Many states experience the rise and fall of termite populations throughout the year. Here in Knoxville, termites are always a problem, especially during our warm, often humid summers. With the threat of termites damaging the wooden structures of your home or business, it’s natural to want to protect your property. However, these wood-destroying insects can be difficult to remove once you have them. To help you protect your property from these wood-destroying organisms, here are five things you should know about termites.
Termites Damage Properties
Many homeowners overlook how damaging termites can be, thinking, “What can one termite colony do to my property?” But some termite colonies can reach upwards of 1 million individual termites, and termites can cost homeowners hundreds of thousands of dollars in repairs if a colony isn’t noticed for several years. If termites are destroying your home, you may begin to notice warped floorboards, cracks in your ceiling, sticking windows, and weakened siding. On a national scale, termites cost home and business owners over 5 billion dollars each year.
Termites Invade Silently
Termites are like the ninjas of the insect world. They eat away at the inside of a structure, silently, and they avoid light, which means termite damage can continue inside the walls of a property for many years without your knowledge. And if termites cannot climb directly from the soil into wood that is touching the soil, they will build mud tubes in hidden places. These tubes allow termites to travel from the soil to the wood of a home, undetected.
Termites Never Stop Working
Most creatures require some form of sleep or rest throughout their lives. Some insects go dormant for periods of time when the temperatures get cold, but not termites! Inside the walls of a structure, termites work hard from the moment they are sent out till the day they die. These tireless workers are always awake and active, creating tunnels and extending their colonies further into your home. Termites are active 24 hours a day, every day, all year long.
There Can Be Multiple Termite Colonies on Your Property
Termites are not territorial, so they don’t have a problem infesting the same structure as another termite colony. In fact, if you have one termite colony on your property, it increases the likelihood that another colony will infest your home! Once a colony on your property reaches maturity, it will produce winged reproductives (often called “swarmers”) which are sent out to find places to start new colonies. These new colonies are usually established close to the original colony. This means you could have 3 or more termite colonies infesting the same structure.
Homeowners Insurance Does Not Cover Termite Damage
Much to the dismay of Knoxville residents, most homeowners insurance policies do not cover termite damage. There’s a logical reason for this. House fires, floods, and damage caused by natural disasters are covered by homeowners insurance because this damage is not under the homeowner’s control. However, damage caused by termites IS preventable with the help of a home pest control plan. Since damage caused by termites can be prevented, insurance companies usually will not cover the cost of termite-damage repairs.
It is important that your Knoxville home has a termite protection program in place so termites don’t invade in the first place. Here at Russell’s Pest Control, we offer termite inspections, treatments, prevention, and removal plans for all Knoxville residents. Whether you want to eliminate an existing termite colony or protect your property from becoming a termite’s next target, we have a solution for you. Reach out to us today for more information on all our pest control services!
5 Things You Should Know About Termites In Knoxville in Knoxville TN
Serving East Tennessee since 1971
