Termite Control

Termite Control Solutions

Residential and Commercial Properties

Iowa City

Cedar Rapids

(319) 364-3340

Rely on Us to Get Rid of Destructive Termites in Your Home

If you are selling your home, you will need a termite inspection. Call us, and we will be there to help you make sure that your home is free from termites. Denny's Pest Control has over 50 years of experience in the pest control business. Using the equipment and techniques, our team will help you get rid of termites hiding in the most unnoticeable places that might have been infested.

How to Recognize Termites and Termite Damage

During late winter or early spring, swarms of the reproductive caste may be noticed in infested buildings. These black, winged termites emerge within buildings, swarming about doors and windows. After crawling or fluttering about for a short time, the termites break off their wings and locate a mate.

The presence of swarming termites or their wings alone is a sure sign that termites are working in a building. Winged termites are often confused with winged ants. Most species of ants in the house are only nuisances and, except for carpenter ants, do not damage wood. For this reason it is necessary to know the differences between winged termites and winged ants.

The easiest way to distinguish the two groups is to look at their waists. An ant has a narrow, wasp-like waist; a termite has a broad waist. The antennae or feelers of ants are L-shaped, whereas those of termites are straight. Furthermore, the four wings of termites are of equal length and nearly twice as long as the termite body, while ant wings are approximately equal to the length of the ant, and the fore and hind wings are of unequal length.

Wood attacked by termites has runways or passages that are coated with an earth-like material glued to the wood. Where the wood has been infested for some time, it may be largely hollowed out with passages and may be rotten in appearance. Upon probing such wood with a screwdriver or similar tool, many of the hidden worker termites may spill out.

Another sign of termites in the house is the presence of termite tubes. Termites make these earth-colored tubes for a number of reasons, primarily as a protected runway from the earth to the wood they feed on. Moreover, these tubes may serve as swarming exits for the winged termites. Look for these tubes on the cellar walls, on wooden posts, wall studs, mudsills, and door and window trim. Wood embedded in earth or in concrete cellar floors is especially susceptible to termites.