Living in the Southeast can have its fair share of upsides. One of the biggest upsides, depending on your preferences, is the year-round warm weather. We don’t have to worry about blizzards or shoveling driveways in the wintertime. Instead, we have to worry about termites. Turns out these small wood-destroying frustrations also love the warm weather, in fact, they thrive in it year round. That being said, if your home does not already have protection against termites, now is the time to start considering it.
How bad are termites?
The good news when it comes to termites is that they do not pose any major threat to your health, besides maybe your mental health. They do not bite, sting, or spread disease as other pests can. What they are known for is destroying homes to the tune of billions of dollars in damage each year across the US. They do this when they tunnel through the wood of homes, collecting cellulose to feed their colonies. Here's a not-so-fun fact: a subterranean termite colony can grow to have up to 2 million members! Keeping in mind that termites never sleep, our weather never gets cold enough to drive them underground, and that our climate is often humid which aids them in destroying homes, we have ourselves the perfect storm for termite activity.
Damage Termites Cause
By now you know that termites invade homes to find food for their colonies, but you may still be wondering what that damage looks like. Here is some of the potential damage termites can cause.
- Carpet, Book, and Picture Damage: Although termites mainly eat wood, however, they have been known to eat other materials that contain cellulose. This includes carpets, books, and photographs.
- Bubbling Wallpaper/Paint: When termites destroy wood and spread moisture underneath wallpaper or paint, it can cause it to bubble, making it look uneven and unattractive to look at.
- Structural Damage: When termites are allowed to destroy the foundation of a structure freely for extended amounts of time, the damage can eventually start affecting the structure of the building itself. This can result in ceilings and floors sagging, and other major structural damage.
Why Professional Termite Protection Is So Important
Because of all of the factors that encourage termites to destroy homes here in the Southeast, it is up to you as a homeowner to put in place measures that will keep termites away. The best way to do this is by getting the professionals here at Havard Pest Control involved. With our termite protection services, your home will have the long-lasting defenses it needs to keep hungry termites at bay. For more information on what this would look like for your home or to schedule your own termite inspection, give us a call! We would be happy to find the solution to your termite problem or protect you from having one in the first place.