Termite infestations can cause extensive damage to your property if left untreated. These silent destroyers can compromise the structural integrity of your home or business without you even realizing it. It is crucial to be aware of the signs of a termite infestation so that you can take immediate action.

Professional termite inspection services in Columbus, Ohio, can help you identify and address termite issues. Here are a few common signs to watch out for.

1. Wood Damage:

Termites primarily feed on wood, so the most significant sign of an infestation is damage caused to wood. Wood that has been hollowed out or damaged, especially in those parts of your home where termites are likely to be found in abundance, such as basements, cracks and crevices, and wooden structures. Pay attention to sagging or buckling floors, ceilings, or walls, as these can indicate severe termite damage.

2. Mud Tubes:

Certain termites, such as the subterranean ones, the most common termite species, create mud tubes for protection and moisture while traveling between their nests and food sources. These tubes are typically brown, mud-like structures that can be found on the walls of the foundation, exterior surfaces, or crawl spaces. If you spot mud tubes, it is a clear indication of termite activity.

3. Discarded Wings:

Termites tend to shed their wings when they swarm together. Finding discarded termite wings near windowsills, doorways, or other entry points indicates that a colony of termites may be nearby. These wings are often translucent and of equal length.

4. Presence of Frass:

Frass refers to termite droppings or fecal pellets. These tiny, wood-colored pellets resemble sawdust or coffee grounds. If you notice small piles of frass near wooden structures or in infested areas, it suggests an active termite infestation.

5. Clicking Sounds:

Termites are noisy eaters. You might hear clicking sounds if you close your ear to an infested wooden structure. These sounds occur when termites communicate by banging their heads against the wood.

6. Swarming Activity:

Termite swarmers are reproductive termites that emerge from mature colonies to start new ones. If you see winged termites swarming around your property, it indicates a mature termite colony nearby. Swarming usually occurs during the spring or summer.

The Bottom Line

Recognizing the signs of a termite infestation is crucial for early detection and effective termite treatment. If you suspect a termite problem in your property, it is essential to seek professional termite inspection services in Columbus to assess the extent of the infestation accurately. Termite treatment services are available to eliminate termite colonies and safeguard your property from further damage.

Don’t ignore the signs of a termite infestation; take prompt action to protect your investment. Xterminator Pest Control offers a comprehensive range of residential pest control services to address various pest infestations. Visit our website to learn more about our residential pest control services and protect your home from unwanted pests.

Furniture made from wood is food for termites, so they’re one of the most dangerous pests that can attack your home. If the infestation is left untreated, it can lead to much more expensive damage around the whole house as it quickly spreads from one place to another. This guide by our certified exterminators in Columbus will discuss how to take the right precautions to prevent termite attacks.

Buy High-Quality Plywood Furniture

Whenever you shop for your furniture, make sure you buy items made from high-quality plywood as it is boiling water resistant. It’s a chemically-treated wood that offers great resistance to moisture and even termites. You can also find a variety of plywood pieces that are designed to be termite-proof.

The insides of your drawers and wardrobes can also be laminated, as the extra layer prevents termite attack.

Protect Your Furniture From Humidity

According to professional exterminators, moisture in or around furniture creates the perfect environment for termites to thrive. To prevent a termite infestation, keep your furniture away from damp spaces such as a garage or crawlspace.

Moreover, you must never use water or any other liquid to clean your furniture. You should rather use a dry cloth for regular cleaning. Wooden furniture kept on a balcony or porch must be removed during the rainy season to ensure it remains dry. Apply a coat of fresh waterproof paint once every year for increased protection.

Apply Olive Oil or Natural Oil

This is a home remedy that will repel termites from your wooden furniture. Mix olive oil with some vinegar and evenly apply it on the furniture. You can also use natural oils such as neem oil and orange oil to control termites. Orange oil can kill termites as it contains a compound known as d-limonene.

Apply neem oil repeatedly on the furniture so that termite colonies are completely destroyed.

Put Furniture in Sunlight

If your wooden furniture is infected with termites, expose it to sunlight as it works as a disinfectant and termites don’t like heat and light. Leaving your furniture out in the sun for at least two days will remove the infestation and even dry up all the moisture completely.

Make sure to keep your furniture away from the soil as it is humid and increases the likelihood of a termite attack. Instead of placing the wooden furniture directly in the soil, keep it on tile or concrete flooring.

Hire Qualified Exterminators in Columbus

If your wooden furniture is infected with termites despite these measures, consider hiring our professional exterminators at Xterminator Pest Control. We’re equipped with quality tools for termite removal from your expensive furniture items. We recommend that you hire our services once every month to achieve the best results.

We also specialize in rodent control and bed bug removal plans. Learn more about our weekly and monthly pest control in Columbus Oh by contacting us through our website today.

Termite control is associated with preventing them from entering indoors and treating their colonies. Here are some tried and tested practices recommended by professional exterminators.

Reducing Soil-to-Wood Contact in the House

The first step of termite prevention is understanding their habitat. Termites prefer areas of contact between soil and wood, and they crawl into the spaces underneath your home.

