What every homeowner should know
Tell Tale Signs: Broken off wings in window sills, mud tubes at wall ceilings or floors (inside and out), channel-like holes in wood that go with the grain or small "pinholes". These holes may be surrounded by a tiny cluster of tan-gold pellets, or you may see the pellets in piles, particularly at the foot of walls, in corners, and on door and window sills.
Health Hazards: No significant health problems have been associated with termites. Of course, no one's ever done a study on the link between discovering one's house has termites and the onset of ulcers and migraine headaches!
Property Damage: Termites damage and destroy wood, wood, wood, and wood! Every homeowner's nightmare is discovering termites eating away at his or her investment. Termites cause millions of dollars worth of damage in homes each year. Some species also burrow through and undermine brick walls, destroy cotton materials, books, wallpaper and other products containing cellulose.
Tell Me More: Termites "play host" to a variety of different insects that choose to reside in termite burrows for shelter, security and food.
Sometimes these insects even begin to take on the appearance of termites. While willing to entertain other types of insects, termites have a real attitude problem with other termites from "the wrong side of the tracks." When two different colonies meet, they begin slaughtering each other. Any excuse for a rumble!
Termites consume each other's body secretions during grooming. Should one termite accidentally bite the other and consume a drop of his body fluid, he may decide to just "go for it" and eat his buddy. The "creme de la creme" of termite society, the king, queen, and their "cabinet", are unable to feed themselves and depend on the workers to do it for them. Hrnrnmm . . .
While termites prefer some woods to others, NO wood is completely resistant to termite invasion. Termites are able to digest wood only because of the presence of Protozoa living in their intestines. The young are born without these Protozoa, but obtain them by eating the fecal pellets and fluid from the rectums of the adult termites. That' s okay, folks, I think I'll just pass on the hardwood floor and have a salad. Really.
All kidding aside: Order Your FREE Inspection today to protect your investment.
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