Termite Inspection Orange County Termite Terry Pest Control

Costa Mesa, Newport Beach, Huntington Beach, South Orange County, Long Beach Area

Drywood Termites Swarm In Orange County!

    Home and business owners in Orange County are calling for help because they are finding hundreds or even thousands of drywood termites swarming around their properties. When you see termites swarm, you know it is their mating flight. Swarming of drywood termites usually occurs during the months of September and October.

    Drywood termite swarms are triggered by bright sunlight and temperatures of over 80 degrees Fahrenheit. Another real important factor to consider is:

If you see drywood termite swarmers,
you know the colony is at least four years old.

    This is a very important fact for you to know. Let’s say you had your home treated for drywood termites one, two or three years ago and now you see them swarming around on the inside of your home or business, again. If that is the case, you know for a fact that the previous treatment of your structure was probably not effective. There is no way a new termite colony can move in, start a family and began producing new swarmers that quickly!

    Fortunately, drywood termites are extremely poor fliers and most of them will start settling down after they fly for just a few feet. A majority of these termites will fall prey to birds, reptiles or other insects. Many of the others will die of dehydration or injury.

     After the swarmers land, they shed their wings and start the mating process. Then, they start looking for a piece of wood to enter. Cracks, knot holes or joints between pieces of wood are the easiest access points. The king and queen will remain in their small nest and build up the colony. Drywood termite colonies are usually small but when you combine multiple colonies in a single piece of wood, you may have over 10,000 members. When there are that many termites eating 24 hours a day for 365 days a year, you’re going to start seeing a substantial amount of damage.

    Locating the nests of drywood termites can be very difficult. For example, many people will see a large collection of wings and even dead termites located around doors and windows. And, some will make the mistake of thinking that the termite nests are located in these areas. DON’T LET THEM FOOL YOU! Drywood termites are attracted to light and it is very normal for them to fly from another area of the room toward a door or window where there is bright light. The termites are trying to escape! But, what usually happens is that they run into a piece of glass or a window screen. This is why you’ll often find a lot of wings and termites in those areas.

    Bright electric lights can even trigger termite swarms at night. AGAIN, DON’T LET THEM FOOL YOU! Just because you see termites and wings around a light does not mean the nests are located in that area. They are probably coming from another part of the room.

    When you see evidence of drywood termites, the first thing you should do is to order a thorough inspection of