Termite season is upon St. Charles Parish and now is the time for residents to be on the look-out for infestations.
Rene Schmit, LSU AgCenter county agent, says that there are two types of termites that locals should worry about: native termites and underground Formosan.
Once termites are found in the home, Schmit said that identifying which type is the most important step.
“If you have native termites, you may not be in a position where you need to take absolute, immediate action,” he said. “The Formosan is quite aggressive and will eat two or three times faster than the rate native termites will eat.”
The LSU AgCenter offers free termite identification to those who bring in a dead sample of the bugs they find. Schmit said that many exterminators and the pest control office will also offer this service.
Now that the weather is becoming warmer, locals can expect to see swarms of termites who will be looking to expand their colony and find a new mate.
“If you see a swarm in the house, it doesn’t necessarily mean you have the termites,” Schmit said. “This is the time of year that you see swarms, especially of the Formosan.”
There are four key steps to preventing termite infestations in the home.
First, homeowners should reduce moisture as standing water is a major draw to the bugs. This would involve making sure that gutters drain properly, and fixing any leaks in pipes or walls.
“You want to fix any leaks in a room and in plumbing,” Schmit said. “Bathtubs are a good example of where a lot of termite activity begins because that’s an area of the home construction where you basically have bare ground so they come up through leaking pipes and they can survive very well.”
The second key to preventing an infestation is making sure that there is no wood laying around the house, inside or outside.
“Always place wood or stack wood where it doesn’t touch the ground,” Schmit said.
The next step to prevention is treating the area around the home with a termiticide, or termite poison.
“(Termiticide) can be applied by trenching around the house or around the pillars of the home and poured into soil,” he said. “This usually requires no less than a four-inch trench around the concrete base of the home.”
Schmit said that applying termiticide can by done by professionals or homeowners.
“The key is that once the product is put down, which is called banding, it is important not to disturb it,” he said. “Quite often that’s how the infestations occur…by digging into the ground and breaking the band – it allows an opening for termites to come in.”
The final step in prevention is to regularly check for infestations in and around the home. The LSU AgCenter suggests checking at least once a month during the warm weather.
Tell-tale signs of termites are mud-like tubing, which will appear if the termite colony is very established, Schmit said. Other signs include pinholes around window sills and discarded wings.
If a homeowner finds termites in the house, Schmit said that there is not much a lay person can do to treat it.
“If you wait until you have an infestation to do the banding, then you’re treating after the fact and you’re only treating the outside and not taking care of the termites that are already inside,” he said. “When you have them established in the home, you’re going to need a professional exterminator.”
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