MARCH 25-29 IS TERMITE AWARENESS WEEK

Rose Pest Solutions encourages public awareness of termites during warmer months

This week, Rose Pest Solutions is proud to observe Termite Awareness Week, an annual observance by the National Pest Management Association (NPMA) to promote public vigilance against termites and educate homeowners about ways to ensure their properties don’t fall victim to this voracious pest.

What do termites look like?

Have you ever seen a termite? Maybe you have and just didn’t know it. Check out these pictures of termites. Next time you’re planting flowers in your flower beds or digging around your house, remember that if you see something that looks like any of the following termite pictures, you should probably get in touch with a professional termite exterminator.

Get a Spring inspection

“Pest proofing and home improvement projects are often designated to the spring season. Now is the perfect time of year to remind homeowners to take the necessary steps to protect their greatest investment from costly damage,” said Rich Smith, Director of Services for Rose Pest Solutions Chicago. “Because termites aren’t often detected until it’s too late, we advise consumers to arrange for annual termite inspections from a qualified pest professional.”

Flying Ants vs Termites

Spring is the season that awakens many types of insects. Termites and ants both grow wings during this season and begin to swarm as the days grow warmer and warmer. They are adult reproductive staged insects and fly out from their existing colonies to start their own colonies.

How do you tell ants and termites apart?

Basically, it comes down to body and wing types. Now, I don’t expect you to get your magnifying glass out and study how many segments these insects have while you’re doing yard work and stumble on these. That’s what we’re here for!

Termites have:

two body segments
2 pairs of wings that are equal in length

Ants have:

3 body segments
2 pairs of wings that are longer in the front and shorter in the back

The other huge difference between ants vs termites is that termites eat wood. The carpenter ant (big black ant) is also a wood destroying insect, but doesn’t eat wood. It chews through wood, rather, forming tunnels and chambers for the colony.

Termite Damage

Termites feed 24 hours a day, seven days a week on the cellulose found in wood and paper products. They can silently chew through structures undetected and cause more than $5 billion in property damage every year, an expense that isn’t typically covered under homeowners’ insurance policies.

“This year, we anticipate termite sightings and calls to be much higher than last year because of all the moisture we’ve had this year so far,” added Smith. “In this region, we are especially concerned about the prevalence of subterranean termites. Proper identification of the species is essential to effective treatment.”

This is a piece of wood that has been damaged by termites.

Mud tubes formed by termites

How do you prevent termites?

The NPMA offers the following prevention tips for homeowners to help guard against termites:

Carefully inspect the perimeter of the home for mud tubes and rotting wood.
Repair fascia, soffits and rotted roof shingles.
Keep basements, attics and crawl spaces well ventilated and dry.
Maintain a one-inch gap between soil and wood portions of the home.
Store firewood at least 20 feet away from the house and check it for pests before bringing it indoors.

Divert water away from the home through properly functioning downspouts and gutters.

The Sentricon Solution

Did you know there’s a completely green termite control system available for both effective elimination and prevention? Sentricon, green termite treatment, has been around for years, backed by Dow Agro sciences and is what homeowners are choosing over harmful chemical injection treatments for termite control.

Certified Sentricon operator technician checks a Sentricon bait station

What is Sentricon?

Sentricon defeats termites at their own game. They feed readily on the bait, but never detect the threat — not even while the active ingredient is taking away their ability to eat, survive or breed. They never catch on. The result is death to the queen and her colony.

Sentricon takes the fight to the colony better than liquid insecticides by killing the colony and the queen. And it’s the first and only termite product to be awarded the Presidential Green Chemistry Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Get some additional info on Sentricon here.

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Sentricon Guarantee

Expert results are ensured by your Rose Certified Sentricon Specialist who has been qualified to use Sentricon to eliminate and prevent termite attacks. He or she will protect your home from termites by installing and maintaining a ring of Sentricon stations around your home. You gain the peace of mind that comes from the No. 1 brand in termite protection!

Sentricon Always Active bait station and components.

Protect your home

Want a free quote for termite prevention with Sentricon from us? Or maybe you just discovered your home has active termites or noticeable damage? Stop guessing what the next step is. Be prepared! Contact us today!

Signs of termites. Learn all about it during termite awareness week!