Anyone who owns a home where there’s a lot of wood will have stories to tell about their battles with that nasty pest the termite. It seems to many homeowners that the termite is the one pest that was specifically created to cause them trouble. Unfortunately, the termite isn’t the only pest that the homeowner needs to watch out for and the diligent property owner will be vigilant and watch for the other problem visitors that can harm the value of any home over time.
One of the other wood destroying insects that is quite common is the ant and often they are hard to tell apart from the termite since that both have winged bodies. The ant, however, can be thought of as a little more stylish since they have an hourglass figure and the wings are different. The termite has four wings all the same size but the ant’s frontal ones are a little smaller. It’s also good to remember that the ants antennae are bent while the termite has straight feelers. But even some of the names that these ants have been given will you alert you to their destructive potential.
Take the carpenter ant for instance. These are those big shiny black ones that you might have seen and their claim to destructive fame lies in the fact that they can make large galleries for themselves in wood. One good way to look out for them while you’re going through a building inspection is to look for tiny shavings of wood that give them away since they are building nests and not feeding. Remember too that these ants feed on kitchen waste and can be seen searching for food there, so a good place to start when you’re tracking them down in is the kitchen. If you can spot these ants flying around a window, that generally means that you’ve got a colony in the house and these can be quite difficult to find.
If you manage to find their lair, an insecticide from the local store that deals specifically with these ants is often the cure, but if you find that it doesn’t work you’ll need to call in the professionals that will be able to do the job properly and guarantee their work.
There are more of these insects that want to live in and/or feed off of your home and one of the other ones that does a tremendous amount of damage is the powder-post beetle. The name is appropriate since it turns wood into powder. These beetles leave little round holes in the attic or basement that look like a tiny dart game has gone on and with these pests, it’s generally best to call in the professionals that can help out.
Latest Videos of Other Wood Destroying Insects:
home-inspection
