Is DIY Termite Control In Cypress Worth The Hassle This Termite Season?

There are so many things in life that can cause your home harm. Some of these things are outside of your control, like hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. These tragic forces of nature are thankfully covered by homeowners insurance. What is not covered is termite damage. Why? Because insurance providers consider it to be a preventable disaster. This means they put full responsibility on you to make sure your home has the proper defenses in place to avoid these pests in the first place. Not everyone knows this. In fact, many people in Cypress have not taken the time to research termites and the serious problems they can cause. We are going to make sure this is not the case with you and that you have everything you need to combat these pests inside and around your home.

With that said, here is what you need to know about DIY and professional termite pest control in Cypress and how these methods can help you avoid the trouble these pests cause. Call Modern Pest Control today if you have questions about our services or if you need immediate assistance removing a termite infestation from your home or property. We will send a technician your way and find a guaranteed solution to these nasty wood-destroying insects.

Why A Termite Infestation Can Go Unnoticed For A Long Time

There is a lot you ought to know about termites. Let’s start with where these pests live. The most common types of termites in Cypress are Formosan subterranean termites. These pests live underground in colonies of hundred to hundreds of thousands of members. From these colonies, they build tunnels to sources of wood nearby. This might be a pile of untreated lumber outside your home or your home itself. To get into a home these pests build mud tubes to crawl up foundational blocks and across other non-wood barriers. They are also known to build mud tubes inside the walls of structures while harvesting wood.

All of this explains the main reason why Formosan termites and other common kinds of termites are so difficult to identify. They spend little to no time above ground. The only thing they do to indicate their presence is munch on wood. Unless you regularly place your ear to every wall and floor inside your home to listen for a soft clicking sound, the first sign you will find of these pests is the visible damage they cause. This damage includes tight-fitting doors and windows, overly-squeaky floorboards, sagging floors, and ceilings, bubbling paint and wallpaper, buckling beams, and visible galley ways that travel through baseboards, studs, and other unpainted or untreated wooden structures. 

Although termite damage is the most common way that homeowners find out they have an active infestation, there are some other signs of termites that might help you identify these pests. One of these signs is swarmers. Termite swarmers are reproductive members that are born with wings. They use these wings to fly around on warm wet days, usually after a hard day of rain. Even in these moist conditions, swarmers can only survive a short time above ground before they need to find shelter. Identify a Formosan swarmer by its 5/16” long, pale yellow to brown body, and the long translucent wings that extend well past its rump. Where you see swarmers is a good indication of whether you have an existing problem or if you might have a problem in the near future. These pests outside looking in indicate that they are checking out your home as a potential snack. These pests on the inside looking for a way out is a more clear sign of an active infestation. 

What matters most is that you understand the best way to identify termites. This involves bringing in a pest control professional. At Modern Pest Control, we offer detailed inspections to help locals spot termites inside their homes. If you cannot afford year-round termite control, we highly recommend investing in a yearly inspection. Because termites damage homes slowly, this is the absolute best way to identify an infestation before it leads to moderate to severe structural damage.

Why Do I Have Termite Infestation In My Home?

Termites are food-motivated pests. Their entire existence revolves around finding cellulose to eat, gathering it, and feeding their queen so she can make more workers, soldiers, and reproductives to keep colonies functioning optimally. 

This brings us to why you have a termite infestation. If these pests are inside your home it is because they found wood that can be easily chewed through. Different types of termites like different kinds of wood. Drywood termites look for dry wood that is untreated or damaged by the sun. Subterranean termites prefer water-damaged, rotting, or otherwise softened wood. These conditions are often present before infestations occur. 

What we recommend is walking around your home’s exterior and looking for wood that is affected in these ways. It is also helpful to look for conditions that might lead to future damage. Here are a few factors that might encourage termites to invade your home if they haven’t already:

• Peeling paint that allows for the sun to dry out the wood beneath
• Untreated sections of wood that are regularly exposed to direct sunlight
• Clogged gutters that overflow and lead to wet walls and water build-up around the exterior of a home
• Water build up around a home’s exterior due to poor drainage
• Leaky piping or fixtures inside or around your home that directly affects structural wood
• Access humidity inside your home for days or weeks at a time
• Wood piles, untreated lumber, sticks, leaves, cardboard, or other cellulose-based clutter around your home’s exterior
• Dead trees, stumps, or other large natural objects on your property

There is a lot you can do to discourage termites from building a nest on your property. This is where DIY methods come in. Here are some things you should know about the difference between do-it-yourself preventative and reactive termite control and why one is much more effective than the other.

