South Florida Termite Control

Termites cause well over $2 billion in structural damage to homes each year. That’s more than fires and storms combined. Our highly trained professional technicians offer Broward County with superior termite control. Florida Pest Control Center provides:

• • Guaranteed inspections
  • Residential termite control
  • Commercial termite control
  • Subterranean termite control
  • Drywood termite control
  • Formosan termite control

Identifying Termites – Ants vs. Termites

Finding winged insects in your house can be an alarming discovery because they may indicate the presence of a termite infestation. Many people mistake termites for ants, thinking them harmless intruders looking for a sugar bowl to raid. They may set out ant bait, believing that that’s the last of their ant problems. Meanwhile, the termite colony continues to grow and devour their home. It’s important to be able to make the distinction between termites and ants. Florida Pest Control Center offers termite inspection services throughout Parkland, Coral Springs, Pompano Estates, Pompano Beach, Tamarac, Oakland Park, Lauderdale Lakes, Fort Lauderdale, Sunrise, Weston, Davie, Dania Beach, Pembroke Pines, Hollywood and the surrounding areas.

Most of the time, termites like to stay concealed in moist wood or the ground where the humidity is high. That’s why the only time you’re likely to see termites is when the queen has produced flying offspring to establish other colonies. At this point, the infestation is likely quite serious. These winged reproducers are easily mistaken for winged ants, which undergo a similar life cycle.

The average flying termite is between one-quarter and three-eighths of an inch long. Their body color ranges from a white, translucent fleshy color, yellow, brown or even black. In addition, termite wings are wasp-like, smoky-colored and longer than the insect’s body. Unlike the wings of flying ants, both pairs are the same size. These flyers are commonly referred to as swarmer’s because they emerge in large numbers all at once, often after a heavy spring rain.

There are other features of termites that set them apart from ants. Termites have short, stocky legs that help support their thick waists and bulky bodies. Ants, on the other hand, have thin, wasp-like waists and long legs. Also, termite antennae are short and straight, whereas ants are long and jointed.

Know when to contact a professional

If you’ve been finding piles of insect wings in your home, you may be understandably puzzled. This isn’t a sign of a new infestation. These wings are left behind by the swarmer’s, who shed their wings after a time. If you see this, it’s a sign of a big problem that needs to be fixed as quickly as possible.

To help you better differentiate between ants and termites, it helps to know a little about termite biology. A colony is started by a male and a female that stay together for life. They can maintain a colony for 20 years of more, and the female lays more than 100 million eggs during her life. Most of these eggs become infertile drones that forage and care for the entire colony and its young. As the queen gets older, she begins to produce offspring that are capable of reproduction and flight. These offspring eventually leave the colony to begin another.

As soon as you see any of these signs, even if you think you may just have ants, it’s strongly recommended to contact a professional pest control company. The sooner you wipe out termites, the less damage your home will sustain.