Wood Destroying Insects
Wood Destroying Insects are plentiful. They include termites, carpenter bees, carpenter ants, wood-boring beetles, and a few other pests. You become familiar with wood-destroying insects when you sell your home or business or when you buy a property with a building on it. Part of the pest inspection for home or commercial building sales includes a WDA – Wood Destroying Insect – report.
Spring is The Pest Prevention Season
Spring is “Termite” season, and the carpenter bees and ants are also out looking for new wood to chew. The big deal with termites, this time of year, is that now is the time when the colonies divide and swarm. During this process, a new queen flies from the hive and takes with her the older workers. It is their job to find a new home that is suitable for the new queen and the brood she will hatch.
What that process means for homeowners and those who own commercial buildings is that right now and into summer is the time for prevention. If you can destroy the swarm of termites, then you thwart the infestation that you find a few years from now.
One of the ways to discover new termite infestations is to schedule a pest control inspection. You can do some of this yourself by inspecting the foundation for new drill holes or discarded wings. The termites will drill into the wood between your home and the foundation. They shed their wings as they no longer need them. The process of looking for termites sometimes means crawling under the building to inspect the foundation and subflooring.
Other Insects That Destroy Wood
Sometimes what you find is not termites but carpenter ants. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat the wood. They excavate cavities in beams to make their home. The longer they stay, the weaker the beam becomes until the weight of the house snaps it, or the house starts to sag.
Neither situation is good news, and at this point, the damage is costly. That’s why prevention is such a bargain. It takes a little work, but the cost is much smaller than replacing foundation beams and tenting a house.
Carpenter Bees
Carpenter Bees come in a range of sizes. We are used to seeing those big, black bees that act a little aggressive. Those are the bigger carpenter bees. There are small ones too that you may not notice at all. Generally, you see holes in untreated wood. They like wooden fences, eaves on houses, decking, and they will fly under the deck or home to get at raw lumber.
Carpenter Bees damage they do is not on par with termites, though they can destroy a fence or deck after a few years. You can spot their activity by looking for perfectly round drill holes in wood that are not stained or painted.
For more information about wood-destroying insects, give us a call. We provide affordable and comprehensive pest control services throughout College Station and Bryon, Texas. Ask about ongoing service that covers emerging pest issues and helps control pest infestations before they begin.
