Stumps and termites
Why Termites Move Into Tree Stumps Around Cape Coral Homes
A rotting stump is food and shelter for termites, carpenter ants and beetles, and close to the house that is a problem. Here is why they move in, and how grinding the stump below grade takes their food away.
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Tell us where the stump sits and how close it is to the house, and we quote the whole job before we start.
(239) 423-0196We answer the phone or call back the same working day. Calls outside our hours go to voicemail and we return them the next working morning.
- Free, no-obligation estimates
- No surprise charges after the quote
The short answer
Why stumps attract termites
Yes, a decaying stump attracts termites, because its wood is food and shelter for them.
Once the tree comes down, the stump left in the lawn starts to decay, and soft, breaking-down wood is exactly what termites go looking for. In a warm climate a stump turns into a home for them quickly. The same rotting wood draws carpenter ants and wood-boring beetles as well, and the longer the stump sits there, the softer and more inviting it gets.
Free, no-obligation estimates on every stump.
Termites, carpenter ants and beetles
A decaying stump draws three kinds of wood-destroying insects:
- Termites, which feed on the softening wood and nest inside it
- Carpenter ants, which move in and make the rotting stump their home
- Powder-post beetles and other wood-boring beetles, which work their way into the grain
Any one of them living in the yard is a good reason to get the stump out.
Why it matters near the house
From the stump to the house
Termites and ants living in a stump near the house can move on from the stump to the structure itself.
The stump becomes a nest
In a warm climate a stump quickly turns into a home for termites and carpenter ants, right where the tree used to stand.
The roots draw them too
Decaying roots attract the same termites, carpenter ants and wood-boring beetles, and those roots spread out under the lawn from the stump.
The house is next door
From a nest that close, the insects can migrate into the home and put the building at risk of structural damage.
A rotting stump also harbors fungi that spread disease to healthy trees, so the yard pays for it twice.
How grinding helps
Grinding the food source below grade
Grinding the stump below grade takes away the wood the insects feed on.
"Grinding below grade" means the cutting wheel shaves the stump into chips until what is left sits under the dirt line, commonly 6 to 12 inches down, rather than cut flush with the lawn. With the stump and its root crown gone, there is no block of rotting wood left in the yard for termites, carpenter ants or beetles to move into. The deeper lateral roots stay in the ground and break down on their own.
How a stump grinding visit runs, from the quote through the grinding to the cleanup:
Stump Grinding in Cape CoralWe quote the whole job before we start, with no surprise charges after.
Already infested?
A stump that already has termites
If the stump already has live termites, a pest control company should treat it before or alongside the grinding.
Have them look at the stump, and at the house close by, before anything else. Once the treatment is under way, we grind the stump below grade so nothing is left in the yard for the insects to come back to. Mention the termites when you call, and we plan the grinding around the treatment.
Will grinding alone stop an infestation?
No. Grinding removes the wood but not the colony, and insects living in the soil or inside the house carry on as before.
Our part is taking away the wood they feed on; treating the colony is the pest control company's part.
From Google
Word from a Cape Coral neighbor
This review is from our Google profile, exactly as the customer wrote it.
Very quick service. Came next day in the morning with all tools needed. Very self sufficient and cleared up our stump in no time. Pricing was great and better than competitor. Give him a call if you need stumps removed !!
Our word on every stump job
- Free, no-obligation estimates
- We answer the phone or call back the same working day
- We show up when we say we will
- We quote the whole job before we start, with no surprise charges after
- We clean up when the work is done
Your free estimate
Get the stump out before the insects move in
Call with how many stumps you have and how close they sit to the house. We quote the whole job before we start, then grind each stump below grade and clean up.
Get a Free Estimate (239) 423-0196- Free, no-obligation estimates
- We show up when we say we will
- We clean up when the work is done
Calls outside our hours go to voicemail, and we return them the next working morning.