Termites can be a problem to any home owner who lives in an area where these insects thrive. Termites are social insects just like ants and bees. This means that they live in colonies and have social hierarchies. They are one of the very few insects that can fully digest the cellulose in wood as they have evolved to eat and survive on wood. This is the reason why these insects present a danger to every wood structure out there.

The reason being that they feed on wood, not only live trees, but also structures made out of wood. The societal structure of a termite colony is based on certain principles. Each termite has a specific role in the colony. Termite colonies can become extremely numerous and one can hold as many as 15,000 termites per square meter

In general, termites are cryptic creatures. This means that they stay in colonies for a long time and primarily live underground and within wood pieces. As a result, a termite infestation can go undetected for many years and a home owner can have a termite colony eating away his wood for a long time before even noticing.

Even in cases where you have termites feeding in a piece of wood that you can see, the infestation can go un-noticed. The damage termites can cause can be extensive but the surface area of the wood is usually left in tact. As a result you might have a thousand termites feeding on a piece of wood that is seemingly intact from the outside.

Termite colonies have workers, just like bee colonies have. Temrite workers are best described as “little white things” or “little white ants” that are often found in damp, rotting wood. In many cases termites are confused with ants. The major difference is however, that the abdomen of termites is broadly joined to the thorax, whereas in ants it is constricted at the base and connected to the thorax by a narrow petiole. Additionally, the antennae of termites are moniliform with segments resembling a minute string of beads.

If you think you have termites then you should definitely consult a pest control professional who has a license and can deal with termite treatments and extermination.

]]> http://petermakalpantomime.info/a-karaoke-dj-resource/feed http://petermakalpantomime.info/dj-equipment-what-do-disk-jockeys-use http://petermakalpantomime.info/dj-equipment-what-do-disk-jockeys-use#comments Fri, 08 Aug 2008 16:36:51 +0000 admin http://petermakalpantomime.info/?p=20 Just like there isn’t a singly type of ant, there are several different categories of termites. The primary distinction is based on their habitat. There are two major groups of termites, the ones that live in dry wood and the ones that live in damp or wet rotten wood. These termites live inside wood of varying levels of decay and moisture content.

A colony of termites is not usually dependent on one food source. They will have their based but workers will travel around to find new fertile grounds for feeding. Consequently, a single colony can cause damage to different parts of your home without you realizing.

When treating termites with chemicals it is imperative to take in consideration that termites have an inate survival mechanism to avoid areas with other sick or dead termites. These survival mechanisms have to do with the developed social structures of the creature’s colonies. By natures termites are social insects and they are related to cockroaches. Although known as ‘white ants’, they are not ants and their relationships with other insects remain unclear.

In the wild, they are building extraordinary cathedral-like mounds with clever ventilation systems. In urban settings, termites are notorious for eating wooden houses - in southern Ontario they cause more damage to homes than storms and fires combined.

Even though a fascinating creature, no home owner in Toronto would want to deal with a termite infestation. Termites are major detrivores and their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of considerable ecological importance. The most common type of termite throughout our region is the subterranean termite which is found in most of the south central part of the city at the older neighborhoods.

If you think you might have a termite problem then you ought to consult a professional. Even if you are buying an older Toronto home you should definitely get someone to do a termite inspection for you.

In order to find out if you have termites you need to look out for dented or crushed wood foundation. Wood may appear crushed at structural bearing points. Damaged wood resonates with a dull hollow thud when tapped with a hammer. An tapping it with a hammer or a metal object should do the trick.

Sometimes termites will actually fly around in your home. Having flying winged termites flying around in your home or basement is a great sign that you might have n infestation.

These are usually subterranean termites. Also, if you see any mud tubes extending from the ground or your woodwork then chances are you got termites.

A sign of dry wood termites is by finding small, peper grain size fecal pellets you’re your wood structures. Dry wood termites are usually a bit larger than subterranean termites.

Regardless of which sign you find, then you should definitely talk to a professional and have them come to your home for a professional termite inspection. There is a lot on the line here and spending a few dollars for a professional termite inspection could save you thousands down the line.

In urban settings termites can build nests in wooden posts, steps, door frames, and trim embedded in an earth or concrete floor. These types of materials are especially susceptible to a termite infestation. Additionally wood siding, window frames, steps, and similar materials covered by earth or resting on the ground may also be attacked by termites.

Termites can enter your home from a variety of places. Wood posts and stairs embedded in concrete can also be paths of entry for termites. Wood in contact with the ground or with a high moisture content is vulnerable to attack. Logs, stumps, dead trees, leaky pipes, or gutters can provide favorable conditions for this insect.

So if you have these things in or near your house make sure you always keep an eye out for termites.

Colonies may be found in nests under the ground, in tree stumps, in hollow trees, in living trees or in conical mounds above the ground. Large termite colonies can extend for almost as much as a city block. They can thus attach many houses at the same time. When the colony becomes too large then what usually happens is that some termites leave to create other satellite colonies.

