Termites are some of the most destructive insects that you will ever have to deal with, and they can be very difficult to get rid of, making a termite control crucial. If you do not take care of them quickly, they will eat away at your house until it is nothing but a pile of rubble.
When termites swarm in your home, there are usually two things that happen: either they fly out, or they start eating everything in sight. We’ve compiled this list for anyone who wants to know what these pesky pests like to do when they invade their homes!
What are Flying Termites
You most probably have experienced going out of your house one sunny day after heavy rainfall and noticed pieces of wings scattered on the ground. Many people have mistaken these for dragonflies, while others thought it was just carpenter ants, but many others knew what exactly these were.
Termites usually come out during the rainy season, and they do not fly very high, about one meter or three feet off ground level (high enough to pose some threat). When these termites begin to fly off, they’re usually looking to mate with another termite. After mating, the female will start to build a colony and lay thousands of eggs.
If these flying termites get into your property, then you can expect an infestation to happen.
How Do Termites Invade Homes?
Termites, just like ants and bees, are social insects. They live in colonies of hundreds or even thousands, depending on their species. For termite protection, they create nests out of the mud to protect themselves from predators as well as for housing young ones. These creatures can invade and get into your home through cracks and crevices.
The most common type of flying termites is known as swarming alates. These termites are usually seen during the rainy season when they are in their reproductive stage. They build a colony by transforming from worker termites to soldiers and, finally, winged termites.
For this transformation process, these insects must have access to food sources for energy which is why you’ll find them close to areas where there’s lots of wood or cellulose-based materials such as paper products and furniture—basically anything that comes from plants.
These flying pests will not just fly out into your home looking for something tasty. There has to be an accessible source nearby before they come into your houses, such as shrubs, dead wood, and logs.
What to Do When Dealing With Flying Termites?
These flying termites are the ones that you need to watch out for. If they get into your house, it can be a real hassle getting rid of them since their nests have been built deep underground and may even have tunnels going all throughout your home.
The first thing you must do is to remove wood and cellulose-based materials that might attract these termites. Sometimes, leaving a small area of wood is enough to bring them in and destroy your home piece by piece.
Also, make sure you check the exterior condition of all wooden structures, such as fences or decks, since they can also provide access points for termite infestation.
Another thing you should do is seal up cracks and crevices around the exterior of your house to prevent termites from coming in. This is easy enough as you just have to use some caulking, and it’ll be good as new!
What Not to Do When Dealing With Flying Termites
The thing you should never do when dealing with flying termites is deciding to take matters into your own hands. These insects are notoriously known for being resilient and can withstand many chemicals that you might try to use in getting rid of them.
Also, you should avoid using poison directly since it can easily affect your household pets, children, and even you.
Instead of dealing with these pests on your own, the best thing to do is hire a professional pest control service provider or, better yet, an exterminator who specializes in termites so that they will be able to find out where the nest is located.
Ways to Stop Future Termite Infestations
Aside from the advice we’ve provided above, you also need to provide other preventive measures so that termites will not be attracted to your house. There are many ways through which you can prevent future infestations, and here are some of them:
1. Be sure to get rid of anything made out of wood, whether they’re old furniture or just dead trees lying around on your property, as soon as possible because even if they look like they have dried up already, these pests might still find something tasty inside them.
2. Remove any source of moisture from your home since termites thrive in moist and humid conditions. This means you must make sure all leakages are fixed as well as dry out wet areas such as basements or bathrooms.
3. Make changes to the landscaping around your house, especially those with trees that have lots of leaves by thinning them down or removing certain branches so they won’t provide cover for these pests when it rains.
4. Don’t forget about wooden decks and fences, which can also be an entryway source for termite infestation! Make sure they’re free from cracks and holes before anything else happens.
In a Nutshell
Termites are a common pest problem in Malaysia. We’ve outlined some do’s and don’ts for combating termite infestation at home in this blog post. We hope you find it helpful! If you need more information about the topic or want to request an inspection of your own property, please contact us today.