Tip: What to do if termites start flying (swarming) around your home


Subterranean Termite Swarmers: What to do if they start swarming!

Don’t be alarmed…be informed.

BACKGROUND

From October through to late March, termite (aka White Ants) swarmers, more correctly named “Alates” will be noticed on those hot humid afternoons. Termites are normally white to almost transparent, wingless and totally blind, however Alates are specially produced ‘reproductives’ with a more black pigment, wings and eyes, and their single task is to find a mate of the opposite sex and set up a home in a decayed log or stump where the female can lay a couple of dozen eggs, raise the babies and then allow the new brood to take over the care and maintenance of the new colony. The queen then goes about producing literally millions of eggs for the next 20 to 30 years.

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What to do if you think you’ve found termites

If for some reason you suspect you have termites, there are some protocols that must always be followed.

If you have discovered crawling insects in your walls that are no more than about 6mm long, are creamy white to an almost transparent grey and some have darker brown heads, there is every chance it will be termites. Australian Termite Close Up

Just to confuse things, if the termites have been present for a couple of years or more, they may have become sufficiently established to create and release alates, or swarmers as they are more commonly known in USA. In this case, alates/swarmers have two pair of wings that are longer than the body, and the body will be dark grey to black.  If you have ‘flying ants’ appearing from inside your home you should immediately contact a qualified expert at RID Pest Control for identification, advice and treatment!

Termites look nothing like ants, despite the fact they are know colloquially as “White Ants”. Usually the activity will be accompanied by tell tale brown mudding material.

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DIY: Snails & Slug Repellents

Snails & Slug Repellents

Garden Snail

I guess snails and slugs have some purpose in the grand scheme of things, but when they start destroying vegetable crops, ornamentals and leaving silvery trails, it becomes difficult to see just what good they may serve.

There are a few natural DIY cures that have some success, although I once knew an organic vegetable grower who used to rise early and collect snails from his crops using a torch and a bucket, declaring this was still the most effective method of control.

Chalk

If protecting a small area, surround the area with a circle of powdered chalk. It has been suggested that snails and slugs will not cross the chalk.

Fizzy Drink

The owner of this suggestion insists that the brew must be Coca Cola. Coke poured into jar lids and dispersed around the garden will, because of it’s sugary content attract these molluscs. It seems the acids in the soft drink will destroy them when they slither onto the lids (It does this to snails and we drink this stuff?)

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We’re delighted to announce… a new website!

After a considerably busy winter for the team at RID pest control Ballarat and being well behind the expected launch of our shiny new website we’re pleased to unveil our brand new, information packed website.

We’ve launched a number of new pages from our previous website and we know our customers will enjoy reading the in depth content and details associated with the most common pests we seek to get RID of!

Some of the new website features:

  • Detailed pest information and pictures for better education and understanding of problem pests;
  • Easier to use and compatible with mobile devices;
  • Price guides – allowing you an up front idea of the expected service costs associated with your pest problem;
  • Quote form where you can request a quote quickly and easily.

Like always we love feedback! So let us know what you think by sending a message at the contact us page.