Termite Control

Termites are tiny, destructive, wood-eating insects found throughout the continental United States and Hawaii. They are especially common in southern states that have more moderate climates and crazy, unpredictable weather. This makes them especially common in places like Oklahoma. Most termites are subterranean,meaning they live underground,and they create their tunnel communities in the soil within easy reach of sources of wood. Termites are highly-organized and very social insects, which makes them formidable pests.

If gone unchecked, a termite infestation can cause massive architectural damage to all kinds of structures and even to things you might not suspect, including furniture and books. Termites can attack a building and create serious problems before any evidence of their presence becomes obvious. And they’re not picky—no home, business, fence, back porch, gazebo or other wooden structure is safe from hungry termites. Therefore, it is wise to be preventative with termite control rather than waiting until you know you have a problem. Check out some of the potential treatment options in our Oklahoma termite treatment comparison and FAQ.

Nature’s little tree disposers are very important to our planet’s ecosystem, but they are also one of the most destructive insects, causing billions in repair and treatment costs each year in the U.S. alone. The most common termites live in large subterranean colonies that can comprise hundreds of thousands or even millions of termites and relentlessly search out sources of wood, including your house or any building with wood content. Though they may eat your home, they don’t live there, and that’s one reason why traditional liquid termiticide treatments fail to work. The colony may remain, existing on other nearby wood, and simply wait for the treatment to fade. They may also find a gap in coverage through which a whole invasion can take place.

At Arrow Exterminators, Inc. we utilize The Sentricon® System, the most effective means of eliminating termites from your property. But before we get too excited about this top-of-the-line treatment method, we want to take some time to explain more about termites and their colonies, how much damage they really cause and why we recommend The Sentricon® System above all other termite control methods.

Termite Behavior and Biology

Termites are social. And they live in a rigidly structured social system. Each termite has a specific role to play in the colony and the completion of that role is essential in the survival of the colony as a whole. If one group of termites does not perform their job or is prevented from performing their job, the entire colony collapses. The center of the colony is the Queen Termite (she is a lot like the Queen Bee of a beehive). The soldier termites exist to protect the queen and defend the termite colony from predators like spiders, wasps and ants, though ants are the main predator threat to termites.

The second type of termite found in every subterranean termite colony is the reproductive termite. These little guys do exactly what their name would suggest, they reproduce! Reproductive termites grow to maturity inside the colony and then leave to found new colonies. This mass exodus is known as swarm season. So if you see a termite swarm in or around your home in March or April (when swarm season typically takes place), these are reproductive termites that are leaving to go start a new colony. These small, winged termites are often confused with ants and that is one reason why homeowners do not notice termite infestations until it is too late. You also don’t want to assume that just because you saw termites swarm and then go away that your home is safe. Those termites had to come from somewhere,probably a colony under your home,and they had to go somewhere,to start a new colony, also probably right under your home.

The third type of termite is the one that we are typically most interested in and concerned with and that’s because this is the termite that is the most destructive. This is the worker termite. This tiny insect is responsible for finding food sources for the colony, bringing food back to feed the rest of the colony,including the soldier termites and the Queen Termite,and constantly being on the lookout for danger and any threats against the colony. These termites are the destructive menaces that chew through your floor boards and destroy your home. These are the termites you have to stop if you want to protect your property.

The Cost of Termite Damage

It’s sometimes hard to believe that a group of such tiny insects could do so much damage to your home or business, but they are incredibly destructive. Here are just a few statistics that show their destructive power:

• In areas where termites are active, they’ll damage 20 percent of homes within their range.
• Your home is more likely to experience termite damage than damage from a natural disaster.
• 35 percent of single-family homes in Tulsa have had termite damage.
• About 5 million American homes each year experience some kind of termite issue.
• All those termite issues add up to $5 billion in damages each year. That’s more than the damages caused by tornadoes, fires and earthquakes put together.
• If you have termite damage in your home, you’re likely to pay at least $3,000 in repairs.

Pretty scary, right? And all those damages will probably have to be paid out of pocket, because very few home owner’s insurance policies cover termite or termite related damages. Your home—or business—is likely the largest investment you have ever made and we know how much time, effort and money you spend to keep it safe and comfortable for you and your family. Don’t let termites take that away from you. The only termite control system we trust enough to protect our own homes is The Sentricon® System. And it’s the only system we recommend to our customers to protect their homes and businesses as well.

The Sentricon® System not only protects your home now, but for years to come. You can think of it as a termite insurance policy. It gives you and your family the peace of mind that termites will never come and damage your most valuable possession again. It also adds value to your home for years to come. So if you do decide to put your home on the market, whether it’s in a few months or in a few years, having The Sentricon® System installed is an added feature that gives your home extra value and makes it more desirable to prospective buyers. And preventing termite damage now also makes your home easier to sell later, as buyers are more likely to invest in homes that have not had previous structural damages or have needed large, expensive repairs.

The Sentricon® System

Your home or business deserves The Sentricon® Termite Colony Elimination System. As we just mentioned, your home—or business for that matter—is a huge investment and one of the most important parts of your life. So naturally, you want to trust its protection to the only the best, most reliable termite colony elimination system available. And there’s no doubt about what that system is. The consensus among pest control professionals, satisfied customers and university researchers alike is that The Sentricon® System works better than any other termite colony elimination system. Nothing else is proven to eliminate the entire colony—not just a few termites—and keep other, new termite colonies from moving in later.

Since it was introduced in 1995, The Sentricon® System has successfully protected more than a million properties worldwide. This system is so effective it has also been trusted to preserve some of our nation’s most cherished national landmarks against termite damage. The White House, Congress, The Statue of Liberty, Independence Hall, Mount Vernon (George Washington’s home) and many other important American historical sites rely on The Sentricon® System to keep them safe from the damaging effects of subterranean termites. Here’s a brief description of how the system works:

1. The Sentricon® System stations will be placed in the soil around your home or business by a Certified Sentricon® Specialist.
2. The stations—which are always baited and ready—deliver Recruit HD termite bait, a highly palatable bait which studies have shown that termites prefer to wood.
3. The termites feed on the Recruit HD termite bait, tunnel out and signal other colony nest mates that the bait is safe and they should feed on it. As they do, the colony is eliminated because the bait takes away their ability to continue to feed or reproduce.
4. The Sentricon® System remains baited with Recruit HD termite bait even after the colony is completely eliminated to intercept and eliminate any future infestations before they become a danger to your property.

The critical part of the termite elimination process is step three—when the worker termites begin to feed on the Recruit HD bait, decide that it is safe and signal to the rest of the colony that they should feed on it as well. This is how you eliminate the entire colony—not just a few termites here and there. And this is why The Sentricon® System is so much better than liquid termiticides. Those immediately spell danger to the worker termites who signal to the colony that they are in danger. The colony then retreats or pauses feeding on your property until the chemicals wear away but then are right back at it as soon as it’s safe. While you might kill a few termites, the rest of the colony will survive.

In addition to being the most effective way to eliminate termites, The Sentricon® System also has many other benefits. The stations are small and practically unnoticeable, and require no disruptive drilling, digging or trenching. It also eliminates the need for any liquid termiticides which can be damaging to your lawn or garden, can kill beneficial garden insects and pose a danger to pets as well. Once installed, the system is always active and requires little maintenance. It also greatly adds to the value of your home; think of it like your perpetual termite security system. And since The Sentricon® System is only available from Certified Sentricon® Specialists like Arrow Exterminators who are trained and experienced with this system, you know you are getting the highest possible level of termite prevention care and customer service available in the pest control world.