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Termites in Utah
Are the Subterraneans Eating Your Home?

Live Termites in a Basement Cellar

The Termite Family

A Termite Mud Tube

Utah is different in its termite population than other states, in that only the subterranean termite can survive here. This type of termite lives in the soil, and comes into the home looking for food. Food for termites is wet wood or wood products. This can include the paper in sheetrock, cardboard, or loose wood stored in damp areas.
Per the Utah Department of Agriculture and Food, subterranean termites are destructive wood-eating insects that cause homeowners frustration and expense when active nests are found in their houses. This can be especially troublesome when selling a home because lending institutions (banks, savings and loans, FHA and VA) require houses certified to be termite free before lending money to home buyers. Signs of an old infestation or damage that has been treated should not require the home be retreated.

Because subterranean termites nest in the soil and need protection from the elements when they invade your house, they build mud tubes over exposed foundations and travel through these tubes to wooden structures in your house. The presence of these dried mud tubes is solid indication that you may have a termite infestation in your house. http://www.ag.state.ut.us/plantind/termite_control.html

Your Home: Their Dinner

In a constant search for wood to eat, termites will tunnel out of the soil they call home and take residence in a new place to live, complete with meals: your home.

Under ideal conditions, a typical termite colony with 250,000 workers can eat about 20 feet of a 2 x 4 board per year.

But termites can't tell the difference between a dead tree and the walls of your bedroom, so if they come across your home's foundation while foraging, they'll follow those little cracks and crevices inside your home. And termites are very small – all they need is an opening 1/32-inch wide to squeeze into your home. That’s not a very big front door for these unwelcome guests!

Termites can also enter your home through any wood that has contact with the soil, through expansion joints, and via utility and plumbing openings in the foundation. But if they can’t get in this way they will do so by building pencil-sized mud tunnels at the ground level, where your home’s wood frame begins.

Chances are you won't actually see termites, and it is less likely that you’ll see termites swarm because their swarming activity lasts less than an hour. More likely, you'll see evidence of swarming, the aftermath of which includes: sudden appearance of winged termites; piles of small, lacey wings; or those mud tunnels they’ve built.

If you find evidence of an infestation, there's no need to panic. It is not likely that the damage will worsen from the time you first discover termites to the time your home is treated. But stopping the destruction as quickly as possible is important to avoid costly damage and repairs.

10 Tips On Termite Control

Above all, schedule an annual termite inspection

Clean clogged gutters and downspouts

Trim bushes between the house and shrubs

Store firewood away from the house

Make sure exterior finishes are at least four inches from the ground

Keep watch for bubbling paint, crumbling dry wood and tiny holes in walls

Seal all cracks in the foundation or utility openings

Monitor damp areas inside the home

Eliminate faulty or leaky plumbing

Watch for swarming termites and mud tubes over exposed exterior surfaces

What do you know about:
TERMITES
RADON
LEAD PAINT
ASBESTOS
MOLD

The question we get asked over and over again is,
"Are there termites in this part of Utah?" As you will see by the following articles and resources,
the answer is a definite Yes.

The Truth About Termites

(Excerpted from the National Pest Control Association's Field Guide to Structural Pests)

If you suspect that your home has termites, you have reason to be concerned...

More than 365,000 homes will need the fire department this year. But over 2 million homes will require termite treatment.

Homeowners insurance will help recover losses from fires, storms and earthquakes, but it is almost impossible to carry insurance against termite infestation. This is why many homeowners purchase a contract for annual inspections and treatment as necessary by a professional pest control firm.

Your pest control operator can provide protection from termite infestation. Termites can be found in almost every state as well as Mexico and parts of Canada. They feed on wood and may also destroy cellulose products such as books, cardboard, boxes and a variety of other items. Even buildings with steel framing and masonry walls are targets because of the wooden door and window frames, cabinets and shelving within the buildings.

A termite colony is large, composed of the queen, king, winged reproductive swarmers, soldiers and workers. Worker termites are small, creamy white insects. They are the most numerous and the cause of all the termite damage. A property owner seldom sees the worker termites, but in the spring or fall he may see swarming "winged reproductives."

This form of termite can easily be confused with a winged ant.

HOW TERMITES ENTER THE HOME

The most common termite, the subterranean, builds its nest in the ground.

These termites construct mud tubes which are used to explore for food and connect their underground nest to that food source. They can enter a building without direct wood contact with the soil through such tubes.

Termites can enter buildings through cracks, expansion joints, hollow bricks or concrete blocks around plumbing. They can find their way into a structure through an opening as small as 1/32 of an inch.

Any building, whether constructed with slab, basement or crawl space foundations, can be targets for termite infestation.

Termite Information Links
http://www.termite.com/termites/utah.html
http://www.crossroadsengineers.com/Termites.htm
http://www.utoronto.ca/forest/termite/ywm.htm

C.T.R.
(Certified - Trained - Reliable)