The Real Facts About Termite Damage

Do you think you need termite protection? I've compiled this list of facts about termites that may startle you. I didn't do it to scare you, but to inform you.

Most homeowners spend 20-40 years paying off their home. The last thing you want to do is get 10 years into a home mortgage and find that termites have been silently eating your home.

The most dangerous termites work quietly and with little or no evidence that they are infesting.

Termite Damage Facts 

★ Termites cost U.S. property owners over $5 billion dollars each year.

★ Around 600,000 residential homes are affected.

★ The average cost to repair termite damage is $3,300.

★ Formosan and subterranean termites account for 90% of all termite damage.

★ If you own a porch, deck, or stairway that conceals a portion of your basement wall, subterranean termites can infest your home without any external sign.

★ One small termite colony of 60,000 can eat a 2" x 4" in just five months.

★ Scientists believe that most termite species eat 2 to 3 percent of their body weight each day.

★ In some regions of the United States Formosan and subterranean termite colonies have numbers in the millions, and forage over 100 meters from their colonies.

★ A termite queen can live 15 to 25 years and lay an egg every 15 seconds.

★ Some termites can chew through asphalt, plaster, lead, and mortar.

What You Should Do 

If you live anywhere in the United States where subterranean or Formosan termites live, you should not be without termite protection.

Contact a pest control company that uses the Sentricon® Termite Elimination System. With monitoring and bait stations, you will know for sure that your property is safe from termites.

If your property has been attacked by subterranean termites before, you can add a layer of pesticide around your perimeter to create a barrier that termites cannot pass through.

When looking for a pest control company, make sure to check them out on Angie's List. And, when contacting a pest control company if they have entomologists on staff. When you want to protect yourself from insects, you need technicians that are educated to understand their habits and habitats. Don't trust your equity to anyone but the best.