How Hard Is It to Get Rid of Termites?

Are Termites Hard to Get Rid Of?

We often get asked ‘Can you get rid of termites?’ or ‘How can I get rid of termites?’ It’s important to understand that getting rid of termites is very hard for the average DIY homeowner. Here’s why:

1. Termites Are Tough to Spot: a colony can thrive inside the walls of a home for 8-10 years undetected.
2. Termite Colonies Are Huge: termite nests can have hundreds of thousands or even millions of individuals.
3. Termites Have a Superpower: a termite colony can restart itself — even if the queen is killed.

Termites damage approximately hundreds of thousands of homes in the United States each year, costing residents billions of dollars in termite control and related repairs! 

According to the USDA Forest Service, these numbers may or may not include the cost of treatments (both preventive and curative), repairs to damaged buildings, loss of property value, and damage not immediately attributed to termites (such as wind damage to weakened structures).

Termites are so widespread that they are found in every part of the country.

If you are one of the many unlucky homeowners who have experienced a termite infestation, you understand just how difficult it is to get rid of termites and could be left frustrated over wondering if there’s anything you can do to effectively get rid of termites in your home.

Can You Get Rid of Termites?

Termites are such a difficult problem to get rid of that it almost seems like they have superpowers – which, as it turns out, they actually sort of do. Learning about termites and their behavior can help us figure out how they’ve been able to remain a major pest. It can be nearly impossible for a homeowner to try to deal with termites on their own. For the sake of your home and to minimize the damage the termites cause it is best to hire a professional pest removal company near you to help you effectively get rid of termites. Pest control companies like Fox Pest have access to tools and products that will kill the termites and they have the expertise to know how to apply those products and to greatly reduce the chances of a repeat infestation.

See why it’s so difficult to get rid of termites.

3 Reasons Why It’s Hard to Get Rid of Termites

1. Termites are Tough to Spot

First, termites are not easy to find or identify. So then it’s the question: If you can’t find them, how can you get rid of termites?

Termites are so stealthy that a colony can thrive inside the walls of a home for 8-10 years undetected.

That gives the little guys plenty of time to chow down on everything, from the wood inside the walls to furniture, books, and even wallpaper without blowing their cover.

So why are termites so hard to find for DIY homeowners?

Termites Hide to Survive

The main reason people don’t see termites is a simple one – they don’t like to be out in the open.

Termites eat wood from the inside out and spend their lives safe in the colony’s tunnels. You can almost think of it as agoraphobia for termites (fear of leaving the house), but it is necessary for their survival.

Termites Are Completely Blind

Living life isolated from the outside world may seem extreme, but workers, soldiers, and young termites (or nymphs) live in total darkness anyway. Only adult kings and queens have functional eyes, while workers and soldiers don’t have any eyes at all.

Their blindness makes them shy, careful, and highly dependent on their sense of touch to explore and communicate with each other. Termites are able to use their sensitive antennae to find their next woody treat.

Termites Need Moisture

Unlike ants and most other pests commonly found in homes, termite bodies are very soft. Their soft bodies lose a lot of water by evaporation, causing termites to die of dehydration in the hot sun or open air.

2. Termite Colonies Are Huge!

Termites can reproduce extremely fast, this is the second reason why it’s so hard to get rid of termites for the average homeowner.

Some queens can lay several thousand eggs per day, which means a colony is constantly growing.

Mature termite nests can have hundreds of thousands or even millions of individuals!

As the colony gets larger, it expands its territory. The most mature colonies will produce more than one queen to help with egg-laying duties. Sometimes, to expand territory, additional queens can even be sent far away from the original colony to start a satellite nest.

You can see why termites are hard to eradicate from your house once you understand how their reproductive cycle enables them to grow exponentially.

But we’ve got one more surprise for you. Here’s the third reason why it’s so hard to get rid of termites.

3. Termites Have a Superpower

After learning this little termite fact, you’ll never again be asking yourself why is it hard to get rid of termites.

The third reason why termites are one of the most difficult household pests to get rid of is that they can literally regenerate themselves.

With many ant or bee species, the entire nest can eventually die if the queen or queens are killed because new eggs are not being produced.

Luckily for termites (but not homeowners), a termite colony can restart itself — even if the queen is killed!

Ants and bees have ways to get the colony going again if the queen dies, but only termites specifically have this powerful ability.

Queen and king termites produce special chemicals that keep the soldiers and workers from growing and reproducing. When the existing queen dies, her chemicals don’t hold the workers back anymore, and one of them can grow into a fully reproductive queen to take her place!

How crazy is that? How can you get rid of termites when that is what you’re up against?!

You can see why having regenerative superpowers answers the question, “how hard is it to get rid of termites?”

For the average DIY homeowner, getting rid of termites is hard – like really, really hard.

If even one reproductive worker survives an attack from predators or professional termite treatments, that worker could grow into a new queen and start building up the colony all over again.

This superpower is why professionals often come back once a year to inspect your home, even after a thorough termite treatment is completed. There’s just no guarantee that the colony won’t reappear in full force.

So, Can You Get Rid of Termites?

Knowing those three big reasons why termites are so difficult to remove from your home, we’re going to say not a chance.

There are a few products you can apply to your home to help get rid of most pests — boric acid, food-grade diatomaceous earth, and even termite bait systems — to name a few.

However, attempting your own termite extermination can be very stressful and a waste of your precious time and money.

At Fox Pest Control, we have all the tools needed to inspect for termite infestations and kill termites for you. The most efficient way to get rid of termites for good is to call the professionals at Fox Pest Control.

We invite you to talk with one of our local termite control specialists near you today.

You obviously want a company that can deliver excellent termite control, but what sets Fox Pest Control apart, is our ability to restore your peace of mind and teach you how to protect your home from future damage.

So you’ll never have to ask yourself again, “how hard is it to get rid of termites?”

Our friendly and knowledgeable Pest Pros will be with you every step of the process – when you call Fox, you’re joining a family that cares.

If you’re worried your home has a termite infestation, contact Fox Pest today!

Because No Bugs is Simply Better.