Six hundred thousand US homes are damaged by termites every year. US homeowners spend $1 billion to $5 billion on termite treatment cost and home repairs. Termites and their hybrids can consume wood faster. They can consume between 3 to 11 pounds of wood per colony each day.
If this happens to you, termites will compromise your home structural integrity. Not only that. Termites and other pests can place your home at risk of fire and infest stored food such as grains.
How to Know If Your Home Is Infested by Termites
To find out if you have a termite infestation, check for winged termites indoors. Winged termites are attracted to light.
To tell the difference, termites have straight antennae, wings of equal size and a thick waist. Ants have pinched waists and elbowed antennae. They also have longer forewings compared to their hind wings.
If you note swarms of termites emerging close to the foundation or your porch, then your home is infested. Another sign of an infestation is mud tubes on walls, sill plates, floor joists, and support piers.
The mud tubes act as shelter. This allows them to move between underground colonies and the surface to find food. To know if the infestation is active, break one of the tubes. If small creamy white worker termites fall out, then it is an active infestation.
To be sure, check the broken section after a few hours. If you find the section has been repaired, you have an active infestation.
You may find that the mud tube is empty. This means the termites have abandoned it. To be sure, break a few more mud tubes. Once you confirm an active infestation, call a termite control company.
Want to know the average cost of termite treatment?
In this post, we highlight 5 tips on determining on termite treatment cost.
1. Type of Termite Present at Your Home
In Florida, you can come across the following termite types:
- Formosan subterranean termite
- West Indian drywood termite
- Eastern subterranean termite
- Florida dampwood termite
- Conehead termite
The most destructive is the Formosan subterranean termite. It has the ability to consume 3 pounds to 11 pounds of wood each day. On the other hand, the most widespread is the Eastern subterranean termites. Each of their colonies can reach millions of termites.
These termites can produce secondary colonies. They can survive where there is moisture such as damp wood or leaking plumbing pipes. If not detected, they can destroy a home in months.
How much does termite treatment cost?
Start by determining the species of termites infesting your home. Call your local termite control company and inform them of the type of termite. They will offer a free termite treatment cost estimate within a few minutes.
2. Type of Damage
The Formosan termites have large colonies and infest homes using mud carton nests. This is the same with Asian, and Eastern subterranean termites. If the infestation has gone undetected for months, the damage done is extensive.
On inspection, you may find damage to your foundation, floor joists, walls, porch, and patio. Without the proper tools and skills, it is difficult to quantify the extent of the damage.
The best course of action for you is to hire a professional termite control expert. Upon arriving at your home, the expert will carry out an inspection. By doing so, he gets to determine the kind of damage.
After inspection, the expert will present you with a report. In the report, you will find your free estimate.
3. Termite Treatment Cost and Techniques Used
Termite control experts use many techniques to get rid of the infestation in your home.
Some of the methods used include:
- Liquid chemical barrier
- Non-repellent liquid treatment
- Termite bait systems
Let’s take a look at each method. In the liquid chemical barrier method, experts repel termites before they enter your home. To do so, termite control experts apply a liquid chemical such as termiticides. If termites are already present in your walls or floor, they will die from dehydration.
Non-Repellent liquid treatment does not involve chemicals. As the most preferred method, experts can set up a physical barrier. For instance, they can use sand and steel mesh. Also, they can choose biological control agents like nematodes.
Examples of termite barrier systems include Noviflumuron and hexaflumuron.
4. Size of Your Home
When it comes to the size of your home, the bigger the house, the higher the termite treatment cost. Why? Bigger homes are likely to suffer extensive damage compared to smaller homes. This is because before the infestation is found in a bigger home, it will have spread to several parts of your home.
Also, it will require experts more time to inspect your big home compared to a small home. This does not mean you cannot save your home. To save your home, take steps to get rid of the infestation.
5. Foundation of Your Home
In Florida, you have two types of foundations. They are the stem wall and monolithic foundations. If your home has a monolithic foundation, you will need a custom treatment method.
New homes have a monolithic foundation while older homes have a floating foundation. Termites will likely enter a home at the foundation level through a gap. To eliminate the termites, experts will focus on the outside foundation
The general treatment method for termite infestation affecting a monolithic foundation is trenching. In this method, the location of the infestation is treated with non-repellent termiticide.
There are two reasons for this:
- Helps to ensure the sub-colony is eliminated as they exit the colony
- Prevents the emergence of a new colony
Cost of Termite Treatment and Staying Within Your Budget
One thing you need to understand is that your home is a viable source of food for termites. They will travel underground and bump into the foundation. If no gaps are present, they will travel upward looking for food.
The termite treatment cost can escalate if you do not hire a termite control expert. To ensure spot treatments are not carried out, hire a company that has a license, and insurance. You also need to ensure the company hires skilled and experienced technicians.
Looking for a family owned termite control company that offers a 100% guarantee of satisfaction? We can help. Feel free to schedule an appointment today!