Area sees more Formosan termites

The Formosan termite infestation is becoming more prevalent in the Tri-City area.

“In New Orleans and Lake Charles, it’s been bad for many years,” said Sugarland Exterminating co-owner Kevin Sellers. “But now it’s really starting to show its presence in this area.”

Formosan subterranean termites are an invasive species not native to the United States, according to the Louisiana State University Agriculture Center website.

The termite infestation in the United States is originally linked to items transported from the South Pacific during the time of World War II. Today, those termites are still being introduced to new areas in infested material.

Some infested materials include crates, pallets, railroad ties, rail cars, boats, trailers, potted plants, lumber and mulch.

“Oh, we might get 20 to 30 calls in one day,” Sellers said. “For a week or two, they will swarm like that, letting you know that they’re nearby. But when they don’t swarm, they could be coming up somewhere.”

The Formosan termite is more aggressive than any other subterranean type termite that we’ve ever had in this area, Sellers said.

Termites need moisture every 24 hours. But the Formosan termite needs less water than other types to survive.

The termites are considered aggressive because the caste part of the colony has the greatest numbers of soldiers. The soldiers protect the colony from predators.

“If you have a moisture leak, you want to fix that leak as soon as possible,” Sellers said. “Because they’ll swarm to that area and make a colony, instead of going in the ground to make a colony and going up to feed on the wood.”

If you see termites swarming, you should contact a pest control company to check for an infestation.

Be on the lookout for dirt trails similar to those made by ants. This is the passage for termites to travel from water source to wood source.

Termite trails can be found close to any wooden structure. It could be a house, building, shed, shop, fence, tree, or any wood in contact with the ground or wooden debris.

“You want to get that away from your building,” Sellers said. “And keep your mulch anywhere from 6 inches to a foot away from your building. Put a little rock barrier or edging to keep the mulch from building up. Keep the mulch below the slab line.”

But if there is a leak or moisture around a window seal, the entire boxing structure is a logical place for the termite to get its supply of water.

“You should make sure your bricks are sealed,” Sellers said. “And make sure areas around windows and doors are caulked so you’re not getting any moisture in there or any wall.”

The boxing area surrounding a roof needs to be caulked where drip edges are located, especially where the boards meet. It needs to be caulked well because if moisture keeps getting into those areas, and termites swarm and there’s a little dirt in the gutter, a colony can be created.

The gutters need to be cleaned on an annual basis, Sellers said.

“Once you have an infestation, you must tear out the rest of your damage,” Sellers said. “And get that dirt out of the wall. And have the termite company treat the new lumber. That’s very important to get rid of your problem termites.

“And if you can, try to go buy treated wood because it fights off moisture. And have your termite company spray the inside of the wall and all the new lumber before they close that wall back up.”

Termites can gain access through areas that aren’t as accessible to humans.

“There are too many inaccessible areas where you can’t see where they’re coming up,” Sellers said. “Most of them are confined to the middle of the house and not the edge of the house.

“This means that the termites are coming up from an area not located by windows or doors.”

If an infestation is suspected, it’s best to get it checked out, Sellers said.

“It’s up to you to have a good termite company,” Sellers said. “A good treatment once a year keeps termites away from there. ...

“A good company is going to show you where termites are coming up from. They’re going to show you where they were found.”