Termite Season is Upon US!

Reports all over the country make it clear - it's termite season and they are swarming! Winged termites come out of their holes, trying to gain some distance, fluttering away, eventually landing and mating to create newly established colonies.

This is how termites multiply and create new colonies, and if you're unlucky, they could end up colonizing your home! South of the Mississipi, termites have plenty of dead wood and debris to colonize with the wreckage of Katrina still lying around, causing a surge in the termite population, or so professionals claim.

To try and protect your home, make sure that everything is sealed up and don't leave any moisture sources like gutters, roof leaks or leaking pipes. These make a great habitat for new colonies of termites, which will go on to eat any dead cellulose-based matter around them (i.e. wood).

Hundreds displaced for fumigation

Termites drove out 250 assisted living residents from Lytton Gardens in Palo Alto CA. Large scale fumigation was planned ahead and carried out following the discovery of signs of termite activity in the wooden structure. The building had to be covered for this and residents were temporarily moved to nearby hotels... along with stuff.

To combat a termite problem, Lytton Gardens hired fumigators and moved about 250 residents to hotels for the weekend, according to Ronna Farber, executive assistant to the chief executive.

http://www.paloaltoonline.com/news/show_story.php?id=5035

Anti-Termites Robot

They never stop coming up with new technological advancements in the fight against the white little bug(ger)s. The last post here was about using RFID fighting termites. Well, now they're using a robot with thermal sensors!

Hasta la vista, termites. Due for release later this year, the Termibot carries video and thermal imaging cameras where human pest controllers can't go. When a telltale heat or moisture signature is detected, Termicam breaks termite nests open to confirm the infestation, then pumps pest control chemicals directly into the source. It's an ingenious non-invasive pest control device - but its appeal won't be limited to exterminators.

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RFID technology used against termites

The fight against these insects is taking a step forward with the innovative use of highly advanced technology in detecting termite colonies in their early stages -

Dow AgroSciences' Sentricon System, introduced to the market in 1995 and RFID-enabled in 2002, is an in-ground treatment and detection solution that baits and eliminates termite colonies. When the system detects termite activity, it triggers an RFID tag that transmits a signal to an electronic scanning unit used by a trained Sentricon System Authorized Operator.

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It's Termite Time Again!

An interesting news release covers some timely facts about termites... Did you know that even sunk under water during Katrina, colonies of termites managed to survive?

“One of the most astounding discoveries made after Katrina, the category five hurricane that hit New Orleans in 2005, was that, despite high waters and the havoc of the storm, that city’s Formosan subterranean termite population, was not killed off,” said Leonard Douglen, Executive Director of the New Jersey Pest Management Association.

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Fighting Termites

Termites are not evil. I don't hate termites and neither should you. They are just insects, animals going on doing their thing. The only problem is that "their thing" often includes eating or making holes in wood. And when that wood happens to be your furniture or house... you would be facing a termites problem. At that point, they would turn into "the enemy" and you would be looking into solutions.

Well, I believe in knowing thy enemy, and the purpose of this blog is to explore the subject of termites and follow termites in the news. Come back often to see what we have in store for you!