Entomologists recommend removing all paper, lumber, wood, and cardboard from the home’s foundation and stacking firewood away from the property. Ensure the concrete foundation does not come into contact with the soil. Wooden siding must also rise six inches above the soil. Moreover, wooden fences must be checked for infested or rotten wood.

Putting Plants Away from the Home

Some plants create a pathway for termites, making it difficult to notice the infestation along the wood siding or in your home’s cracked foundation. For improved protection, keep all plants trimmed and place them at a distance of at least 12 inches from your home’s exterior walls.

The grass should also be regularly raked and cut short. Termites find pine needles less appetizing, so you can use them as mulch between the ground and your house. Other non-organic materials include pea gravel.

Reducing Excess Moisture

Water pooling around your home’s foundation or on the roof will create breeding grounds for termites. Moisture problems in crawlspace areas and the basement must be immediately addressed to prevent termite infestation.

Keep an eye out for faulty gutters, broken air conditioner condensation lines, and leaky plumbing, and hire a professional plumber to have them fixed. An in-depth termite inspection will also help prevent the infestation.

Adopting Prevention Techniques

When planning home or garden projects, inspect the lumber for termite infestation. Reach out to your pest management professional for effective prevention techniques such as liquid treatment, direct wood treatment, and monitoring stations.

A termite infestation can harm your health, furniture, and the structure of your home. If you’re looking to book a termite control appointment, get in touch with our professionals at Xterminator Pest Control. Whether you’re looking to get commercial or residential services, we’ve got you covered.

We specialize in pest control, rodent control, and bed bug exterminator services, so contact us now for a pest-free home.

No one wants ants to take over their house, yet these creepy crawlies find a way to somehow appear in your space. They can infect almost everything and don’t seem to want to leave. They prefer to build their colonies near reliable food sources like grease and sugar so you can expect to see them near or inside the kitchen, trash bins and even compost piles.

Ants are a good medium for a large family of Gram-positive and negative bacteria, too. A special ant breed called black carpenter can even burrow into your wooden furniture and destroy it. Besides causing obvious harm to your furniture, ants are also very harmful to your health.

Learning how to avoid and treat an ant infestation can save your family money on not just medical bills and food, but also on the costs of renovating and repairing the damages. Here are some ways to get you started:

Chalk

Chalk is one of the most reliable remedies for getting rid of ants. Calcium carbonate in chalk helps keep the ants away. Shower some dried chalk in areas where you see ants enter or draw a chalk line across the entryway. Make sure the line is out of reach of any children in the house.

Oranges

Like lemons, oranges also act as a natural ant deterrent. Orange peel paste with warm water can be sprayed on corners and in damp places. Thick slices of peels should be kept inside the kitchen drawers, so ants don’t crawl there and feed upon the leftover food particles.

Salt

Spreading salt around the cracks and crevices that acts as a gateway for ants can help keep them away. Table salt is the best natural and organic method to fight off ants. Simply boil some water and add salt to it, stir it, and you’re good to go. Fill a spray bottle with the mixture and spray where ants are most likely growing.

Cinnamon

Place cinnamon and cloves around the house’s entrance and other spots where you believe ants could enter. This is an excellent way to keep your house hygienic and smell pleasant as well. Cinnamon is thought to work as an organic repellant because ants dislike strong smells. You can also add some oil to the powder for a stronger smell.

White vinegar

Ants cannot stand the smell of white vinegar. Add oil to white vinegar and shake properly before sprinkling it at the entry points of ants. This mixture can be stored for many days.

If you’ve tried everything but the ant growth seems to persist, consult with one of our experts at Xterminator Pest Control. We offer indoor pest control services and outdoor pest infestations control in Columbus to keep your home clean and free of pests. Contact us today!

Dust mites can be extremely irritating, especially because it’s very difficult to detect them. These little insects lurk around the dust in our homes and are extremely harmful to health.

So, what are your options for dealing with these little pests? We’ll go over everything you should know about dust mites in this guide:

What are dust mites?

Dust mites are minute arachnids that live on pillows, toys, furniture, clothing, and other surfaces in your home. They are only a quarter to a third of a millimeter long and can proliferate quickly, especially in hot and humid climates. Dust mites leave behind a lot of excretion due to their size, and these excreta can induce allergies and bronchial problems.

Dust mites are one of the most widespread pests in households. They eat off dead skin, leaving behind skin rashes. A human can lose up to 1.6 pounds of dead cells every year on average, drawing a swarm of hungry mites. Household objects that accumulate skin cells include bedding, carpets, sofas, and clothing.

Where do dust mites grow?

Dust mites like dark, damp, and nutrition-rich environments. Their favorite thing is to collect skin cells from fiber surfaces.

Dust mites trigger a number of adverse health impacts, including:

• Sneezing
• A runny nose
• Nose congestion
• Itching in the eyes
• Itchy skin
• Postnasal drip
• Cough

For asthmatic patients, the symptoms of dust mite allergy are:

• Breathing problems (When you exhale, you’ll hear a whistling or wheezing sound. Shortness of breath or wheezing might make it difficult to sleep)
• Tightness or pain in the chest

How do you get rid of dust mites?

