Quality Pest & Wildlife Removal in Foxborough, Mansfield
NON-LETHAL NUISANCE ANIMAL REMOVAL AND EXCLUSION
Termite Elimination
FOXBOROUGH, MANSFIELD, MA AND EASTERN MASSACHUSETTS
The Eastern subterranean termite is the most common and most widely distributed termite in North America. It is a problem for homeowners from southern Ontario in Canada, south throughout the Eastern United States and as far west as Montana. This Native American pest feeds on such cellulose materials as structural wood, wood fixtures, paper, books, and cotton. Occasionally, it will even attack the roots of shrubs and trees. A mature colony of Eastern subterranean termites can range from as low as 20,000 to a high of 5 million workers, with an average of 300,000. The colony’s queen will add 5,000 to 10,000 eggs per year to the total. While Eastern subterranean termite colonies are not the largest termite colonies you can find, there will often be more than one colony working in a single building. Signs of Eastern subterranean termites include dirt-colored tubes built to serve as protected paths from the earth to the wood the termites are feeding on, and the translucent wings shed by the kings and queens during swarming. Swarming usually occurs in the spring, but other, smaller swarms can occur throughout the summer and fall.
Treatment and prevention:
We use the Advance Termite Bait System from BASF to treat termites. The system is made up of several individual termite bait cartridges that are installed in soil around the perimeter of your home. We will check the stations regularly for termite activity. When termites are found in a station, the Termite Inspection Cartridge (TIC), containing no active ingredient, is replaced with a Termite Bait Cartridge, containing active ingredient, so termites can start feeding on the bait. As termites feed and then travel back to the colony, they share termite bait with other nest mates and send other termites back to feed on the bait. As feeding on the bait continues and more and more termites are affected, the termite colony starts to die and is eliminated. After a colony is eliminated, the bait is replaced with a new inspection cartridge. We will continue to offer long-term protection by inspecting the station regularly as part of your service agreement to discover and treat any new colonies that invade your property.
SOME QUICK FACTS ABOUT EASTERN SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES:
• An average Eastern subterranean termite colony can consume 5 grams of wood per day, the equivalent of 2⅓ linear feet of a 2′ x 4′ pine board annually.
• Eastern subterranean termites can enter buildings through cracks less than 1/16 of an inch wide.
• Eastern subterranean termites will often build mud tubes for travel between their colonies and their food sources.
• The king and queen in a colony can live for 10 to 30 years, while workers live for about two years.
