Identify The Signs
Termites in Santa Barbara are some of the most challenging pests to tackle on your property. They live in the soil and build mud tunnels to reach your foundation. They drill tiny holes in your wood and eat from the inside out, enabling them to hide from view. However, these pests do leave signs of their existence, including:
- Winged termites flying around your home
- Piles of termite wings discarded by swarmers
- Wood-colored termite feces that appear like sawdust shavings
- Tiny round holes in your wood
These indications of a termite infestation are small and hard to see. However, knowing the signs of termites will help you discover an infestation before the damage is severe. When you recognize signs of these pests in your home, call the termite control experts for help.
From Bad To Worse: How Termite Damage Can Escalate Quickly
Termites in Santa Barbara are similar to ants in that they live in large colonies and invade buildings for food and water. But while ants search your kitchen for food, termites feed on cellulose. The substance is a component of many household items, including wood. Since there's more wood in your house than other objects, it's a common attractant for these pests.
A termite problem in your home is concerning because they'll slowly eat through your wood. Some species can cause damage in six months, but it can take years with other species. However, a developed colony can have hundreds of thousands of workers, enabling them to escalate the damage they cause to your home.
As you might expect, the more termites that enter your house, the quicker they'll eat through your wood, resulting in significant structural damage. Recognizing a termite infestation and calling professionals to eliminate the pests will help you avoid this troublesome fate.
Protecting Your Property: Effective Termite Prevention Methods
Since termites can remain hidden while on your property, they're hard to discover. In the meantime, they can cause significant damage to your home. The best way to avoid a potentially devastating infestation is to prevent them from getting inside in the first place. Some termite prevention tips to keep these insects away from your house include:
- Close cracks in your exterior.
- Divert water away from your foundation.
- Repair leaks in your pipes or faucets.
- Ventilate your crawl spaces, basement, and attic.
- Keep your soil from contacting your wood.
These tips will keep most termites out of your house and make it less desirable. But some might find or create other entry points into your home. When you suffer an infestation in your house, you'll need the assistance of termite removal experts.
Professional Termite Control: Long-Term Termite Control And Protection
The ability of termites to remain hidden and eat through wood makes them some of the most troublesome pests to invade Santa Barbara homes. When you see signs of these pests in your yard or house, you'll need help from Jhonny's Pest Control. Our technicians can provide real estate inspections, termite fumigation, and soil treatments for subterranean termites. Call us to learn more about our home pest control in Santa Barbara or to schedule an inspection.