All In a Day's Build

Subterranean termites are the type of termite that accesses your home through tunnels deep underground. They use the tunnels to get into your home through cracks in your foundation. Like other termites, they'll begin to eat the wood in your home once they're inside, and large colonies of subterranean termites can rapidly cause severe structural damage to your home.

You can often notice a subterranean termite infestation by the mud tunnels they create on your home's foundation. If you've noticed subterranean termite tunnels, you may be wondering if you need to hire a professional termite control service or if you can try to eliminate the infestation yourself. In almost all cases, it's best to hire a professional to do the job. To learn why, read on to learn four reasons why hiring a professional is the best route to go to eliminate a subterranean termite infestation.

1. Professionals Have Access to Better Pesticides

The tunnels that subterranean termites use to get into your home can be quite deep, so the best way to kill subterranean termites with pesticides is to inject them into the soil. This creates a protective barrier that kills any termite that tries to burrow towards your home.

However, the best pesticides to use for this task are heavily regulated — they're only sold to termite control professionals. This is due to the fact that these pesticides are highly toxic to marine life. There's no risk to local waterways if the pesticides are injected deep into the soil. However, a homeowner who applies them to the soil surface could accidentally introduce them into local ponds and streams when the rain washes them away. As a result, only professionals are allowed to purchase and use them.

Since you won't have access to the best termite control treatments when you're attempting to eliminate a termite infestation yourself, you won't be able to do the most effective job. It's much better to hire a professional who has the ability to purchase and use the pesticides that are most effective at preventing termites from entering your home.

2. DIY Attempts May Leave Hidden Infestations Behind

Another area where DIY termite control treatments fail is that it can be difficult to tell if DIY attempts are successful. Subterranean termites enter your home through cracks in your foundation and exterior walls. Once they're inside, they'll start to eat your home's wooden framing.

Since they're able to enter through very narrow cracks and eat hidden framing in your home, it can be difficult to tell when subterranean termites are actively causing damage to your home. Even if you've eliminated an infestation that you're able to see through DIY pest control, there could be others elsewhere in your home that are hidden. Hiring a termite control professional to fully protect your home and inspect it for termite entry afterwards will ensure that your termites have been completely eliminated.

3. Termites Cause Much More Damage Than Other Types of Pests

DIY pest control is often an acceptable option for other types of pests. Ants, cockroaches and spiders, for example, are mostly nuisance pests — they can bite you or spread disease, but they won't cause structural damage to your home. Termites can cause significant damage to your home's wooden framing, and out-of-control infestations can even cause walls or floors to start collapsing.

If you aren't able to successfully control an infestation of termites on your own, you may end up paying a substantial amount of money to repair the damage that they have done to your home. Trying to save money by controlling termites yourself doesn't typically make financial sense, since professional termite control is inexpensive and the costs of repairing the damage done by termites are much higher.

4. Professionals Offer a Warranty for Their Services

Finally, professional termite control companies will offer you a warranty for their services. If termites continue to enter your home after treatment, the pest control company will return to eliminate them due to the warranty. Having a warranty gives you peace of mind that your home will continue to be protected from potentially being damaged by termites.

If you're thinking about trying to get rid of the termites in your home on your own, you should reconsider. A professional termite control company will provide much better protection due to the additional pesticides they have access to, and they're also trained in how to apply them in a way that protects your entire home from subterranean termites. The cost of continued termite damage are often quite high, so it's much better to pay for a professional to eliminate the problem for good.

For more information on termite control, contact an expert in League City, TX.