GaineyLaing189

This year, home owners nationwide will host millions of houseguests with insatiable appetites. These intruders constantly turn up uninvited and threaten to consume their unsuspecting hosts "out of home and property."

But in contrast to rowdy relatives who loudly overstay their welcome, these ambitious guests will invade quietly, maintaining a hidden life-style and thriving unnoticed for numerous years.

The pests are termites, a menace to homeowners across the nation. Termites might be silent, but they in no way sleep their colonies are active day and evening, feasting on anything made of wood, plants or cotton.

Termites attack structures of all kinds, forcing home owners and enterprise owners to spend billions every year. According to the National Pest Management Association, annual termite damage and treatment charges $5 billion worldwide. Simply because infestation is so frequent, the typical homeowner's insurance policy does not cover these expenses.

In the spring, warm weather signals the onset of swarm season, when termite colonies grow quickly. In the course of this element of the year, termite queens lay eggs each 15 seconds. According to Orkin, Inc., this is the most crucial time to shield your residence from becoming a feast for a kingdom of termites.

"Termites travel far from their colonies in search of wooden food sources," noted Paul Hardy, technical director for Orkin, Inc. "They can invade any house-even these covered in brick or stucco, which is essentially exterior 'wallpaper'-and cause important household harm."

Vigilant property owners can detect some signs of extreme termite invasion, such as pencil-sized mud tubes along masonry or concrete, distorted locations of paint on wood surfaces, and hollow-sounding wood.

Even so, most invasions are invisible to untrained eyes, so home owners ought to schedule a cost-free annual inspection with a trusted and experienced pest handle organization. Only licensed specialists can manage termite troubles, but ideas for preventing infestation consist of:

• Shut down entry points. Termites can sneak via cracks as small as 1/64 of an inch.

• Elevate firewood piles and move them away from the property.

• Eliminate moisture, which is vital to termite survival, around the property, especially in basements, crawl spaces and near plumbing.

• Hold gutters and downspouts clear and trim siding or stucco at least two inches above soil level. pest control mesa az pest control mesa az commercial pest control