What Are the Signs of Termites in Your Home?

Do you know if your home is infested with destructive, harmful pests like termites? Here are 9 signs of termites in your home.

No insect infestation is pleasant, but termite infestations can be especially damaging to your home. These pesky bugs will eat your walls from the inside out, leaving your foundation shaky and destroying your walls and floor.

How can you spot a potential termite infestation before it’s too late?

Fortunately for you, there are some signs of termites that you can watch out for. Here are some clear indications that you may have a termite problem.

First Sign of Termites: Foundational Damage

One of the clearest signs of termites in your home is visible damage to the foundation of your home, as well as damage to any wooden furniture you may have. You’d be surprised by the amount of wood you actually have in your home! If you start to notice cracks or other forms of damage in your walls, floor, or furniture, you may want to hire an exterminator.

Sign 2: White Insects in Your Home

Ants and termites have very similar body shapes and sizes. However, termites have a distinctive white color that sets them apart from ants. If you spot white ant-like insects in your home, they are likely termites.

You may also notice flying termites. Some termites can have wings, while others do not. Keep an eye out for both forms of termites just in case!

Sign 3: Clicking Sounds in the Walls

Try placing your ear on the wooden walls in your home. There are a few types of noises that you can listen out for to tell you if there are termites in your walls.

Termites make distinctive noises as they work their way through your walls. They can be noisy eaters; you should be able to hear them munching away on the wood in your walls easily.

Soldier termites will also bang their heads against the wood if their colony is disturbed. This signals the other termites that danger is near and to hide or run away. This will sound like clicking from inside of the walls as the termites tap against it.

Sign 4:Flying Termites

Not all termites will be restricted to the ground or in your walls. You may notice flying insects in your home, which is a good sign that you have an infestation. They are known as called swarmers or alates and are usually the first sign of a termite infestation.

Along with the actual insects, you may find discarded wings lying around your home. Termites lose their wings when they find a mate, and will discard them soon after breeding.

Sign 5: Tunnels in the Wood

Tunnels in your walls will be harder to spot from the outside. However, termites may leave cracks in your walls that allow you to see inside, or you could tear away a small piece of wood to find damage.

These tunnels are how termites move around your home for new areas to eat. If you are uncertain if you have tunnels in your home and don’t want to break your walls, you can call your local exterminator for help. Modern technology allows exterminators to see inside of your wall without needing to tear it open.

Sign 6: Hollow Walls

If you suspect that you may have a termite infestation, then you can get a clear view of what’s going on in your walls by tapping on them. Termites will hollow out wood from the inside, leaving your walls sounding hollow and empty; if the walls sound strange when you tap on them, then that’s a sign you may have termites.

Sign 7: Sawdust on the Floor

As termites eat your walls, they may leave behind remnants of their meals on the floor. Termite feces look very similar to sawdust and can be found near entrances into their nests.

Pay close attention to “sawdust” on your floor and inspect it closely if you can. Termite feces are often darker in color than traditional sawdust and appear as pellet-shapes instead of like shaved wood.

Sign 8: Damage to Wood Flooring and Furniture

Termites won’t only target your walls. They may also attack any wooden flooring that you have, leaving behind cracks and blisters on the floor. Termite damage in your floor may appear as water damage since the termites will start eating from just beneath your floorboards.

Take note of any changes in your wood flooring, such as weak spots and visible signs of damage. You may notice the same hollow sounds beneath your floor that you would in your walls, as well as tunnels through the floor where the termites live.

If you own wooden furniture, such as tables and chairs, you should keep a close watch on them for damage, too. Termites will eat anything in their vicinity, meaning that your furniture may also be at risk of damage.

Sign 9: Stuck Doors and Windows

As termites eat through your doors and the wooden parts of your windows, you may notice that they get harder to open or close. While this can happen naturally in warmer, muggier months, but if you notice that your doors and windows are sticking even in winter, then you may have damage from termites.

Termites can weaken your doors and windows, making them susceptible to outside moisture. This may cause your doors to warp or shift in their frames. If enough damage is done, this can make your doors difficult to open and close.

Keep an Eye Out for These Signs of Termites

Termites can cause a lot of damage to your home, so it’s important to spot the signs of termites before it’s too late. Pay close attention to any wooden surfaces in your home to identify signs of damage right away!

Are you struggling with termites but don’t know what to do?

We’re here to help. Contact us for pricing information about termite and pest control services.

By pestextinct on   /   Pest Control Service, Termites Control   /   2 Comments