They will silently chew your house
to the ground.
By the time you notice anything,
it will be too late.
And you thought your inlaws
were horrible house guests.
These tiny intruders have a mouth
designed to chew wood.
Every year in the U.S.
they cause more than $5 billion
in property damage.
Worldwide that number
soars to $40 billion.
If you spot a few, they're not alone.
A termite nest can have a population
of about a million,
and they're just as adept at
hiding as cockroaches.
You might not even notice them
until you see the damage they’ve caused,
and by then it might already be too late.
Termite trespassers are hard to kick out
so you want to prevent them from
entering in the first place.
Look for holes that
give them access.
Fill in any cracks that you might find
using cement,
grout or caulk.
Hungry termites will feed
on wooden structures
that are up to 100 m (328 ft)
from their nest.
If you want to plant trees,
keep some space between them
and your home.
You also don't want them near
any exposed wood.
That would only provide a direct route
to your house.
Termites love moist
and warm environments.
They build their nests in spots
with high humidity.
The last thing you want
is to make your home hospitable for them.
Keep it as dry as possible.
Conduct regular maintenance checks
around your house.
Pay special attention to drainage,
gutters and downspouts.
You want to make sure that the soil
around the base of your home is dry.
If there are any leaks,
fix them immediately
so you don’t create a welcoming
future nesting ground.
That pile of old fencing
you're keeping next to your house
because you think you can repurpose it
for something else?
Get rid of it.
It's just a disaster waiting to happen.
In 2011,
a fire almost destroyed a home
in Lynnwood,
Washington.
It took firefighters 25 minutes
to bring the situation under control.
A termite infestation created piles
of sawdust in decomposing wood,
and heat from the nest helped start
the fire.
The blaze spread,
causing $200,000 in damage.
Termites are incredibly tough.
They've evolved to survive by hiding
away from predators,
such as birds.
They know how to lay low
and go unnoticed for a long time.
Your home can sustain them for years
before the damage starts to show.
Being aware of their presence
in the early stages of the infestation
could save your house
and your pocketbook.
Examine exposed wood
and any hollow spots
for telltale signs such as mud tunnels,
which termites create to travel through.
They’re not proficient fliers,
but they do shed their wings.
If you spot these,
that’s a problem.
Once you’re aware of the infestation,
you need to act immediately.
Hopefully, there's still something
to be saved.
And this isn't a do-it-yourself project.
You’ll have to call the pros.
They’ll provide soil-applied termiticides,
termite bait
and wood treatments
to try save your property.
You can repair any damage
with materials fused with termiticides
if you never want to see these
critters come back.
Dealing with uninvited insect guests
that feast on your home is horrible,
but could it get worse?
Well, while paying attention
to all those to all those termites
you forgot to watch out for
other disgusting bugs
that thrive in filth,
eat your food
and spread diseases.
We can show you how to get rid
of those too,
here.