Termite Treatment And Termite Prevention Options for Your Mississippi Home

Termites are known for costing homeowners billions of dollars in structural damage. Prolonged termite infestation can be a costly expense, which is it’s important to enlist in the appropriate termite treatment that eradicates this problem. Before doing this, you need to understand a few concepts surrounding termite problems and the best way to control these pest issues. 

How to Know if You Have a Termite Problem:  

The first step to preventing a termite problem is to be aware of the signs indicating a termite problem. It’s widely known that termites rarely emerge from mud tubes, soil, or food sources that they’re tunneling through. In most cases, homeowners are unaware that they have termites living in their residence until the damage is already done. Nonetheless, some key signs help discover a possible termite infestation: 

• Investigate signs of termite infestation by probing at any exposed wood for hollow spots. You can do this by using a flathead screwdriver or another tool with a similar appearance. 
• Identify what pests you might be noticing around your home. You might believe that you’re facing an ant infestation, as some termite swarms are mistaken for ants. Special services can help you identify these pests and develop a suitable treatment plan. 

How to Prevent a Termite Infestation:

One of the best ways of preventing a termite infestation is to maintain the termite prevention features already provided designed into your household. These are: 

• Fix any leaks that might occur in your home. This should be done immediately. 
• Keep vents free from any blockage. This includes any plants that might be surrounding this drain. 
• Don’t pile or store any wood debris or firewood next to your home. 
• Make sure that your shrubs and trees aren’t planted too close to your home’s structure. In addition to this, you also shouldn’t allow these plants to grow against any exposed wooden surfaces. 
• Inspect periodically to make sure that termite colonies don’t become established. 
• Drastically reduce any openings that might offer any termites access to your home’s structure. You can do this by filling in any cracks in the cement foundations and where utilities pass through the wall with caulk, grout, or cement. 
• Keep any soil around the foundation of your property dry through the use of correct grading and draining. This includes the maintenance of downspouts and gutters. 

The Different Types of Termite Treatments

When it comes to termite treatment plans, you can expect to encounter several types of termite treatments. These are: 

Non-Chemical 

One treatment that works to keep termites out doesn’t involve the application of insecticides. Non-chemical options are available and come in various forms like: 

• Steel mesh and different-sized sand have been known to perform effectively well when used as a physical barrier. 
• Fungi and nematodes are used as biological control agents that work to repel termites away from an area. 

Due to these non-chemical treatments not including any insecticides, the EPA doesn’t regulate such treatment plans. 

Chemical 

Pesticides that are used for the treatment or prevention of termite infestations are known as termiticides. In most instances, these termiticide applications can only be properly conducted by trained and licensed pest management professionals. Some of the approved treatments include: 

• Termite baits. 
• Liquid soil-applied termiticides. 
• Wood treatments. 
• Building materials that have been dosed with termiticides. 

The most common forms of chemical treatment against termites are termite baits and conventional barrier treatments. 

Traditional Barrier Treatments 

Conventional or traditional barrier treatments are one of the most common techniques for treating any termite infestations. This is a soil-applied barrier treatment. When using chemicals for this treatment, all termiticides need to specifically mention that these products can be used for barrier treatments. 

These treatments can cause contamination around your household while affecting nearby water wells and not protecting against termite infestations if this traditional barrier procedure isn’t performed properly. Due to this, it’s essential to hire a licensed and experienced pest control professional. 

Termite Bait Systems

Nowadays, termite baits are increasing in popularity and have been used to help reduce the general use of insecticides and the impact these chemicals have on the environment. These baiting systems rely on cellulose baits, which are equipped with slow-acting insecticides. 

The most common active ingredients included in these termite baits are: 

• Noviflumron
• Lufenuron
• Hydramethylnon
• Hexaflumuron
• Diflubenzuron

How to Control a Termite Infestation: 

Various methods can be introduced to best handle a termite infestation. Here are our top three suggestions when you’re faced with a termite problem: 

Choosing the Right Pest Control Company 

You should never hire a pest control company that doesn’t have any licenses to operate. A business that offers these termite infestation treatment services should have the necessary paperwork to show that those working have the right training and knowledge to perform such treatment plans. 

When you’re searching for the right company specializing in termite control, you should ask for the business’s license. If you have any concerns about these certifications, you can contact the state pesticide regulatory agency to ensure that all paperwork is for your prospective termite control company. 

Following the Right Safety Procedures 

There aren’t only procedures when it comes to the application of these chemicals to form an effective termite control plan. You also need to be aware of how soon you can return to the treated space. Not doing this can be detrimental to your health. For this reason, you should only go back to this residence once it has been deemed safe by a professional. 

The time it takes before customers can return to their homes varies. Several factors play a role in how long it’s going to take before you can return. The products used during this treatment process are one of the factors. The applicator of this product is required to tell you when you can re-enter this residence. 

In addition to this, you should also read the labels of each product that’s used in this treatment process. These labels offer information about any potential risks. You might wish to see the product label. In this case, you can ask the pest control company for a copy of this label. 

If you’re looking for the right team to handle the issue for you, Synergy² is here to help. We provide trusted services throughout the area, so contact us for the best pest control services around.