Do-It-Yourself Termite Control Is A Waste Of Time And Money

Do-it-yourself pest control is an incredibly controversial subject. Many people say that there are guaranteed and simple options to combat these pests and prevent them from getting indoors. Others recommend that DIY should be avoided at all costs. We fall somewhere in the middle. Our personal opinion is that DIY works best when termites are not present in the first place. This is to say that there are so many things you can do that will drastically reduce your chances of finding these pests inside your home. Here are eight examples of termite prevention tips our experts want you to know.

1. Repair damage to your gutters and have them cleaned at least once a year. This will help channel water away from your home’s structural wood.
2. Eliminate sources of water build up on your property, especially pools around your home’s exterior that might negatively affect wooden supports.
3. Invest in a dehumidifier for your home to keep moisture levels down throughout the year. Along with deterring termites, this will also make your living areas more comfortable.
4. Walk around your property and pick up leaves, sticks, cardboard, and other wood or wood-based clutter that might attract unwanted termites.
5. Remove fallen trees and dead stumps from your yard. We also recommend removing dead trees that are no longer producing leaves as they will quickly attract termites.
6. Repair damage to leaky piping and fixtures that might attribute to water-damaged wood inside your homes walls, floors, and ceilings.
7. Create a non-wood barrier between your home’s wood and the soil around it. This will make it more difficult for termites to climb up without being noticed.
8. Fill in gaps, holes, and cracks around your home’s exterior foundation. We suggest using some silicone caulk or liquid cement for this job.

The biggest challenge with DIY prevention is the time, effort, and money that is required to do the job right. This is a big reason why many homeowners choose to avoid it and choose professional control instead.

Where DIY prevention is possible with effort, time, and resources, elimination is a much different beast. Most professionals use bait stations or liquid injections to combat termite problems. These methods are designed for commercial use and require a licensed professional for installation. There is also expensive equipment that is required with this process which is too expensive and impractical for the average consumer. Even if you do make this investment and take the time needed to research these methods and implement them around your property, there is still the problem of knowing if they are working or not. Because termite activity happens out of view, professionals use advanced detection equipment to track, monitor, and detect these pests deep inside walls, floors, ceilings, and underground where they live. Without this equipment and the training to spot subtle signs of termites, it is nearly impossible to know if any of the treatments you are using are having any effect. 

Keeping all of this in mind, if you suspect your home has an active infestation, do not try to handle it on your own. The last thing we want is for your to waste your time, effort, and money on treatments that might not work at all. Instead, talk with our team about our affordable year-round termite control options. We would be more than happy to walk you through the details of our services and find a treatment that best meets your need. Curious to know why you should choose Modern Pest Control for your termite and other pest control needs? Here is what you need to know to make an informed decision on whether we are right for you and your home.

Professional Termite Control Is The Best Termite Control Solution

Professional pest control is all about peace of mind. It is meant to be a service that offers homeowners a way to identify, eliminate, and prevent any wild animal, creepy crawly, or other invasive pests that might cause them harm or harm to their homes. 

At Modern Pest Control, we work hard to provide this for members of our community here in Cypress. It all starts with a thorough termite inspection. Let our team members pay your home and property a visit. They will thoroughly check your home and yard for any existing termite nests and damage. If any of these wood-destroying insects are found, we will recommend immediate treatments.

The good news is that these treatments are the same as if you are seeking complete year-round termite protection. The method we use to combat these pests is Sentricon®. Sentricon® is a system that utilized bait stations. We install these stations around properties in targeted areas where termites are most active. Termites then wander into these stations and find little tasty treats. What they don’t know is that these tasty treats contain a slow-acting poison that gets onto their bodies. When they return to their nests they spread this poison onto other active members, including their queen. A short time later the entire colony is either eliminated or running around without a purpose because their queen is no longer around to give orders. Either way, its problem solved. Regardless of whether termites are inside your home or just coming onto your property for the first time, Sentricon® works to entice and eliminate these pests.

One thing you have to consider is who you choose for your pest control. We will be honest with you, there are many options for pest control here in Cypress. What we offer at Modern Pest Control is a dedicated and unique approach to pest control and customer support. We work hard to customize our services to meet each individual client’s needs. We do not believe in spray-and-pray methods but rather use a IPM (integrated pest management) approach with all of our methods.

Contact our team at Modern Pest Control today to learn more about our termite control and find the right option to combat these pests inside and around your Cypress home.