The holiday season is quickly approaching and I can’t wait to purchase gifts and decorate my house for the holidays! Plus, with guests coming over, I was thinking it gives me time to tidy up and maybe even buy a few new things for my own home for decoration.

Then, the other day I heard an unbelievable story about a termite infestation inside a home that made me really think about what I am buying and bringing inside.  A woman bought some new baskets and decorative items to brighten up her home before her holiday guests began arriving. The items were made of wood and unbeknownst to the owner, they were infested with termites.  She started noticing small piles of dust around the wood floors of her home within a few months of the purchase but couldn’t figure out what it was.

After about one year of a growing problem, she finally contacted us and we discovered a complete termite infestation in her home – all caused from this one little purchase!

Now, I’m not saying I won’t decorate my home or buy anything new, but I’ll definitely be inspecting anything made of wood for traces of termite damage. And I’d recommend to anyone that they do the same. If you see start seeing tiny piles of powder around your house or small holes in your drywall, don’t wait to call!

Now who’s ready for some shopping?

In a series of “Meet the Team” blog postings, we’ll introduce you to the professional and technical team behind the blogs here at Massey Services.

Ed Blumenthal – Termite Expert

Ed Blumenthal is our Termite Training and Technical Director at Massey Services. Ed’s main responsibility has him on the road almost every week, where he travels to our service centers to provide quality assurance in a technical capacity and review protocols with team members.

In addition to his quality assurance role, one of Ed’s best attributes is his ability to teach. Ed is responsible for developing our termite technical and training manual and then teaching the class to all of our new team members. As you can imagine, teaching about tiny little insects that you can barely see might be a bit challenging to keep your audience captivated. Fortunately with Ed’s great teaching skills we commonly hear our team members say his training is presented in an interactive hands on approach that holds their attention for four days straight!

Ed grew up in Plainview, NY but moved to Orlando, FL in 1972. He joined Massey Services in 1998 and was instrumental in developing new termite protocols that have drastically changed the industry.

Last year Ed was an honored recipient of the Pest Control Technology (PCT) Magazine and Syngenta Professional Products Crown Leadership Award. He had an entire article published about him in PCT Magazine and was recognized at the National Pest Management Association’s annual convention.

With all of Ed’s traveling and training, we don’t get to see him very much but we always know he’s just a phone call away when we have a termite question. So there you have it – Massey’s own termite expert!

Termite infestations are often difficult for homeowners to detect because they feed and travel inside the walls of your home, which means you can’t see them!  Here are a few signs you can look for to spot a termite infestation in your home:

• Winged Termites -  swarm into the home through a tiny hole in the wall. These termites will fly toward a light source, like a window or sliding glass door. If you find dead termites or just their wings near window sills or sliding glass doors, it is an indication of an active infestation in your home.
• Small holes or tiny spots of dirt on a wall or baseboard – as mentioned earlier, swarming termites enter into your home through small holes in the wall. These “exit holes” can be either packed with dirt or left open.
• Mud tunnels – Subterranean termites will build tunnels out of soil to safely travel to food sources above the ground. These tunnels  are about the size of a pencil and are most often found outside on the foundation of your home. However, it isn’t uncommon to find them inside the house and garage, as well.

Identify Mud Tunnels and Protect Your Home

• Damaged wood – termites will eat all of the wood behind a wall and leave just the paint that covers the area! Lightly tapping wood surfaces that appear undamaged with the handle of a screwdriver may lead to the discovery of damaged wood behind painted surfaces.
• Pellets – Drywood termites push tiny pellets out of small holes in the wood they are living in. The pellets accumulate in small piles under the areas where they are feeding.

Identify Signs of Termites and Protect Your Home

If you think you have a termite infestation, or want to learn more about Massey’s Termite Protection, schedule your free inspection or call us at 1-888-2MASSEY (262-7739).

What to do in a termite swarm

Homeowners may never actually see termites because they live in the ground or potentially in the walls of the home.

Most of the time, a termite swarm  is the only time homeowners actually see termites or find out they have termites before damage is discovered. Mature termite colonies will produce winged reproductive termites that will fly off from the colony in great numbers. This is nature’s way of termites spreading and establishing new colonies. Termite swarms can occur both  indoors and outside.

When termites swarm indoors, they will come out of walls or wooden construction (baseboards, door frames, posts, etc.) through small holes. These are called “exit holes” and were created by worker termites. A swarm will last about 30-40 minutes and the swarming termites will fly toward a light source, typically collecting around windows and sliding glass doors. If these termites can not find soil, they will die in a few hours from dehydration. Often homeowners come home from work to find many dead swarmers (or sometimes just their wings) on window sills, counter tops, around furniture, etc. This is the aftermath of a termite swarm.

Some Do’s and Don’ts if you see a swarm:

• DON’T panic.
• DON’T spray the swarmers with a can of insect spray. They will die naturally in the air and emptying a can of insect spray is unnecessary.
• DON’T try to seal the exit holes. Swarmers must escape and sealing the holes with tape or other materials will only cause them to make new holes to escape from.

• DO try to contain them. This can be done by shutting the door to the room that they are swarming in. Sometimes, a clear plastic baggie can be attached over the exit hole so the swarmers fly into the bag.
• DO vacuum them up and throw the full bag into the garbage. The swarmers in the bag will die and they can not spread.
• DO save a bag full of insets to show a trained inspector.
• DO call a reputable termite company. A trained inspector will be able to make a positive identification of the type of termite and recommend the best control method to solve the problem.

