Springtime, When Termites Swarm in Texas

Springtime is magical in Texas, when the bluebonnets bloom and the termites swarm. Wait, what?Subterranean termites are shy and don’t like sunlight. That’s why during the rest of the year people typically don’t notice a colony of termites boring under the ground and up into their house. They will come in through foundation cracks, invade the framework and eat into sheetrock. But, there is one time when they really put on a dramatic show: spring.Warm weather is the cue for the swarms to come out. Pest control operators know exactly what it means when we get calls from unnerved people seeing black bugs swarming inside their house. It’s termites time!Why now? A colony of subterranean termites will grow in population over the course of the year and could spread out to occupy spaces across more than an acre. At a certain point, they decide the time has come to split off and create a new colony.The new colony is very likely to set up its new hub at an unsuspecting homeowner’s house. Termites are normally white, but when they are on the move in a new swarm, they are black bodied with white wings and fly about. They will emerge from internal walls and crawl around the interior. You would likely see them on walls, floors and counters, especially near sinks because they like water.If they are inside the house, they will start flying around the interior and head toward windows because they want out. That’s right about the time for the homeowner to call All Solutions All Pests.A swarm is impossible to miss because it comprises thousands of termites.You may also see a swarm outside the home, such as in a garden shed, retaining wall, fence or other wood structure. You really do not want them in proximity to the house because the house will serve a buffet of food for a termite colony.Did you know termites can slip through a gap as small as 3/32 of an inch? Want to know what might be lurking in the woodwork, sheetrock or elsewhere in your home? Our team includes pest control operators with backgrounds in home inspection and home construction, so they know what to look for in different types of home construction to find termites.Contrary to popular belief, brick and HardiePlank will not stop termites from coming into a house. The termites will bypass those materials by coming up the slab and entering through cracks and/or weep holes. Once they reach the studs, it’s mealtime. They will keep going to eat more and more wood framing and walls, coming further and further within the home.To properly treat for termites, we will dig a trench around the house exterior and apply a non-repellant pesticide. This is key because the termites will cross through it and carry the pesticide back to their queen. Once the queen is destroyed, the colony is eradicated.In this video, certified applicator Robert Goodspeed of All Solutions All Pests shows how we get the job done.If you see a swarm or black bugs crawling around the house, call us so we can quickly get a handle on the extent of the infestation and damage, and get your situation under control.