The Best Way To Protect Your Wilmington Home From Termites

Termites are possibly the most destructive pests in the United States, and Wilmington is no exception. Termites in our area are responsible for millions of dollars in damage every year, and termites cause an estimated five billion dollars in damage per year nationwide. That's a lot of money for such a little bug. Fortunately, you don't have to take termite damage lying down. There are plenty of measures you can integrate into your Wilmington pest control plan to stop them. 

Signs Of Termite Activity To Watch For Around Your Home

Termites are extremely sneaky pests. They can live in your home for months or even years without you ever noticing. This is part of the reason why they do such costly damage. Termites don't tear up your home particularly fast, so if you catch an infestation soon after it begins, it is likely not to harm your home very much, if at all. 

However, that is not the way termites work. Since they rarely leave their nests except to mate, you will have to watch her other signs of a termite problem, such as: 

• Piles of sawdust and termite pellets, known as frass
• Pinholes in drywall
• Mud tubes around your foundation
• Damage to wood that looks like water damage without water
• Piles of shed wings

If you're seeing any of these signs without seeing significant damage, there's a chance you have caught your infestation reasonably early. You're better off if you deal with it right away. 

The Extent Of Damage Termites Can Cause To Your Home

Active termites can wreak some serious havoc on your home. Termites eat wood and tunnel through it to create their nests. Eventually, this weakens the internal structure of the wood. If this happens to your deck or stair railing, it's bad enough. But if it happens to your wall studs, floor joists, or ceiling beams, you could be looking at some severe destruction. We're talking tens of thousands of dollars in damage. That's why you should never take termite control lightly. 

Factors That Attract Termites And How To Remove Them

Termite prevention is always a lot easier and cheaper than termite removal. For this reason, the best course of action you as a homeowner can take is to remove conducive conditions that can lead to the development of a termite infestation before one starts. Take measures like:

• Eliminate moisture problems like leaks and condensation around your home.
• Reduce wood-to-ground contact around your home, whether that's firewood, mulch, or branches touching your house. 
• Make sure all the wooden components of your home are hard and dry. 

The last item is particularly important. Termites have a much harder time drilling through hardened and treated wood than rotten, old wood. This means that ensuring all the wooden components of your home are new and treated is especially important to encourage termites to stay outside where they belong. 

Contact The Pros For Total Termite Control For Your Home

If you wind up with a termite infestation, you need to treat it like an emergency because it can quickly become one. Don't try to use store-bought products to eliminate a termite infestation – all they'll do is reduce the population of termites around your property without actually getting rid of the problem. In the long run, this will lead to more damage. 

Instead, call the termite experts here at Delmar Pest Control. We've got the tools and techniques to not just reduce your home's termite load but eliminate it entirely. So don't wait until you've already incurred thousands of dollars in damage. Contact us immediately for total termite elimination.