Louisiana Termite Season and Treatments

Louisiana is known for its generally warm, humid weather and mild winters. This means that pests tend to be a problem for the majority of the year, and their downtime during the winter is short-lived. One of the pests that benefit most from our warm weather and short winters is the termite.

The Perfect Climate

Termites thrive in warm, humid environments, meaning our area is the perfect place for termites to establish colonies. It is important to know that termites are a year-round threat. Once a colony has invaded your home, they will continue to feast upon the wood and other materials. Termites only leave once they've depleted their food source and their colony has grown too large to remain in one place. Here's where some questions come in:

Termite Season Depends on Weather

As you now know, termites are a year-round problem. However, there is a "termite season." Termite season is generally considered to start when the termites begin to swarm.

Termite swarms primarily depend on one thing: weather. Once the weather has warmed up following winter, mature colonies who are outgrowing their current home will swarm to a larger, more suitable place. Since termites don't thrive during cold, dry weather, most colonies will stay in place until the weather is warm enough for the entire colony (young and old) to make the journey to a new place. The most suitable places for termites to live typically contain or are made of wood, and they'll contain some level of moisture. Knowing that moisture is important to termite diet and colony success, it makes sense that rain and higher humidity levels will prompt greater termite activity.

So, most termite and pest control specialists will agree that termite season is marked by termite swarms which most frequently occur after early Spring rains.

April Showers Bring May... Termite Swarms.

Swarms will occur in Early Spring, facilitated by warm, rainy weather. So, you should expect that termite season could begin as early as April each year. Our weather this year has, indeed, been warm and rainy. It's likely that you'll start to notice a little termite activity relatively soon. Once termites really start swarming, you'll know that it's termite season.

You should prepare for termite season prior to the swarms!

Preparing for Termite Season

Though you can't prevent termite swarms, you can protect your home so that termites won't easily find a way to invade it.

Protecting your home against termites:

• Pick up loose pieces of wood that touch the ground: termites like wood, soil, and moisture. If you have wood laying on the ground, or if you have wood that touches the ground and your home at the same time, you should try to create some distance.
• Prevent moisture from accumulating near your foundation: make sure drainage around your foundation is good. Check gutters, gutter downspouts, and flower beds for proper drainage.
• Be cautious in your use of mulch: using mulch is important in landscaping, as it helps your flower beds retain moisture, can help prevent a variety of plant diseases and looks great. But, there's the problem: mulch retains moisture. It's a good idea to use only as much mulch as you need (usually, about 3 inches) above your topsoil or dirt.
• Check crawl spaces and spaces beneath your home for moisture: make sure the space beneath your home drains well and does not accumulate too much moisture. If you believe the space beneath your home may be holding too much moisture, there are ways to reduce it.

The best way to prevent termite infestations is to keep wood in good repair, to reduce the simplicity of termites entering cracks, and to professionally treat your home.

Bayou Cajun Termite and Pest Control can treat your home so that termites don't become a problem.