Signs of termites include wall damage, floor damage, piles of pellets, and carved patterns in your home’s wood. Unfortunately, nearly anyone could have termites as they’re found on every continent in the world except Antarctica. Knowing how to identify termite signs and act quickly is crucial. The longer termites establish themselves in your home, the worse the damage they can inflict.
The best way to identify termites in your walls or elsewhere is to watch for telltale signs of their presence. If you do identify termites in your home or business, act quickly to stop the spread. We recommend a pest control professional who can ensure their complete eradication. Here’s what you should know about spotting termites in your home:
How to tell if termites are active in your house.
There are seven key termite infestation signs, including:
- Wall damage. This will show up in a variety of ways. Drywall becomes discolored and droopy with small pinprick holes. Paint chips and wallpaper peels away from the wall.
- Floor damage. A termite infestation will introduce extra moisture to the wood inside your home. This can cause wooden flooring to buckle and warp. Laminates can peel and tiles will loosen from their fittings.
- Small piles of pellets. Termite frass or waste looks like little piles of sawdust, or salt and pepper.
- Visual patterns in wood. If you have wooden furniture, floorboards, or wall fixtures, you'll start noticing patterns. These patterns will be small and maze-like, stretching across wooden surfaces.
- Stuck doors or windows. Termite damage can become extensive enough that doors or windows no longer properly fit in their respective jambs.
- Discarded wings. Termite swarmers are flying termites that seek out locations to establish new colonies. Often, these are not far from existing colonies. Once they settle on a site, they discard their wings.
- Mud tubes. Termites prefer moisture and seek out wet, rotting wood to feast on. To avoid sunlight and dry air, they build tunnels out of mud that connect their nests to food sources. You can find these running along the foundation of your home.
What should I do if I see termite infestation signs on my property?
Your best course of action is to call a professional pest removal company; termite problems are incredibly difficult to treat yourself. Because termite damage can become so immense, the price of professional help is worth the guarantee it brings. Depending on the type, size, and severity of your termite problem, a professional pest control company will be able to create a customized plan. This plan will remove existing colonies, identify structural damage and points of entry as well as make your home inhospitable to future infestations.
How to prevent termites.
The easiest way to prevent a termite problem in your home is to limit their access to water, food, and shelter. Here are strategies to reduce access each in your home:Keep moisture from building up with humidity control and by keeping an eye on your plumbing. Plumbing leaks, especially inside of walls can contribute unwanted moisture to wood thereby attracting termites. Avoid using raw wood in furniture and other items to limit their access to food. Instead, opt for treated, painted, or varnished wo0d that’s much less appealing to hungry bugs! Termites live in any place they can hide. Make sure you keep your home clean, even its darkest nooks and crannies. At least once a year, do a perimeter check to identify exterior entry points. Patch any cracks in your foundation and gaps along siding or windows.
Hire the Best Termite Control
We hope you are able to catch the early warning signs of termites and act accordingly. Unwanted visitors do show up and a fast response can make all the difference. For prompt and reliable termite removal, call the team at Plunkett’s Pest Control. Our technicians can identify the source of your termite problem and quickly implement a plan to eliminate them permanently. Call now!
