Termites

A termite infestation is far more common in the Northeast than one might expect, even in Pike County, Pennsylvania or Sussex County, New Jersey. Whether your home is in the heart of Milford, or in the woods of Dingmans Ferry, you can be at risk.

What Role Does a Termite Play?

They are decomposers, you can think of them as the ecosystem’s janitor. They help break down and reduce fallen trees into fertile soil, and they do a pretty good job. The problem is that they don’t know the difference between the wood in fallen trees and the wood in your home. When that happens they can do some serious structural damage, and this can happen for years without you noticing!

Our Program is:

• Sustainable
• Very low environmental impact
• Highly effective at protecting your home from termite damage

How Do We Take Care of Them?

Here at Masters Pest Control, we use the Exterra Monitoring & Baiting Program. This is a relatively straightforward and simple multi-step process:

1. Installation of stations in the ground 10 to 20 feet apart by one of our experienced termite technicians.
2. The stations are inspected at periodic intervals for the presence of activity.
3. When we find activity the bait is added.
4. Repeat inspections between 30 and 45 days until activity ceases.

How Does This Work?

Termites are colony insects; the workers gather food to feed to the colony. The Exterra Monitoring & Baiting Program uses this knowledge to effectively exterminate the colony. When activity is observed our service technician adds the bait to the station. The bait slowly eliminates the colony, as the workers will bring it to the colony for them to eat. If we expose them too quickly they’ll avoid the station, but if we do it too slowly it’ll take too long. Our experienced technicians know just the right dose to get rid of their colony, once and for all, and continued monitoring help protect your home from future intrusions from new colonies.

Did You Know?

• Fixed walls, floors, ceilings, cabinets, shelving, stored items, ductwork, plumbing, wiring, furnishing, appliances, and insulation limit the ability to inspect for these pests.
• Even under the best of conditions for a home, typically 85% to 90% of the structure is inaccessible to inspection.
• Even though not all finished basements get termites, there isn’t really anywhere to detect them.
• Because of this limited detection, termite damage can go undetected for years.
• Termites can access your home through small cracks (1/64 of an inch) in concrete, cement block, or stone.

How to Protect Your Home

These are are slow and persistent creatures, and their sphere of influence can be up to 300 feet away from the food source (wood or your house). While there are preventative measures, such as shields between the foundation and sill plate, they’re effective but not completely. They can build shelter tubes over this shield, and while it may allow them to get to the wood, it also exposes them, making them easier to detect. Follow these few preventative steps:

1. 1. Keep the moisture away from your foundation.
      • Make sure you have properly working downspouts.
      • Avoid having your siding contact the grade (ground). There should be a gap of at least 8 inches between the ground and where your siding begins.
      • An improperly sloped porch can have moisture running towards your structure during rainstorms, I’d recommend covering your porch with a roof.
      • Don’t plant plants and vegetation next to the foundation, and clear out plants and dense vegetation near it. Plants draw in plenty of moisture, which can damage your foundation and attract these pests.
   2. Wood debris can attract them. Having such debris on the ground near your house or under your porch is problematic.

If you are interested in learning more check out our homeowners’ survey.

Masters Pest Control uses the Exterra Termite Monitoring & Baiting Program by Ensystex. For more information, go to www.exterra.com

Call us Today at 877-546-9575 to get your termite situation under control.