A dust mite invasion can be pretty messy to deal with. Here are a few solutions that might work, until you call a pest control service in Columbus:

Use a humidifier

Dust mites grow in warm places particularly that are humid, because they absorb moisture from the air. Purchasing a dehumidifier and attempting to decrease any dampness in your home may be a good way to prevent a mite infestation.

Ensure cleanliness

Regularly cleaning the house should be a practice. That’ll help eliminate the moist areas and avoid providing an ideal space for dust mites. Use an ant mite furniture spray and give specific attention to hard-to-reach places such as awkward edges, hiding places, underneath beds and couches, and between gadgets.

Use a mite-proof mattress covering

A mite-proof mattress covering will create a barrier between the mites and the surface of the bed. This will significantly reduce their food supply, and they’ll start to perish. You can even cover the seams by taping them for extra protection.

If you suspect a pesticide infestation at your home, reach out to us at Xterminator Pest Control. We offer termite treatment services and outdoor pest infestations control to ensure your home is free of all bugs and pests. Call us today at 1-800-948-7378.

Termites are the biggest enemy of your building’s wooden structure. They are insects similar to ants in appearance, so you may often confuse them with ants. However, their presence can damage your place to a non-recoverable extent. Read on to learn why they can be so dangerous and how to stop them:

Why Are Termites So Malicious?

They eat cellulose and hence damage the structure of building made from material composing cellulose and other wooden furniture in the building. They are present in colonies and build long underground tunnels for moving food, strengthening their network.

They slowly and gradually eat up the structure and furniture of your house, and by the time you start noticing the damage, they would have been millions in number. It is essential to keep them away from your building and conduct a periodic inspection to prevent infestation.

There are two ways to keep termites away: prevention and elimination.

Termites Elimination

Once termites infest your building, it’s unlikely that they will leave your structure without comprehensive treatment. Termites are very stubborn, so you should call professional pest control services to eliminate them.

There are different types of chemical and non-chemical methods used for extermination. Like honeybees, termites also have a colony led by ‘the Queen.’ Most effective methods of elimination focus on killing the queen, creating chaos amongst the colony, and then eliminating the whole colony. Knocking out the queen eases the work as the colony will crumble without its leader.

The queen is typically targeted by providing poisonous food to any termite. Since termites share their food with their colony, it must be taken to the queen first, poisoning her to death. The underground tunnels are also blocked to prevent other food supplies. They are trapped with poison and have nowhere to run to this way.

Termite Prevention

After getting rid of termites from your structure, it is essential to take precautionary measures to prevent them from resurfacing. If your building has been home to termites once, it’s more susceptible to becoming their residence again.

You can prevent termite infestation by creating a physical barrier against the wooden structures. However, an effective barrier may only be created during construction. Don’t plant trees or keep logs too close to the wooden surfaces and walls of the house. Don’t bring in wooden thrift furniture or any item in your house. Use borate on wooden surfaces.

Most importantly, hire a pest control company to conduct timely inspections if the structure is based on wood mainly. It is nearly impossible to detect them with naked eyes before they cause a disaster; hence professional help is required.

Pest Control Service to Control Termites in Columbus, OH

Suspect the presence of termites under your house? Call Xterminator Pest Control for a free termite inspection in Columbus, OH.

We use the termite treatment method that uses a detector to observe the queen and all underground channels used by termites. The termite baits are then provided by targeting those areas which eliminate all termites within a much shorter period. EPA approves our method; it is precise and highly effective in making your building free from termites.

Contact us from here to avail our service in Columbus, Cambridge, Newark, Delaware, and five other locations.

Termites feed on the cellulose present in the woodworks present in your house. This means that a termite infestation can go unnoticed for long periods because of its ability to live inside door frames, floorboards, and walls.

According to the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), termites damage billions of dollars worth of property to owners in the US alone. However, it is important to note that being on the lookout for such insects is imperative. It is common for such infestations to go unnoticed till a swarm of termites gets out of control. Unfortunately, it is usually too late by then.

How would you know of an infestation if you do not know what the particular creatures look like, what kind of symptoms to look for, or even what to do to prevent an infestation? Learn how termite inspection services can help you iiidentttify aaand get rid of an infestation.

What to Expect When You Are Expecting Termites?

During a termite inspection, an exterminator investigates any infestation-causing termites on your property. A few spots nearly all experts will check are:

– Wooden door frames. An exterminator will check if it sounds hollow when knocked on.

– Indentations on any surfaces. Such markings on walls, doors, or other wood-based surfaces are a sign of mating houses for termites.

– Tiny tunnels or pathways (also known as mud tubes sometimes). It is common to see long, irregular patterns along a surface indicating the residence of termites within.

If you think you might have an infestation, it is best to reach out for professional help, and that is what Xterminator is here for! What’s the worst that can happen? If anything, you will eventually be infestation-free! It is always smart to hire a pest control company to nip the problem in the bud before it gets out of hand.

Bid Farewell For Good!

If you are looking for termite inspection and exterminators in Columbus, Ohio, we are here for your infestation-related issues! Be it a bed bug treatment you are looking for or a simple inspection, we have the experts to fix your problems for you! Find out more about our business here.