The North Jersey Residents Guide to

Termite Extermination

What you need to know BEFORE you hire a Pest Control Company

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Table of Contents

1 The Termite and its Family

3 Your Home is their Banquet

6Getting Rid of Your Unwanted Guests

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Table of Contents

1The Termite and its Family

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Lets begin at the beginning, with the bug himself. Termites are a social insect living in colo-nies numbering anywhere from a few hundred up to a million or more. They are not closely related to ants (another social insect) but instead are relatives of the cockroach. The only type of termite found in the Northeast US, and specifically in Northern New Jersey, is the Eastern Subterranean Termite (Reticulitermes flavipes)

In any colony there are several types of termites present. The heart and head of the colony are the king and queen termite. The King and Queen are at the head of a group called Reproductive, there may be supplementary re-productives in the colony to assist in egg laying but the King and Queen are the founders of the colony and give direction to the workers using controlling chemicals called pheromones.

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Termite Extermination

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The Termite and its Family

After the queen lays her eggs, the eggs will hatch into an immature termite or “larva”. These immatures usually (about 90-95% of the time) will grow into worker termites. Depending on the size of the colony, a small percentage of nymphs will continue to develop as workers before they reach their final adult form as Soldiers or Reproductives.

Worker termites are the most numerous members, and hence, the most damaging part of the termite colonies. Worker termites will be found in infested wood or foraging for new food sources. They will also build mud tunnels, clean the nest areas of debris and care for other termites by feeding and grooming them. For these little workers, there is “no job too small”.

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The Termite and its Family (continued)

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Table of Contents

2Your Home is Their Banquet

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In a large and healthy colony, some workers will molt again into soldiers. These soldiers have large darkened heads complete with powerful jaws. Soldier termites are primarily responsible for defending the colony and are unable to feed or groom themselves due to their specialized jaw structures. They are wholly dependent upon Workers for their day-to-day necessities.

Lastly, large colonies will spawn reproductives. Some reproductives become supplemen-tary reproductives and never leave the home nest, assisting the Queen in egg laying, and even replacing her if she dies. Other reproductives grow wings and become something called an “Alate”. These “Alates” number in the hundreds and are released in the spring. They leave the colony in mass and try to begin a new colony in a new location. These Winged Alates are the intrepid explorers of the termite world.

Termites have evolved to feed almost exclusively on wood for food, using a micro-organism in their stomachs to aid in the breakdown and digestion of wood particles called cellulose. Termites also feed (occasionally) on molds or fungi found within their chambers, as well as on the bodies of their fellow workers after they die.

The North Jersey Residents Guide to Termite Extermination

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Your Home is Their Banquet

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This affinity for wood as a food source is what most often brings termites into contact with humans in our homes. In their search for food, termites concentrate on areas with high moisture levels or direct wood to soil contact. Although termites would prefer wood directly in soil, they have adapted to reach wood above ground by using shelter tubes made up of mud and semi-digested wood to traverse areas of open soil or rock (like a

cinderblock wall). These shelter tubes, along with the damage termites inflict, are one of the few telltale indicators of their presence in homes.

Oftentimes customers may ask us “how did the termites even find my house?” and the answer is relatively simple, they were busy searching for it! A healthy termite colony will send out foragers looking for a new food source. A large colony can forage over an area of half an acre to an acre, a little larger than a football field. It’s disturbing to some homeowners that termites are a native pest in our area, they existed here long before humans ever came to North America. In essence, they aren’t the invaders, We Are!!

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A queen termite may live for 25 years.

She can lay thousands of eggs every year.

Worker termites infest wood and cause DAMAGE.

Table of Contents

3Getting Rid of Your Unwanted Guests

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So now that we know a bit about termite biology and colony function, we can get down to the nitty gritty: How to get rid of them! Understand first and foremost, termites are a naturally occurring insect that preform a vital function in nature and are hugely beneficial. They attack homes as a by product of their behavior, almost accidentally. There will never be a cure-all for or an end- to termites. Long story short, we need them for a properly functioning eco system.

As a homeowner, your first concern is with the safety of your home and value of your investment, as well should it be. Some estimates place the dollar amount of damage caused by termites over $5 Billion a year in the US alone! Remember that it takes termites years, if not decades, to do significant struc-tural damage to a home. Oftentimes, damage might be contained to a specific area at first, or limited to aesthetic damage only. Even brick-and-mortar or concrete slab homes are in jeopardy of being attacked, termites will attack trim lumbers, paper from sheetrock and even foam insulation.

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The North Jersey Residents Guide to Termite Extermination

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There are a few important aspects to successful termite control that must be adhered to:

• Make sure you have Termites! Many other types of insects may look like or have similar behaviors to termites. Ant colonies also have winged reproductives and there are small white insects called psocids that are drawn to moist wood. Either of these insects can be confused with termites and have a completely different treatment technique. Its always a good habit to keep a specimen.

• Termites are NOT a do-it-yourself project! Proper treatment requires a proper initial inspection and understanding of the termite activity. A licensed, experienced and creden-tialed Wood Destroying Insect Inspector should be your only choice for a professional.

• The treatment must fit the problem. Studies show that the average home under termite attack will have activity in 2-3 areas, some of which might not be visible from any inspection. Since full termite treatments are a building-wide event (both inside and outside) using upwards of 100 gallons of finished product, beware “partial” treatments or limited scope applications. Odds are, you’ll be missing something, allowing termites to feed uninterrupted.

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How to tell ANTS from TERMITESTERMITE

ANT

Thick waist & Straight antennae Narrow waist & bent antennae

• A proper treatment will require uniform spacing between application sites and most homes will need at least some drilling to access areas under slabs and porches. Beware of a treatment that requires no drilling, Termites require moisture and slabs and porches are notorious for retaining moisture, these are the areas most often requiring treatment. • You’ll need a proper, written warranty period from your service provider. Termites are a perennial problem and come back year after year. As a matter of fact, they will always be present in our environment, so a short term warranty (a year or less) just isn’t going to cut it. Warranty extensions are a nice option but since homeowners don’t always make use of them, they can be forgotten about or unused. Make sure you get a solid, multi- year warranty with the initial application, 2 years at least…. • If you do go for warranty renewals, make sure you’re getting an annual inspection along with it! Don’t just put a check in the mail and assume you’ll be covered. A good pest control company will require an inspection to continue coverage. It also helps to be there yourself, a good inspector will point out any pest activity or potential as they’re inspecting for termites. It’s always nice to find out about the mouse hole before the mice move in or hear about that leak before real damage is done.

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The North Jersey Residents Guide to Termite Extermination

Getting Rid of Your Unwanted Guests (continued)

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