The founder and owner of Ketchum Pest Control, which provides services to the northwest corner of Indiana, Stan Ketchum has a wealth of experience when it comes to getting rid of termites. His company also helps customers if they have problems with ants, cockroaches, wasps, fleas, raccoons, squirrels, mice, rats, bats, and even snakes. Here, Ketchum explains two common signs to look for if you want to find out if you have termites.
If you suspect you may have a termite problem, don’t kid yourself: Each termite you see in your home has many brothers and sisters who are capable of causing severe structural damage to your home. And in this part of the country (northwestern Indiana), the most common type of termite is the so-called Eastern subterranean termite, which means most termites are underground and harder to find.
Specializing in termite control, Ketchum Pest Control is dedicated to providing homeowners in the Northwest corner of Indiana with the peace of mind that comes with complete and lasting freedom from pests. Using the latest methods and technology, we don’t just postpone the problem; we stop it at the source so it doesn’t return.
One of the best methods we recommend for getting rid of subterranean termites is setting up bait stations. Termites are always sending out “scouts” to look for new food sources. So if you set up bait stations, and the “scouts” return to the colony to announce they have found a new source of food (i.e. your bait station), their termite buddies will follow. With time, the termites will establish a route to the bait station, and more and more of them will start clustering there. Then you slowly swap out the bait for poison. The poison is so slow-acting that by the time the termites realize anything is wrong, too much of the colony has already been exposed to it.
So how do you know you have termites in the first place? Here are two common signs:
Soft wood: Termites like damaged wood with a high moisture content. You can check for their presence by jabbing a screwdriver into a piece of wood. Depending on how far the screwdriver goes in, you can see how soft the wood is and get an idea of whether termites are there.
Mud tubes: To detect the presence of termites, you can also look for something called a mud tube. You can usually see it going from the ground up across some blocks supporting the house, either inside or outside. Mud tubes are half-moon-shaped dirt tubes that can be as narrow as half an inch or as wide as several inches. Termites build mud tubes so they have a high degree of moisture to live in. Normally you can see mud tubes on the outside of a wall. Sometimes you cannot see the tubes if the blocks of your house are hollow and the termites build them inside theses blocks.
Termites are commuters: They go back and forth to the hive everyday through these mud tubes. When they come back to the hive, they carry water with them from the colony. The mud tubes are there to provide a safe and moist environment for them to travel in.
Remember: Termites multiply rapidly, so act now before your small problem becomes a big one!
