Pests We Treat - Termites Discovered in Denville, NJ

Termites are known as the silent destroyers of homes and other properties. They do a great job staying hidden. They make virtually no noise from their wood-consuming activities and since they live underground, they are rarely seen as well. Once termites are discovered on your property it is critical to treat the infestation immediately before they find their way to the wood or other cellulose-containing materials in your home or other structure. These insects will eat their way through any wood-containing building materials. There is no other insect that comes close to the property damage caused by a nearby termite colony. 

Because these insects are subterranean, you’ll rarely come across live termite activity unless you do a little digging — literally! I was recently sent to an LP (liquid propane) station in Denville Township in Morris County for an initial inspection. After doing a little bit of superficial digging in the soil, I found a small army of termites crawling in the soil indicating that there was a mature underground termite colony nearby. As you can see in the video, these little worm-like insects do not like to be exposed to the elements and they trying hard to dig back down in the soil. Even though termites can cause extensive property damage, the insects themselves are very fragile. Their soft white bodies cannot be exposed to daylight for any period of time. These insects require the warmth, moisture, and protection of soil in order to survive. 

Every so often, like here, you can churn up the soil and find the unpleasant surprise of termites crawling around in the dirt. More often, however, the signs of a termites infestation are subtle. A common termite sign is mud shelter tubes that they will build across foundation walls or other barriers to travel from the soil to the wood in your home. Another sign is auditory. If you knock on some wood studs and hear a hollow sound, there’s a problem. It is likely a sign of termite damage since termites eat wood from the inside out. Unfortunately, if a termite infestation is not discovered and treated, the wood may well collapse from its own weight or when you try to put a nail in it. A late sign of a severe termite infestation is when the floors start to sag. Perhaps the most obvious sign of termites are the discarded wings from reproductive swarmers ready to mate and start new colonies. These wings, which look like fish scales, are often found around windows and doors because these insects are attracted to light.

A Cowleys termite specialist will be out here in Denville, NJ shortly to perform a more thorough inspection and determine the best treatment strategy to get rid of this termite infestation for this property owner before there is any serious damage to the nearby building.