Wooden houses are particularly prone to termite damage as they can provide food for large termite colonies. Even though termites are tiny, their colonies are very large and thus over time they can eat away large parts of your foundation and thus cause problems and reduce the stability of your home. It is not only dead wood that termites go after. Termites can injure living trees and shrubs, but more often are a secondary invader of woody plants already in decline. While buildings may become infested at any time, termites are of particular importance when buying or selling a home since a termite inspection/infestation report is normally a condition of sale. Keep in mind that even the smallest sing of a termite infestation should alarm you. Termites can seriously damage the structure of a house or building.

Termites can enter your home through a crack as small as 1/64th inch. They can travel up to 50 meters from home to home. Termites can not eat through solid concrete. In order to enter a structure they must come up around the outside edges or enter through some other opening in the slab. Keep in mind that depending on the type of termites, they can enter from underground.

If you think you have termites, then you must take action immediately and call a professional to make sure you have an infestation. If you do have termites then you should prevent termites from entering a particular area Termites can be prevented from expanding by creating a physical barrier.

It is imperative that you consult a professional pest control expert to conduct a termite inspection. The reason is that termites can begin causing problems to your home.

Termites live in large colonies. These colonies can range in size and population substantially. Specifically, termite colonies vary in size according to their conditions, they can be as few as a couple of hundred, but once established they can contain as many as termites.

There is no standard size for termite colonies however, the only thing that they all have in common is that they need specific types of organization to function. It needs the queen to produce eggs, the workers and such. Every termite colony is organized in a class system based on the tasks of the termite. There are workers, soldiers and the lucky reproductive ones. In most cases, termite colonies have a fertile queen and a king, the workers, and the soldiers. An interesting fact is that kings are usually much smaller than the queens. Kings are 1–2 cm long while the queen grows more than 4 in long.

When it comes to spotting a termite colony, then chances are that you will find the worker termites strolling around in your home. These termites are white and blind as they have antennae instead of eyes. Workers are both male and female and are all sterile. They eat wood and plant matter as they have the ability to digest cellulose found in wood.

If you think your termite colony is small in size, then you can try using a trap to kill some. Aside from the toxic bait in the trap, you can use some wood or cardboard to establish some termite activity in the are you wish to place the trap in.

It is best however, to contact a certified exterminator who has professional knowledge of how to deal with the termite infestation. The reason being that you have a lot to lose if there is a real problem. Termites can cause a lot of structural damage to your home if not treated and thus it is best to contact a termite control expert to eradicate the termite colony.

]]> http://petermakalpantomime.info/on-working-hard/feed http://petermakalpantomime.info/another-boring-day http://petermakalpantomime.info/another-boring-day#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 15:55:21 +0000 admin http://petermakalpantomime.info/?p=10

Even though it is best to get a termite control professional to perform the termite extermination, you can read a few things about termite treatments so that you know what is involved even if you choose to do it on your own.

The first stage of the treatment is to find exactly where the termites are located and how many termites there are. You can do so by starting to bait a few colonies of termites so that you can monitor and to detect where the termites pose the biggest problem.

Then you need to bait the special trap. Special termite baits are used to be ingested by the termites and then eliminate the whole colony. Bait systems consists of several plastic stakes which will be placed in the ground at various locations at entry points around your house. The poison contained in baits contains special growth inhibitors that eventually result in the termite death.

These bait systems ought to be installed only in special circumstances when other wood and foundation treatments are not possible. The reason being that in some cases people have negative, some times allergic, reactions to liquid termicides. After the termite bait systems are baited then it is important to select the right locations for them.

It is best that you place them. What you need to expect is to have a quick reduction of your termite infestation. You need to monitor these systems so that you have an idea of how well the treatment is performing. You don’t really need to call the exterminator in as this monitoring can be performed by anyone.

]]> http://petermakalpantomime.info/another-boring-day/feed http://petermakalpantomime.info/first-day-blogging http://petermakalpantomime.info/first-day-blogging#comments Fri, 04 Jul 2008 14:54:56 +0000 admin http://petermakalpantomime.info/?p=6

Another popular and effective termite treatment is the fumigation. Fumigation is much more complicated than other termite treatments as it involves covering ones home entirely with a tent. This treatment is used to treat more intensive termite infestations.

A termite fumigation is performed by using a tent to cover a house entirely and then pump termite treating gas in the tent. This gas then spreads in the house and reaches every wood crack in which there are termites.

Every termite infestation is unique and thus you need to get a specialists opinion when treating termite infestations. A fumigation, when performed correctly will eliminate all termites in your home. Fumigation is used as a whole structure treatment to eliminate termites with the use of lethal gas.

These gases are completely odourless and have no colour and leave no residue. There are many specific regulations to the use of termite gases that your pest control technician should know.

If you are looking for a termite fumigation expert make sure you find one that is licensed and insured so that you have some certainty in terms of what you are doing.

The exterminator will guide you through the process but you should know that people and pets should not be in the home, food items should be taken out and so all medicine and everything else that is consumable.

Also keep in mind that after the fumigation the house should be aired entirely by leaving doors, windows open for a while for all the chemicals leave and the structure becomes inhabitable once more.