What Do Termites Eat?

You may think that since you live in a brick house, you don’t need to get a yearly Chandler termite inspection or to develop a termite control plan in Mesa. But that’s an assumption that can end up costing you a lot. Because even though the exterior of your home may be made of brick, which termites do not eat, your home will have a smorgasbord of good eats for termites throughout its structure.

In fact, no matter what the primary material of your home’s exterior structure, every home has plenty of materials inside and throughout to attract termites.

Cellulose, Cellulose, and More Cellulose

Termites primarily eat cellulose. That’s the organic material that is found inside trees, shrubs, plants, and even grass. Some termites eat grass, but most termites look for the materials in wood or in dead plant matter.

Most homes have a wooden frame, no matter what dresses the walls inside or out. Termites can burrow into that wood deep inside your home without you ever knowing – until there is extensive damage. They also eat the cellulose found in drywall, sheet rock, wallpaper, the cardboard boxes you have stacked in your attic, and even the pile of newspaper you have in your garage.

Termites will chew through the frames on your couch and your bed, the box of pictures and mementos you have stored in the craft room, and even the clothes in your closet (they like cotton fibers).

There is no home that does not have plenty to offer termites to eat. So long as the conditions are right – damp, humid, and dark – termites will settle in and eat to their heart’s content.

Termite Pre-Treatment

You can’t avoid the presence of wood or cellulose in your home. But you can protect your home by ensuring that the wood that is inside is treated against termites.

Most Arizona homebuilders include a Chandler termite treatment when the house is being built. Chemicals are applied to the wood to make it resistant to termite infestation. A barrier treatment should also be applied around the perimeter of your home to keep other materials inside protected.

You can also keep your home safe by choosing furniture that has been pre-treated for termites, by keeping newspaper and cardboard out of your home, and by ensuring that your home is properly ventilated. Termites cannot survive without the right moisture levels. By sealing your crawlspace and putting adequate ventilation in your bathrooms, kitchen, and attic, you can keep excess moisture out of your home and make it less attractive to termites.

You should also keep items away from your home that could attract termites. For example, you should trim back branches on trees and shrubs that are too close to your house. You should keep piles of firewood or brush away from your home. You should keep leaf litter and other organic debris out of your yard.

Ongoing Termite Control

Your home will always be vulnerable to termites, no matter how little organic material is in your home and no matter how effective the pre-treatment applications it has received. That’s because those treatments can fade over time and termites can find their way deep in your home, to places where you might not even realize that organic matter exists.

The best thing you can do is work with an experienced professional to develop an ongoing Chandler termite pest control plan for your home. That plan should include regular inspections and ongoing treatment applications. That way, you will discover any problems while they are still manageable and you will kill any termites that are present before they have the chance to multiply and create a huge nest in your home.

Varsity Termite and Pest Control has been helping Arizona homeowners and business owners keep their properties termite-free for years. We have effective termite treatment optionsthat get long-lasting results. We also have non-toxic termite control options for those who are concerned about harmful chemicals, and we can recommend steps that you can take between treatments to keep your termite risk at a minimum. We’ll also survey your property to let you know where we see vulnerabilities for termite infestation. Contact us today in Arizona to schedule your termite inspection or to learn more about your termite control options.

 

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Varsity Termite and Pest Control

West Valley Location:

Office: 602-560-6021

East Valley Location:

Office: 602-757-8252