EP 39 - What To Know About Termites&Sand Burs - a podcast by Brian Cook And Kindra Cox

On Episode 39 of The Brian and Kindra Show, they discussed what to know about termites and sand burs. This week they sat down with Jake Persall of JCP Services. 

Sand burs in Northwest Oklahoma are a part of life. Unfortunately, there is no one solution to getting rid of them. If you are serious about getting rid of sandburs it will take several steps and perseverance. It’s advisable to bag grass when you mow. Since sand burrs produce seed heads, you won’t be replanting them when you bag. If you can pick the plants, that helps too. These steps in addition to adhering to a consistent spray program will, overtime, solve the problem. A spray program will usually include three to four sprays per year. Starting with a February/March spray applying a pre-emergent will help to deter sand burrs from growing. The pre-emergent provides a 3-4 month residual, so depending how early you start spraying depends how many times you may need to reapply. Sticker plants will germinate throughout the summer, so they will still germinate after the pre-emergent has worn off. The final part of the spray program, in the fall, helps reduce weeds and stickers for the spring. Jake considers a spray program successful if they reduce half the amount of stickers each year.  

Moving onto termites, what do signs of pre-existing termites look like? The only visible evidence are signs in the sheetrock from them eating the paper. The paper is a cellulose material, similar to 2x4’s, etc. They eat the paper on the sheet rock, leaving weird tracks in paint on the wall. When you touch the paint it cracks and the paint falls off, revealing their history. Termites are a colony insect that live in the ground like ants, but they aren’t quite as hardy. They need moisture to survive, if they dry out they die. They build “shelter tubes” from home to food source, which looks like mud tubes along the walls. A sign of termites can be brown substance leaking from the wall, which is actually termites pushing waste out of the mud tubes. 

What does a home inspection look like? It’s a visual, non-destructive inspection. Jake doesn’t knock holes in walls, etc., he only goes off what he sees. Unfortunately, that leaves room for error, but there are no easy solutions to see behind walls in the sheet rock. He often finds evidence in homes in the areas that are often left untouched. Another common access for termites is bathrooms. Before a foundation is laid, soil is treated for termites. However, the plumber is coming to the home a couple months after and often must disturb the dirt to run the plumbing, so if the soil isn’t re-treated it can lead to termites. 

Another attraction to termites is condensation lines from exterior leaky faucets or AC condensers. Really, any water around the house is an issue!  Termites need the moisture to survive, so providing a place for moisture against a home makes it easy for them to have a colony near the food & water. There can also be issues from flower beds right next to the home with wood mulch. You are constantly watering the flower bed, making it a great conducive condition for them. 

If you think you may have a termite problem at your home, the first thing to do is not panic! Termites are a common, solvable issue. It’s often stated, “it’s not IF you find termites, it’s WHEN you find termites”. The next thing to do is call a professional. Killing termites is not a DIY project. A professional will inspect and evaluate that it is actually termites and then there are two treatment options. There is the common liquid soil treatment, or the newer Sentricon Bait System. The bait system not only provides food for termites, but is poison to kill the colony.

Brian and Kindra hope these tips have been helpful to you. As always, if you have any questions or need help, please feel free to reach out to your local real es

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