Climate change is affecting us in many ways –in some regions, the temperatures are rising, in others, droughts or floods are more frequent and the incidence of natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes is increasing. All these changes do not just affect the humans on the planet – they affect every living thing. And that includes termites. While climate change is making our world more dangerous and less comfortable for us and most other species, on termites it is having the opposite effect. Termite infestations are flourishing in the new normal.

New Regions to Roam

Termites like warmth and with the world becoming warmer, they are finding places, where they could not flourish earlier, now becoming hospitable homes to them. The longer periods of warmth also give them more time to migrate to new places and establish their colonies. A temperature increase of just a couple of degrees can make a human being feel slightly warmer. For a termite, it opens up a whole new world.

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Also Read: Do I have termites?

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Better Prospects Where They Already Are

Newer more hospitable climates and regions do not mean that the termites will abandon their old colonies. The existing ones will flourish even more. Longer periods of warmth and short ones of cold make the existing homes more hospitable. Insects usually hibernate or go underground when it is cold. Now, the time they spend this way is reduced, giving them more time to be active and to damage your home. The longer periods of activity also mean more time for reproduction which leads to larger swarms and nests. The growing termite population in existing regions is another reason for termite populations to move in search of greener pastures.

Bigger Is Better

The improved conditions caused by climate change also mean that insects like termites tend to become larger because they have more food available and more time to consume it. The increased size means that insects live longer unless action is taken to eliminate them.

Pesticide Resistance

With the growing size of insects like termites and the better environment they have, they are becoming stronger in terms of becoming more resistant to pesticides. This means that DIY and over-the-counter termite control solutions, which were never great to start with, are becoming increasingly ineffective. Non professional termite removal efforts often only drive the insects deeper into the wood while doing nothing to stop the damage they inflict. This means that the destruction they cause goes unnoticed until it has reached major proportions. House fumigation services are the best way to protect your home.

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Also Read: Cleaning up After Termite Removal | Subterranean Termites Treatment in Orange County

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Professional Protection Is the Solution

Climate change is not going to create the super insects we see in a science fiction story. That will not happen. But it will, and already is, make termites and other pests more difficult to control and hence placing homes and other structures at increased risk. Homeowners need to act to ensure their homes have the kind of termite protection they need. That means contacting a reputed professional termite control company to do a real estate termite inspection to find budding infestations and to treat the house for protection from future infestations.

 

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