Q. My neighbor just had a termite treatment. How do I know if I have termites?

A. This is a great question. Most people don’t know if they have termites until they have a “swarm” on the inside. Every year, a healthy colony of Subterranean Termites release thousands of reproductive swarmers that try to emerge and start a new colony. These can sometimes be confused with Ant swarmers. It takes a trained eye to know the difference, so you might want to let us look at it for you if have a swarm. The other way you know if you have termites is mud tunnels stemming out of wood. Usually termites will manifest on the basement sill first, but sometimes they can be found in the garage door frame or any place you have wood-ground contact such as basement stairs that have poured concrete around the base. Termites may be in a piece of wood and not build mud tunnels or “shelter tubes”. Probing with a scratch awl is one way to determine termite activity; the awl will easily go into the wood if termites have been there for awhile. If you need a termite treatment, you may not want to wait too long before calling us—termites do quite a bit damage quickly. This is your home we are talking about, one of your greatest investments literally being eaten!  If you have termites in Lancaster, PA or nearby areas call us today at 717-393-7879.