PROTECTING UNION COUNTY HOMES FROM TERMITES

There are lots of pests in Union County that can damage homes and businesses. Mice and rats chew through wood and other building materials, on the outside of man-made structures, and then chew on sheetrock, insulation, wood, and even wires, when they get inside. Carpenter ants chew tunnels and galleries in wood to create their nests. Carpenter bees bore tunnels in eaves, soffits, fascia, and other areas to make a home for their offspring. Wood borers create tiny holes and deep tunnels in hardwood and furniture. The list goes on and on. But, of all the pests that can damage homes and businesses in Summit, New Providence, Westfield, Cranford and throughout Union County, of these, termites are the worst.

4 Reasons Subterranean Termites Are The Worst

1. The only pests that come close to doing as much property damage as termites are carpenter ants. But, while annual property damage caused by carpenter ants in the United States is in the hundreds of millions, subterranean termite damage is in the billions. There is simply no comparison.
2. Subterranean termites are, as their name suggests, subterranean. They live under the ground and feed on a man-made structure from the ground. While you’ll see carpenter bees buzzing around your roofline and rodent droppings littered around, you’re not going to see many obvious signs of a subterranean termite infestation. This is one of the reasons they can infest a building for years, undetected.
3. Subterranean termites don’t just chew wood; they consume it. This is a problem in two ways. First, they don’t create sawdust for you to see. Second, they don’t come into your property looking for food. Your property IS the food. That means you’re not going to be able to deter these destructive insects by hiding food sources.
4. The damage done by termites has a cascading effect. When they feed on support beams and the studs in load-bearing walls, it can cause other beams and timbers to warp and bend.