BATON ROUGE, La (BRPROUD) ––– In the warmer months, pest control companies say termites are threatened.
Jeremy Seaton, owner of River City Termites & Pest Control, says we are experiencing two swarming seasons for two different species of termites.
The indigenous underground termites swarm first: “Every time the temperature rises above 80 degrees in February or March, these termites swarm,” says Seaton. These termites swarm for 3-4 months and are black in color.
The Formosan termite swarm begins in mid-April and is yellow in color.
“The two biggest differences between these termites is the volume in which they reproduce. The natives will only have about 200,000 to 400,000 per colony, and the Formosans will have 10 to 13 million per colony, ”Seaton says.
“In the evening, especially for the Formosans, when they are flying over your house and looking down, your ventilation pipes are actually lit up. They are attracted to this pipe and as soon as you drop this pipe they come out in your bathroom, ”says Seaton.
It’s not just the termites in your home that you should be concerned about. Says Seaton, “To give you an idea for every half acre of land in Louisiana, we have 200,000 [native] Termites. Well, for every half an acre of land with Formosans, you have 10 million. “
“When these termites land, they form new colonies wherever they land. Just because you see termites in your home, the real threat comes from your yard, ”he says.
But your home isn’t the only destination, says Seaton. “Trees are prone to termites, just like your home. I start calling a lot of customers because the termites get in the tree and eat the tree. We get a storm and the tree falls and then they discovered it was full of termites. “
He says that many people who have a termite control contract fail to realize that their contract does not include a guarantee of termite damage. “The company’s only responsibility is to withdraw the property, you know, what’s the use of a homeowner,” he says.
While he says some do-it-yourself treatments can work, nothing is as good as a professional treatment for your home, and the best time to prepare is now.
“The termite pressure that our own houses in Baton Rouge are putting on is getting worse and worse because, with every year they have different flocking seasons, they get bigger and further away from their source,” he says.
For more information on River City Termites & Pest Control, visit the website HERE.
