image description
image description
Since 1893,

Providing Peace of Mind
to New England & Upstate
New York Residents and Businesses

Don't Let Termites Take Over Your Home

April 12, 2010

swarming termites

Active Termite Workers

Termites are wood-destroying insects that cause severe structural damage to your home and have even been known to infest wooden furniture.  In Massachusetts and throughout our service area Subterranean Termites invade homes and commercial properties and while they prefer rotten or decaying wood they attack dry timber and timber framed buildings. Termites are active pests all year long but are more noticeable in the spring as reproductive members of their colonies swarm in order to establish new colonies.  Stop the  termites damage to your home this spring!  Learn more about termite infestations and how Waltham Services can help you prevent termites.

Subterranean termites are small insects. The colony member most known is the whitish worker, wingless, found in soil and in wood. Termites live in underground colonies and make their way to the food source via mud tubes. The reproductive colony members (swarmers) are black, same sized, with two identical pairs of gossamer like wings, which they then shed as their life cycle comes to its end.  These are the swarms you can see in the spring, swarming toward light. They can be found both outside and indoors.  The queen is nestled away underground, protected by the whitish soldiers who also accompany workers.  It is rare for you to see the queen, and tough for the untrained eye to distinguish the soldier from the worker.

The termite’s diet consists of cellulose material found in leaf litter, soil, dung and of course wood and wood by-products.  Moisture is critical to their existence, which is why structures with moisture problems are more vulnerable to termites.  

Finding termite activity in and around your property can be difficult, but if you know what to look for you may be able to detect signs of termites.

  • A termite swarm in the Spring.
  • Wings from swarmers, plus dead termites, near their emergence site
  • Mud tubes between soil and wood, indoors or out.
  • Damaged wood
  • Termite workers, soldiers or swarmers in (dead) wood lying on or in the ground

If you’re still not sure contacting Waltham Services is the best way to determine if your home is susceptible to termite damage.

Our termite control is the ideal solution whether you are building a new home, have a current termite problem or simply want to prevent termites.  We offer a variety of termite treatment options including termite baiting and liquid treatments.  To find out how we can help you keep termites out of your home or to schedule your termite inspection, please contact us.