Every year about this time, the phone starts ringing in the Pinnacle Pest Control office with requests for termite home inspections and sometimes reports of swarms.

The subterranean termite species most common in our Sacramento region causes extensive damage that can remain hidden for years inside the walls and crawlspaces of your home. Historically “Delta Victorians” and “high-water bungalows” were built with crawl spaces and raised first floors as a defense against Sacramento’s historic floods. High water carried mud into the crawl spaces. Subterranean termites nest in the mud and build mud tunnels up the foundation walls and into the wood-frame home, where they burrow into the interior of boards, chew up and digest the wood from the inside. Termites eat 24-7—they never stop, unseen while the structure of your house grows steadily weaker. Winter rains leave the crawlspaces damp and muddy. In spring, temperatures climb to the mid-70s, leaving the crawlspace warm and humid, which triggers the termites to develop wings, drill an exit hole through the wall, and take off to establish new colonies. Often the swarm is the first sign a homeowner has that he or she has termites.

The damage caused by termites is extensive and economically significant. Termite damage cost estimates range from $5 billion to $16 billion nationwide, with the pesticide cost only a fraction of the total. By far the largest cost is for structural repairs, estimated at roughly five times the cost of pesticide control measures.

Customers who don’t see a swarm often have no idea they have a termite problem until the time comes to sell their homes, when they are required by law to have the homes professionally inspected for termites—potentially adding thousands of dollars to the cost of selling.

The first line of defense against termites is to get that all-important inspection. Catching a termite problem early can result in significant savings. A qualified pest control professional will conduct a thorough inspection of your property, inside and out, including your crawl space or foundation. In addition to termites, the pest control profession will also identify any dry-rot, water damage and other conditions that may make your home more susceptible to future termite infestation. The inspection may take from 45 minutes to one-and-one-half hours, depending on the size and condition of your property. Once the inspection is completed, you should receive an official report along with an estimate for any termite removal and damage repairs needed.

Termite are the stealthy menace of the pest control world, silently eating into the hearts of our homes while we eat, sleep, work and play, blissfully unaware. Be vigilant. It’s much better to invest in a professional, expert inspection today than be socked with thousands in repair bills tomorrow and a damaged home tomorrow.

The first indication a home or property may have a termite problem is when the homeowner notices a springtime swarm of termites. In our north-central California pest control region, the two types of termites responsible for most property damage are the subterranean Reticulitermes termite and the western drywood termite, Incisitermes minor. The latter is California’s second most important termite pest after the subterranean termite, is native to the state, and is the most common species of drywood termite, according to University of California’s Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program. Luckily, it’s a prime candidate for treatment using a “green” pest control solution—orange oil.

The type of termite infesting a home or business property, and the degree of infestation, determine the most effective and cost-effective treatment. Historically termite infestations have been treated by whole-house tenting and fumigation—a major expense and disruption for homeowners, who have to move their families and pets elsewhere for the duration of treatment and sometimes replace landscaping. In our Sacramento-based pest control practice, we treat whole-house fumigation as a solution of last resort. Fortunately, an ecologically friendly orange oil treatment, XT-2000 Orange Oil, has been proven effective against drywood termite infestations, with minimal disruption to family routines or business operations.

Orange oil derives its termite killing properties from d-limonene, which is part of an essential oil found in the rinds of oranges. In addition to giving oranges their characteristic citrus aroma, d-limonene is also a solvent found in many over-the-counter stain removers and cleaners. The same properties that help d-limonene dissolve tough stains also attack the termite’s exoskeleton and internal organs to eventually kill them.

A structure may be infested with multiple termite colonies, all of the same species or of different species. An experienced pest control technician will inspect your property inside and out to locate and identify any existing termite colonies or other types of wood-destroying insects or fungi and advise you on the best course of action. Orange oil is best suited for drywood termites from the Kalotermitidae family of termites, less effective in combating subterranean termites that nest underground.

Drywood termites are killed by direct contact with the orange oil, in the presence of its fumes, and by eating the treated wood. Based on where the termite infestation has occurred, the exterminator may have to drill into wood or through walls to effectively treat the area. Because of the organic nature of orange oil, it will diminish in strength over time, potentially requiring another application. A follow up inspection may be necessary to confirm if the initial treatment was successful and reapply the orange oil if the termites have reappeared.

A side benefit to orange oil is that it is effective in controlling ants as well.

Orange oil’s high terpene content allows it to dissolve many oils, and it can cause paint to peel, which is problematic for do-it-yourself application. Our experienced pest control technicians use a drill and injection method, in which they drill a series of small holes into the infected wood timbers, then inject the holes with XT-2000 Orange Oil to reach the infected wood, killing termites on contact. Once the holes are sealed and painted over, the treatment is invisible to the naked eye, leaving behind only the faint scent of fresh oranges.

While orange oil is lethal to drywood termites, it is an environmentally safe product that poses virtually no hazard to children, pets or wildlife. One tremendous benefit of using orange oil for the eradication of drywood termites is that you don’t have to leave your home or close your business during the application. As with any pesticide application, a trained professional pest control technician will help ensure you get the best results

With the kids out of school and summer vacation in full swing, many of us are packing bags and making our travel plans. With the recent resurgence of bed bugs in the United States, here are a few precautions you can take to make sure you don’t bring any of them home with you!• First stop: hotel bathroom. As you enter your hotel room, don’t drop your bags on the carpeted floor or the end of the bed. Instead carry luggage to the tiled restroom floor and leave them there until you’ve had an opportunity to check your room for bedbugs. If there are bedbugs in your room, they will be transmitted from carpeting or upholstered fabric to your luggage. Don’t give them a chance to hitchhike.

• Inspect your bed. Bed bugs hide in and around upholstery and fabric, usually within 15 feet of the bed. To check your hotel room bed before you recline, pull up the linens at a top corner of the bed, then pull off the corner of the mattress pad, and examine the mattress seams. Look for red or brownish specks or black, near-microscopic fecal material. If you don’t see signs here, chances are your bed is bug-free.

• Don’t forget couches, chairs, headboards. Just as you checked your mattress, check the corner seams of any upholstered furnishings. Another common hiding place is the vinyl-upholstered headboards bolted to the wall in many hotel rooms: look carefully at the seam between headboard and wall.

• Two floors of separation. Following your inspection, should you need to request another room, be sure to ask for one at least two floors away from the original. Bedbugs are known to travel hallways from one room to another and to travel inside walls via wiring conduit.

For more tips on avoiding bed bugs on your summer vacation, check out this article from Health.com.

Top