Couple types of termite you are likely to encounter around the house are subterranean and drywood termites. Termites can be difficult to identify and locate, but there are a couple of indicators that you may have a termite problem. Termites and their colonies can cause serious structural damage to a home or structure and in Texas, we typically think about them as when you have them not if you will have them. According to Pestworld.org, they cause about $5 billion in property damage each year. As we head into spring and the warm temperatures arrive we are likely to notice termite swarmers.
One necessary thing to do is to always seek out signs of their presence in your home because, at the sudden attack from them, you might be left wondering what to do. But if you are proactive before their big infestation, you can easily get rid of them. One thing you should endeavor to do is to keep inspecting your home for their presence in your home especially when you are aware of their existence in the area. That way you can easily catch them as early as possible before they cause damage to the home.
7 Signs to Look Out For When it Comes to Termites:
Mud Tubes: Usually found on the exterior of the home, but can be seen inside walls where the slab or structure has been compromised.
Flying Termites: There is a species of termites that fly. They are popularly referred to as swarmer’s while some others called them alates. The sight of them in your home is a clear indication that your home is been gradually infested by termites. For you to see them flying, then you should know that they are there to breed. Male and female termites tend to fly to find mates and establish their one colony. Seeing them indicate that this is happening near your home. They are easily confused with Carpenter Ants with wings, check out our article here for more details.
You might also encounter their discarded wings, which indicate they have gotten an abode there. They have gone through the mating stage and have just started their colony.
- Termites are light in color, having creamy color, almost looking translucent
- Ants have straight antennae.
- Termites have a thicker waist than ants.
- They both have two sets of wings but the difference is that the termites’ own are of the same size.
In other words, there are no white ants. All you have just encountered is a termite. Ants are the black ones.
Timbers with Hollow Sound: They are great consumers of wood and they do that from inside out, allowing only the thin veneer of timber or paint to remain. You discover this when you knock or tap the wood. You will get a hollow sound because the termites have feasted on them. Sometimes, you might not even know until someone makes the mistake of pushing the vacuum cleaner through an eaten skirting board or when a finger goes through the eaten door frames
Tight-fitting door and hard to open window: When you have your door becoming hard to open or your window coming out as stiff, it can mean any of the following you are having a weather problem (damp and hot weather) or you are dealing with termites. Ants produce moisture while eating and moving through the holes in the doors and windows frames, making it hard to open these doors or windows.
Tunnels in Wood: Another thing you might find is ‘galleries’, which is another name for tunnels in wood. You probably can’t detect this earlier because these are within the body frames of the doors and windows. A clear indication of a funnel is the sight of either a piece of broken timber or a little hole in the wood.
Frass-Termite Dropping: One big way of detecting their presence in the sight of termites’ droppings, often referred to as frass. They don’t use their frass to build tunnel as known with subterranean termites. Instead, you will encounter powdery substance around your home.
So there you have it, 7 signs you may have termites. But the good news is that that you do not have to wait till you find evidence of termites around your home. Hiring a termite expert to do a annual inspection will give you the piece of mind that you need. Usually very reasonable, around $175.00 for the initial inspection. If no termite activity is found and there are no signs of conducive conditions, you can keep a type of home warranty active on your property. At the same time every years you will be required to pay your termite renewal and a termite inspection will then be performed.
Keeping an eye on your most valuable property is what we do at FullScope Pest, with close to 2,000 termite inspections, we have the expertise and the knowledge that is necessary for a complete termite inspection.
Whether you hire FullScope of go with another company remember experience matters when it comes to termite, choose the best.