Think you’ve had a swarm in your home? Want to learn more about our Termite Treatment Options? Schedule a Free Inspection or call us at 1-888-2MASSEY (262-7739).

Different termite species can be found all over the world. Even places like Saudi Arabia have their share of termite problems. There are over 2,500 different termite species world wide! Luckily, in Florida and the Southeast, we only have to deal with about 10 species.

There are two types of termites of economic importance. Both eat cellulosic material, wood and wood by-products like paper and cardboard, and both are responsible for causing extensive damage to buildings.

Subterranean termites live in the soil in colonies that can contain hundreds of thousands of termites. They tunnel through the soil looking for food and can enter buildings through tiny cracks in the slab and foundation. When they find a food source, a tree stump or your home, they establish a feeding trail back to the colony.

Drywood termites live and feed in dry wood and do not have any contact with the soil. They swarm over a building and enter it through unscreened soffit vents, gable and ridge vents, or they can enter through small cracks and crevices around the exterior of the building. Once they have established their colony, they live and feed in that area and it is possible for them to swarm into other parts of the building.

Because the two termites have very different habits, it is important to remember that they require very different treatments to control them. Contact Massey Services to get a Free Termite Inspection and to find out what termite treatment option is right for your home.

The Formosan Termite is clearly the most destructive of all the termite species worldwide. It arrived in America from Taiwan during World War II when our warships returned to Louisiana, Texas and South Carolina. In 1995 it was discovered in a shipyard in Texas and soon after in Louisiana, where it is now particularly prevalent.

We call the Formosan the Super Termite for these reasons:

• Their colonies include millions of individuals
• The territory of a single colony can spread out to 300 feet in diameter
• They infest a wide viariety of structures (including, but not limited to: boats, living trees, potted plants and high-rise buildings)
• They devour wood at a rapid rate
• They turn wood into a goo called “carton”

Formosans cause millions of dollars in damage to homes each year and continue to spread to new areas in the United States.

No two homes or two termite problems are exactly alike. That’s why we inspect your home – inside, outside, over and under. Only then can we create the right program for you. Your home is unique and our detailed inspection is free! Contact us for a Free Termite Inspection of your home and to find out about our termite protection programs.

So you have a brick home and think it’s impervious to termites?  Think again!

Every year, termites cause millions of dollars in damage to homes in the US, damage that is not covered by homeowners insurance.  These tiny insects find cellulose material in any home construction type, including brick and steel framed homes.

Subterranean termites reside in the soil and can form tunnels, called mud tubes, up the base of the foundation and get into homes.  Once in the home, they tunnel their way into baseboards and wall studs without you even knowing.  Subterranean termites can also gain entry through plumbing openings in bathrooms and kitchens.

Drywood termites live in the wood they eat and find their way into homes through cracks and gaps in the eaves.  Once in the home, they are typically found in attics or rafters.

In both cases, termites eat wood from the inside out and most homeowners don’t know they have termites until the damage is discovered.

So no matter what your home construction is, you should have a termite protection program in place.  Contact Massey Services to get a Free Termite Inspection and to find out about our termite protection programs.

Unfortunately in the Southeast, the conditions are perfect for termites to be active year-round.  Termites will typically slow their activities in the colder months and there are only a few short weeks in the South when the weather is too cold for extensive termite activity. 

Even in these colder times, termites are not greatly affected because homes are built with the ability to control the temperature inside.  So, when homeowners turn on their heaters, the conditions inside the home become favorable for termite activity to continue.

This is why it is important to have your home inspected annually by a professional company.  Trained Termite Inspectors can identify signs of termites that may not be seen by homeowners.

Massey Services provides Free Termite Inspections and we’ll provide you with a written report of our findings along with recommendations for Termite Protection programs customized for your home.  Sign up for a free inspection or call us at 1-888-2MASSEY.

When exterior sidings on a home extend below the soil or come in direct contact with the soil, termites can build their mud tubes between the foundation and the siding. To reduce the risk of termite infestation and to be able to see an infestation, all exterior sidings should be about 6-8 inches above the soil. This is especially true with stucco coating on wood-frame wall construction.

On the outside, a wood-framed wall coated with stucco appears to be solid concrete with no way for termites to get in. However, stucco coatings are applied to a wire mesh that is attached to the wood sheathing of the wall. When the wire is installed below the surface of the soil it creates a gap that is wide enough for termites to tunnel behind the stucco into the home. Because they are tunneling behind the stucco, the tunnels are not visible and this can result in an infestation going undetected for a long time.

If your home is constructed of wood-framing with an exterior coating of stucco extending below the soil, it is highly recommended that you have an annual termite inspection by a professional. A proper inspection will determine if the stucco is providing a hidden avenue for termites into your home,

Contact Massey Services for your Free Termite Inspection. We will also provide you a detailed report of any findings along with our recommendations to protect your home.

Termites, by nature, rarely come into the open and most of the indications of a termite problem are hidden or difficult to see to the casual observer. Although, it is best to have a trained professional inspect your home for termite infestations, there are some things that the typical homeowner may see that would let them know if there is an existing termite infestation in their home.

Signs of a Termite Infestation

• Dead termites on widow sills, around doors or on or near furniture. This is the most common way homeowners find out they have termites.
• Mud tunnels on exterior foundation walls. These are about the diameter of a pencil and are found around the foundation of the house or in the garage.
• Termite Damage. Sometimes homeowners accidentally discover damage by bumping into a damaged baseboard or wooden post and the wood cracks, exposing the termite damage.

Massey Services provides Free Termite Inspections and recommends that homeowners get an inspection at least once every year.