Termites present a costly and thoroughly inconvenient threat to your home. When you notice the telltale signs of a termite infestation, you likely place your trust in an exterminator to remove the problem entirely.
Professionals employ a number of termite control measures to treat homes of an ongoing infestation. As a homeowner, though, you might wish to continue checking for signs of termites even after extermination takes place.
What to expect from an extermination
If the termite problem in your home escalates to the point of requiring chemical treatment, a pest control specialist will likely spray affected areas with insecticides or use special baits. Termite baits provide an easily-accessible source of food to termites, which they will then take back to the nest where lethal chemicals will spread to the entire colony. Be aware that chemicals must reach the colony’s queen before the infestation will die down, meaning that it is perfectly normal to continue seeing signs of termites for a few days after treatment.
How to check for remaining termites
If after a week or two following the treatment you see new evidence of termite droppings or mud tubes, it is possible that an infestation is still present within your home. Mud tubes act as a safe means of transportation for termites to enter a house from the exterior, and it is easy to break off a section of the tube to check for live termites.
When a pest control company fails to eliminate an infestation or chooses not to disclose the ongoing presence of termites, there is an action you can take. You may choose to pursue compensation for termite damage that continues to plague your home.
