TREATMENTS AGAINST TERMITES IN COSTA SMERALDA

Have you found termites in your home in Costa Smeralda but don't know how to fight them? Are you really sure that these are termites and not woodworms?

There are some signs to recognize if there is an ongoing termite infestation:

• presence of muddy walkways near skirting boards and window coverings;
• it is possible to spot small brown stalactites dangling from the roofs;
• externally the wood appears like a film and when you hit it it emits a "hollow" sound, as it is crumbled internally;
• mainly in spring, it is possible to find different winged insects around the environment.

If one or more of these issues occur, it is very likely that termites are infesting your apartment, house, villa, hotel or library in Costa Smeralda.

Disinfestation techniques

A different and innovative approach is offered by the Gallura Disinfestazioni System, which does not use traditional insecticidal products but involves the use of food bait in the form of powdered cellulose, formulated with an IGR (Insect Growth Regulator): THE DIFLUBENZURON.

The Diflubenzuron has a chitin-inhibitory effect, i.e. it acts by interrupting the moulting process, as it blocks the biosynthesis and deposition of chitin, the main component of the insect exoskeleton. In the moulting termite, the new cuticle can therefore no longer form and the insect dies from dehydration.

The Diflubenzuron is active at very low concentrations and boasts an extremely favorable toxicological profile: it is a product active only on insects and has no effect on humans, domestic animals and other vertebrates. In the Gallura Disinfestazioni System it is dispersed in an inert cellulose matrix, formulated in such a way as to be highly attractive to termites.

The Diflubenzuron not only acts on the termites that reach the bait and feed directly on it, but on all individuals of the colony.

THE PESTS
The species Reticulitermes lucifugus Rossi ssp. Corsicus is a typical subterranean termite organized in colonies of millions of individuals with workers, soldiers and reproducers.

The Subterranean Termites live in the soil and dig or build tunnels to reach food sources, represented by material with a cellulose composition, variously located in the infested environment.

They live in colonies of millions of individuals comprising multiple castes, different in appearance and function. They can also colonize vegetal plants, but preferably attack dead wood and stumps and due to this peculiarity they appear more widespread in inhabited centers, where they penetrate buildings in different ways, causing damage with a high economic impact, whether of a wooden or paper nature.

Once the damage has been identified, going to investigate the attack points, we come across a large quantity of small white individuals who, moving quickly, try to hide in those same structures that until then have hidden them from our sight: they are the WORKERS, directly responsible for the damage, capable of consuming and digesting cellulose, which they then transmit to the other members of the colony via TROPHALLAXIS, a food exchange mechanism.

Together with the workers, it is quite common to find other whitish individuals, of similar body size but characterized by an exceptionally large (hypertrophic), robust and pigmented head: they are the SOLDIERS. Much less numerous than the workers, they take care of defending the nest. They have a sclerified head equipped with two powerful jaws, a valid instrument of offense and defense which however makes them incapable of obtaining food independently; it is in fact the workers' job to feed the soldiers through trophallaxis.

When the infestation is mature, it is possible to find SECONDARY REPRODUCERS, defined as NEOTENIC because they have sufficient sexual maturity despite not reaching the adult stage. They resemble the workers, but have a decidedly more elongated body (5-6 mm) and carry the characteristic wing buds on their backs. They move actively in the tunnels created by the workers and ensure the spread of the colony, living in HYPOGEAL NESTS, mating and establishing new hotbeds of reproduction.

If you need disinfestation for your home or business premises, contact us! You can fill out the form, call us on +39 0789 57 735 or write to us at info@galluradisinfestazioni.com.