No one wants to deal with a bunch of pests around their home. Regardless of whether it be carpenter ants, wood bees or termites, pests are a nuisance and a bother. These pests can end up causing a lot of damage in their wake. This is why it is so important to make sure they are taken care of as quickly as possible to prevent them from destroying your home. Here are some of the signs to look for that signal you have a problem.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants range in size from ¼” up to ¾” for queens. They are typically black in color but might be black and red as well. They eat both dead and living insects, meat, fats, sweets and honeydew from aphids. However, they also look for food scraps and water inside of the home and will readily consume cellulose. They carry food to the nest and give it to members that don’t scavenge for food on their own. While they might not feed on wood, they use the wood as a place to form their nest. They search for wood that has moisture. They make a hollow cavity in the wood to form their nest. This can cause a number of problems for the structural integrity of your home.
Termites
Termites depend on moisture to establish and maintain their colony. These pests get their protein from decaying wood. They derive their nutrition from leaves, grass, bark, wood products, wood and anything else containing cellulose. These pests look for items that are breaking down from fungal activity. Termites require both carbohydrates and protein to survive. The fungus on the decaying wood provide them with the carbohydrates they need to live. They make their way through the wood and create cavities and hollow out large portions of the wood. This causes the wood to become unstable and poses a risk to anyone in the area.
Wood Bees
While one bee might not do a lot of damage, an entire brood can cause a lot of structural damage to your home. Not only do they drill through the wood, but they defecate on your walls and cause unnecessary staining. They don’t eat the wood. They simply excavate tunnels to form a shelter to raise their young. They go after unpainted objects such as windowsills, shingles, eaves, rails, telephone poles, doors and even wooden furniture.
If you think you might be dealing with any of the pests above, you need to turn to a pest control specialist in Tulsa to come out and take care of the problem for you. There is no reason why you should be forced to deal with these pests when there are things that can be done to treat the problem.
