Should I Be Worried If My Neighbors Have Termites?

• Home›
• Articles›
• Should I Be Worried If My Neighbors Have Termites?

Here's a conversation most of us don’t want to have: Your neighbor comes over to borrow a tool and lets you know that they've found signs of termite activity around their house. You know that termites are wood-damaging insects, but how worried should you be if they're on your neighbor's property? Are they a direct threat to your Arizona home? In this article, we’ll answer that question and offer suggestions to help you protect your home from these sneaky pests.

Do termites travel, and if so, how far?  

Termite swarmers are the members of a termite colony responsible for reproduction. Their role is to leave existing colonies, find mates, and establish new colonies. In Phoenix, Tucson, and Southern Arizona, termite swarms typically occur in the spring and early summer. Unlike termite workers, swarmers (also called alates) have wings and can fly. During a swarm, these pests can travel up to a few hundred yards. Unfortunately, if your property is within range, a new colony may develop in your yard.

Termite workers search for food by traveling through the soil. Although they are not long-distance travelers, they can still end up foraging on your property. Their range is up to 100 yards from their nest, which is the length of a football field. Therefore, if your neighbor's house has termites and you live within 100 yards, there is an increased risk of a termite infestation on your property.

What attracts termites

Workers are initially attracted to damp soil. Once they come near the home, they might find a way to get in. If there's wood touching the soil, they can enter and exit the home without having to create mud tubes. Alternatively, they might establish mud tubes to move around without being exposed to air. They usually prefer damp and decaying wood, but they can also move on to damage dry and sound wood.

How to make your property less appealing to termites

How do you make your home less appetizing to these wood-destroying insects? There are a few steps you can take. Let's quickly look at them before we talk about termite control methods used by licensed professionals.

Keeping in mind that termites prefer decaying wood, you'll want to start by considering conducive conditions on your property, such as the following:

• A pile of dead branches lying on the ground
• Campfire wood touching the soil
• Wood structures touching the soil
• A stump or log debris left after taking down a tree
• Wooden flower buckets sitting on the soil
• Cracks in foundations, slabs, or walls that lead to structural wood
• Water damage caused by obstructed gutters or some other moisture issue
• Moist soil underneath overgrown vegetation

How Northwest Exterminating eliminates termites

It is always smart to take steps to reduce the risk of termite damage, and hiring a pest control company that specializes in termite control should top the list. Here at Northwest Exterminating, we offer effective termite control in Paradise Valley and across the Phoenix metro as well as in many Southern Arizona communities. When you reach out to us for help detecting and treating termites, here’s what you can expect:

• A comprehensive termite inspection
• Customized termite treatment
• Ongoing termite monitoring & protection with annual inspections

When it comes to termite control, we have a couple of options in our arsenal, and we’ll be happy to determine what would work best for your home. 

For the best in termite and home pest control, we highly recommend signing up for our SMARTDefense Complete plan. Review the plan benefits below. 

Reach out today!

If your neighbors have termites, don’t panic, but don’t ignore the problem either. For peace of mind and superior termite protection, contact Northwest Exterminating!