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Termite “drones” — more accurately called alates or winged reproductives — are the dispersing members of a termite colony that leave to start new colonies. Laypeople often call any winged termite a drone, but in entomology the term refers to male reproductives while alates includes both sexes. These insects are born inside mature colonies and…

Termites are one of the most destructive pests for homes and buildings, quietly eating away at structural wood and often causing thousands of dollars in damage before their presence is obvious. Traditional termite control has relied heavily on broad-spectrum chemical termiticides and whole-structure fumigation—approaches that can be effective but raise concerns about human and pet…

Termites are silent, often invisible, destroyers: a small colony can hollow out structural timbers and damage finishes long before a homeowner notices visible signs. For owners of existing homes, protecting against subterranean and other termite species requires more than occasional inspections and spot treatments. A termite barrier system creates a preventive shield around a structure,…

Termite bait stations and liquid treatments are the two most common strategies used to control subterranean termite populations around homes and other structures, but they work in fundamentally different ways. Bait stations are typically installed in the ground around a property and contain a cellulose-based bait laced with a slow-acting insect growth regulator or toxin….

Termite soil treatment is one of the primary methods pest-control professionals use to protect buildings from subterranean termites. The goal is to create a treated zone between the soil and the structure so termites that forage from underground either cannot reach the wood or pick up a toxicant that they carry back into the colony….

Termites are among the most destructive pests homeowners can face, quietly eating away at structural wood and causing costly damage long before most people notice. In the search for safer, low-chemical remedies, diatomaceous earth (DE) often comes up as a popular “natural” solution: an inert powder made from fossilized microscopic algae that is marketed to…

Working in the yard exposes you to grass, leaf litter, bushes and other habitats where ticks wait for a host. While landscape management (mowing, clearing brush, creating gravel barriers) reduces tick numbers, the single most practical line of defense when you’re outside is the clothing and gear you choose. Thoughtful selections—long-sleeved shirts and pants made…

Ticks are more than an outdoor nuisance: they transmit diseases to people, pets and livestock, and their populations can rebound quickly if control measures aren’t matched to local conditions. Homeowners and pest-control professionals alike often ask the same practical question: how long will a tick-control treatment actually protect my yard, my animals, or my family?…

Outdoor tick infestations pose a growing public-health and ecological challenge: ticks transmit pathogens that cause Lyme disease, anaplasmosis, babesiosis and other illnesses in humans and animals, and their populations and geographic ranges have been expanding in many regions. Detecting where ticks are concentrated is essential for targeted control, risk mapping and informing the public, but…

Ticks are a seasonal—and for some yards, year‑round—nuisance and disease vector, and homeowners have two common options for treating outdoor areas: granular insecticides and liquid sprays. At a basic level both aim to reduce tick populations by putting an acaricide where ticks live and quest: in leaf litter, along edges, under shrubs and in grassy…