Full Bore Termite Control: Orange County Homes Need Protection

There is no shortage of termite control in Orange County, but that’s because it’s a very necessary service. Every year, termites deal millions of dollars in damage to homes across the OC. The only way to prevent the cost is to catch them early, preferably right as the hive moves in.

Termites eat constantly — but they don’t like the light, which makes them even more dangerous, because they’re hard to find. If you see something that looks like a long-grain rice with a head squirming across your porch at night, or something that looks like a long-winged ant buzzing around at twilight, it’s time to call up someone who can do a quality termite inspection. Orange County residents are particularly vulnerable to termites (more real hardwood is used in homes in the OC than in most other areas), so keeping an eye out is particularly important here.

Termites live in colonies, and many of them live in the wild, feasting on stumps and fallen trees. But every so often, a colony reaches critical mass, and by instinct and the power of the hive mind, they decide that it’s time to expand. The next generation will consist almost entirely of breeder termites — the winged-ant kinds — and they will scatter in small groups in every direction, searching for an appropriate place to set up shop. Woe betide you if they choose your home!

Once the breeders start breeding, they produce a new Queen and a batch of soldiers and workers. It’s the workers — the long-grain rice kind — that you have to look out for, because they’re the ones that chew tunnels through wood. They partially digest it and carry it back to the next and regurgitate it for the soldiers, breeders, and queen to consume. As the colony grows, the need for wood is ever greater, and the destruction worked by an ever-increasing crew of worker termites expands exponentially.

Because they operate iunderground, inside solid wood, and in other places that you can neither see nor reach them, there are few ways to get rid of termites once and for all. Fumigation is the best bet, but there are other chemicals as well. Call and talk to one of your local Orange County termite controllers about the options available to yo