Pests We Treat - Termite mud tubes in Red Bank, NJ

A Red Bank, NJ homeowner noticed dirt on his garage floor, and he couldn’t figure out how it got there since no one was tracking dirt inside. He had recently inherited the house from his mother, so while he was familiar with the house, he had no reason to check the garage. All of this dirt was an unwelcome surprise. Fortunately, he suspected that it may be related to an insect infestation, and he contacted Cowleys Pest Services to figure out the problem. I arrived at his home and inspected  the garage. As shown in the video, the garage had an active termite infestation that had gone undetected for quite awhile based on the wide network of mud tubes and damage to the paint. 

So, what are these mud tubes anyway? Subterranean termites are fragile insects that need moisture to survive. They can’t survive for long once exposed to air. To protect themselves from dry air and from predators, they build pencil-sized “mud tubes” that they use as tunnels between their colony and their food source — the wood in your home. As you can see, mud tubs are important evidence of a termite infestation. They are often one of the earliest signs of a termite problem. Often, you don’t notice wood damage until it is severe because termites eat wood from the inside out. 

While the homeowner was upset that he had a termite problem, he was also relieved that the problem would be quickly taken care of.  With termites, just like with ants and other social insects, it is ineffective to kill random foraging insects. The only permanent solution is to destroy the entire colony. We will treat this home with a non-repellent termiticide that will be carried back to the nest and permanently end this infestation.