W.O.L.F. PEST CONTROL
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Protect your largest investment with W.O.L.F. Pest Control Termite service
Termites: Termites are the most destructive species in North America. It is estimated that termites cause more than five billion dollars of damage each year in North America. Keep in mind that insurance will not cover termite damage of your home. It is best to catch on to an infestation as soon as possible. Unlike ants, termites consume wood (cellulose), without it, a colony will not survive. They work 24/7 to establish their colony, and in doing so, may result to serious damage to your home. There are three types of termites in North America: Drywood Termites, Dampwood Termites and Subterranean Termites. The subterranean termites are the most common species found in The Greater Baton Rouge Area
​Subterranean Termites: These termites build and form their colonies underground and form tunnels/trails to their food sources above ground. A colony has several classifications of termites that all have their own job to do. The types of classifications are called castes there are five: nymph, worker, soldier, secondary reproductive and primary reproductive. The worker caste is known to make up of 90% of the colony. Their job is to seek out wood/food sources and build and excavate tunnels. They create tunnels and seal up areas excavated in the wood to prevent loss of humidity. Worker termites are also responsible for sharing food with other members of the colony, this process is known as trophallaxis. The soldier termites are responsible to defend the colony from attacks by predators such as ants. Their large shaped head and mandibles allow them to do this. Soldiers will generally account for up to 2-3% of a colony. The secondary reproductive caste is responsible to carry out extensive egg laying to help the queen establish and grow the colony. Primary reproductives consist of the queen, king and alates, which are swarmers that search for new areas to start a new colony. Once the alates mate, the queen and king will find a ideal nesting site and begin forming a new colony. The queen will then become immobilized only able to perform the task of laying eggs. On a single day, the queen is capable of laying between 250 - 300 eggs. The queen is able to detect if a member of a certain caste is needed in the colony, the queen is then able to develop newborns that will work in that caste. For example, if more members of the soldier caste are needed, the queen will pick up on a pheromone and lay eggs to develop soldiers. As long as all castes are able to complete their job, the termite colony will prosper and grow.
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Size Of Colony: There are many factors that influence how large termite colonies become. When attempting to determine where the most populous termite colonies are located, region is important, but it is not the only consideration. For example, the eastern subterranean termite damages homes from Florida to Maine, and their colonies can include around fifty thousand individual termites or more. However, Formosan subterranean termites live in colonies that can include millions of individual termites. The relatively huge size of Formosan termite colonies means that they damage homes at a much greater rate than all other colonies. Of course, these are only subterranean termites; dry wood and damp wood termite colonies also must be taken into account, as colony size differs from species to species. Generally, dry wood and damp wood termite colonies contain far fewer termites than subterranean colonies, some of which can contain less than one hundred individual termites. As a general rule, termite colonies are at their largest in equatorial regions, and they become progressively smaller as you move northward, away from equatorial regions.
Termites can form very large colonies, but determining the population level of a particular colony is sometimes difficult. This is because subterranean colonies can be interconnected over large distances underground. Sometimes a chain of colonies can continue for miles. So should such a chain be counted as one colony? Probably not, this is why experts do their best to define a colony’s barriers before determining their size in population.
Many people assume that subterranean termites form single colonies below the ground, but most of these colonies are connected to others. Colonies expand when worker termites venture away from the nest for food. If two worker termites from the same species encounter one another while foraging, they may fight or join forces. It is also not uncommon for one large termite colony to be surrounded by many smaller satellite colonies that are ruled over by members of the colony’s reproductive cast. It also takes around five years for a colony to mature, but this amount of time varies from species to species. Most mature subterranean colonies contain in between 200,000 and 2,000,000 individual termites.
​How to prevent Termite activity:
- Keep Firewood away from home
- Avoid wood and soil contact of construction of your home. The structures of homes and other wooden materials found in a home can be a great source for a termite colony, make sure it is not rotted and does not make direct contact with the soil.
- Avoid using mulch around home for landscaping
- Make sure that water drains away from the property
- Have the home regularly inspected and treated by a professional
Our goal is to interfere with the colony, eliminate all castes thus eliminating the colony from your home or business.
Treatment: W.O.L.F. Pest Control provides preventative and full treatment of termite colony and activity in The Greater Baton Rouge Area. We are fully licensed for treatments and inspections. Catching on to the termite activity sooner than later is always the best way to minimize damages. We specialize in Residential & Commerical Pest Control. Begin an inspection today by calling (225) 267-9653
What is an Official Wood Destroying Insect Report?
An Official Wood Destroying Insect Report (WDIR), commonly referred to as a termite letter, documents current termite infestations or lack thereof and brings to light conditions that favor future infestation.
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WDIRs are not required by law, but many mortgage companies will require one before they will lend on a property. If you are in the process of buying or selling a home, you may need to purchase a WDIR. In fact, we recommend that you do so you will know the integrity of the property you are purchasing and if it has suffered any termite damage.