One of the most obvious warning signs of a termite infestation is the appearance of termite swarmers. Most people know what swarmers look like. They are dark-colored insects with long white wings. When swarmers emerge on the inside of Texas homes, it doesn’t take long for our phone to ring. But swarmers rarely appear inside unless there is extensive damage and the infestation is severe. So, it isn’t the best of warning signs. Let’s take a look at a few more things you should know about termite swarmers.
Not Much To Look At
A swarmer is larger than a worker termite, but it is still relatively small. Its entire length, including wing length, is only ⅜ of an inch. If you’re standing in your yard and a termite swarmer lands on you, you’re likely to shoo it away and ignore it. We hope you don’t. That one little swarmer could be giving you a very important warning. Here are some things to consider.
The shape of a swarmer’s wings are a stretched-out teardrop shape. This is because the wings stack on top of each other. This rounded appearance is quite distinct and easy to pick up on, even though swarmers are tiny.
A swarmer is likely to be black or dark orange. The contrast of its body coloration to the white coloration of its wings is another helpful and distinctive visual trait.
Much To Look At
If you see swarmers crawling around together on the ground, on some wood, under some wood, in your mulch, or in your home, you’re likely to notice them. Their white wings make them stand out. When you see them outside, it isn’t nearly as bad as finding them inside—but it’s still bad. Here are a few reasons why:
- Swarmers don’t travel far from the nest that created them.
- Worker termites can travel as far as the length of a football field in search of food to eat. This means that swarmers in your yard can be an indication that your home is already being damaged.
- You may uncover a bed of termite swarmers under mulch or some other wooden source. If you find them near wood, the nest may be underneath the wood.
Swarmers Don’t Damage Wood
When you find swarmers on the outside of your home, you should be aware that they don’t feed on wood. They rely on their workers to feed them. This is good and bad.
Good — You won’t have to worry about swarmers chewing a tunnel into the wood of your home. They must find gaps and cracks in order to enter.
Bad — Swarmers are strongly motivated to get started with their nests. They must create workers to send out and acquire food. It won’t take long before worker termites are moving about your yard and growing in number.
Springtime
Swarmers usually occur in spring. As you are out and about in your yard doing some spring cleaning, be on the lookout for swarmers. You may see living swarmers or dead swarmers on the ground or on surfaces. You may also find their shed wings on the ground, on surfaces, or in spiderwebs.
What To Do When You See Swarmers
Whether you find swarmers inside your home or outside of your home, contact Innovative Pest Control. We provide the highest level of termite control for Texas and the surrounding region with the installation of the Sentricon® System with Always Active
. Sentricon® comes with some pretty impressive benefits:
- The bait in the Sentricon® System has been scientifically proven to be more interesting to worker termites than wood. That is quite a claim, considering wood is a staple of their diet.
- Over time, liquid termiticide treatments can wear out. But the bait in the Sentricon® System gets even better with age. As the product breaks down, it’s like fillet mignon to termite workers.
- The discreetly placed Sentricon® bait stations make termite detection a breeze. If termite workers feed on the bait, your technician will know. You’ll also be informed. There is no price you can put on learning that termites tried to feed on your home and were prevented. It reminds you that your money was well spent.
Would you like to learn more about Sentricon® with Always Active? We’d love to talk with you about it. We believe there is no better way to protect the equity of your home from the destructive impact of subterranean termites. Don’t wait till you see swarmers in your home or in your yard. Reach out to us today and schedule a visit with one of our Certified Sentricon® Installers, and get your termite protection in place before termites come to feed on your investment.
Categories:
- Termite Control,
- Termite Prevention,
- Termite Identification
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