Termite Information

Termites, a fact of life in the southeast , causes millions of dollars in damage to structures each year, primarily residences. No structure, not even brick or concrete slab construction, is immune to their insidious appetite. Yet termite infestation is often difficult to detect.

Termites work silently and invisibly, sawing into your floor joists, cutting into your wall studs, hollowing out the heart of your home and hiding the damage until it's too late.

One of the greatest hazards any homeowner faces is termites, which cause more damage each year than fires, storms, and earthquakes combined. Termites survive by eating wood, paper, fiberboard, cotton fabrics, and other cellulose products. If ignored, termites can actually threaten the structural integrity of your house, and this is where the danger lies.

Houses and other buildings provide termites with the ideal combination of warmth, moisture and food. Termites can find ways to enter your house that you've never thought of. They are small enough to gain entry into hidden areas of basements, crawl spaces, and concrete slabs, through openings as small as 1/32nd of an inch.

A. Termites can build mud tubes across many feet of concrete, brick, cinder block, treated wood, or metal termite shields into even the upper floors of a structure.

B. Termites eat wood from the inside out, often defying detection for years while doing extensive damage to the wood - and threatening the integrity of your home.

Although small in size they are large in numbers. Termites congregate in enormous underground colonies that house hundreds of thousands to millions of individual termites. They are dispersed throughout the soil at feeding sites around your home and can forage hundreds of feet from their colony.

Termite survival depends on finding edible material to support the colony. Moving out from their colony, they tunnel through the soil in search of moisture and food. They forage around mulch beds, near air conditioner drip lines and below gutters. They also like tree stumps, decks, buried wood, construction material, and piles of firewood. A loose mortar joint, a small space around a drain pipe, or a settlement crack in the basement is all they need to gain entry into your home.

What are you seeing?

•  For clues to help distinguish termites from ants, examine the insects' wings, waist and antennae. While both insects have two pairs of wings, termite wings are relatively equal in size. Ant wings tend to be longer in front and shorter in back.

•  Ants also have a narrow, pinched waist, with three separate body parts. Termites' waists are thicker and less distinct.

•  In addition, ant's antennae are elbowed, while termites' are straight.

Worker Termites are soft and milky in color. They require a constant source of moisture to prevent dehydration. They travel through mud tubes that they build for protection from air and sunlight. Because they forage constantly for food, they often enter your home unseen and cause damage behind your walls.

There are several clear indications of termite infestation. In the spring in most parts of the country and in the fall in others, reproductive swarmers emerge in great numbers. Sometimes, you may see them swarm, or you may only see signs that they have swarmed. Their wings break off after flight and you may find piles of wings that have dropped off. Often, you will miss the swarm, so be sure to look for other signs of damage to wood or visible mud tubes.

What did you find?

If you become aware of any of the signs of termite infestation, or your neighbors have termites, call a Houseman pest control professional immediately. Our trained professionals will inspect inside your home and around your home looking for areas that are vulnerable to termite infestation. We will examine areas where termites forage for moisture and food, giving special attention to conditions which are conducive to termite attack such as cracks, voids, and spaces where wiring and utilities pass through walls and slabs.

Our inspectors are well trained in termite behavior. They know where to look for termites and can determine how they got there. We will recommend the best treatment method for your particular home or business, using the top rated products in the termite control industry today. Not only will our treatment methods eradicate current termite problems, but they will protect your biggest investment for years to come.

Termite Treatment Options
Whether it's due to construction materials, natural habitat or family lifestyle, we tailor termite control solution options to the unique needs of each customer. The two main types of treatments for existing homes are traditional liquid barriers and termite baiting systems, both of which are offered by Houseman Pest Control Inc. and customized to fit your property.

Customized Termite Control
Busy schedule? Off-hours? We work our termite control solutions around your lifestyle needs without compromising effective pest control.

Termite Warranty
Our guarantee is to get the termite control job done right. That's why we offer damage replacement warranties that are renewable and 100% transferable. We offer 5-year, 10-year, And Lifetime Warranties.

Free Termite Inspections
We will inspect your home or business for infestation, or areas conducive to infestation, at no cost or obligation to you.

Termite Clearance Letters
Houseman Pest Control is a leader in providing real estate inspections and can issue termite letters - also known as the Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report - when needed.

New Construction treatments
Houseman Pest Control offers pretreatment of new construction to guard against termite attack to both residential and commercial structures.