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Homeowners often find the wings of swarming termites on windowsills, in spider webs or near indoor lights. If you find wings that termites have shed, it is usually a sign of an established colony. Even if you find flying termites or their wings outside, it might indicate that there is a problem in your home or inside of another nearby structure.
Wood that’s around or part of your home is hollow-sounding.
Don’t forget to follow up with necessary repairs to the structure of your home as well. As termites make a feast of the wood in your home, its structure will naturally be affected. It will shift and warp, leading to items not sitting like they used to. A key sign of this is windows and doors no longer opening as easily, or closing like they used to. So if you’re struggling to open and close doors, it’s not always down to the humidity alone.
Your Foundation Has Shifted
Bait stations eliminate active termite colonies by feeding them a toxic food source. Initially, the bait stations contain wood or other food material. The food is gradually replaced with bait that contains a slow-acting toxic chemical. And of course, follow good home maintenance and building procedures. Moisture-damaged wood is more appealing to termites, so keep an eye out for leaking gutters and other moisture problems. Termites use their saliva to glue these tunnels together for travel.
Termites vs. Carpenter Bees
The issue is only a major cause for concern when it happens suddenly. Termites work quickly, so if your perfect paint job begins to bubble or a crack appears out of nowhere on your wooden wall, it's time to jump into action. You might peel away the bubbled paint to check for damage underneath or tap the wall to listen for hollow sounds. From there, you can call a pest control specialist to finish the job. Termite infestations can be destructive and costly if left untreated.
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Once termites find their way in, buckling and blistering floorboards can be the result of their feasting away. If the floor support itself takes damage, sagging can become apparent as well. Organic materials have a lot of enemies, but few are as notorious as termites. Large, mature termite colonies can eat as much as a pound of wood per day, although in most homes, damage won’t be obvious for three to eight years.
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But there are ways to tell if your home has termite damage if you’re not seeing insects. To tell the difference for certain, take a closer look at the way the wood appears to be damaged. If the damage is from water, the wood will usually be different colors and smell bad, like must or mildew.
However, if you know no pipes run under this spot, and there is no leak from the ceiling or spills in sight, it is likely termites. Sometimes termites might not be in the walls — they might show up in your deck or wooden furniture. If you suspect termites on your deck, the best way to check is with a spring in your step. If you skip around your deck, you will be able to feel how the wood responds to you. If it gives at all, there is damage to it, as healthy wood should feel sturdy.
stubborn doors and windows
They can work their way up exterior concrete walls as well as brickwork. Prime locations include the foundations of a home, or basements, but these formations can be concealed within walls as well. If you suspect mud tubes, be sure to call in a professional to deal with the potential infestation as soon as possible. For one, paint has a tendency to bubble, while wallpaper can peel.
Wood damage
Termite dust is a combination of wall dirt, wood shavings and termite droppings, and it will fall and accumulate on the floor as termite holes in drywall appear. If you think termites may be within your walls, gently tap on the flat surface. If this reveals a hollow sound, there is a good chance that termites have eaten away at the wood framing inside. Compare the sounds of a few different walls to be sure the hollow noise is unique. If the termite damage is extensive enough, the wall may also crumble inside as you knock on it. There are many reasons wall paint may bubble or flake off, and a termite infestation is one of them.
Homeowners may see the pencil-width mud tubes spreading out like veins on their home’s foundation. If you spot noticeable blisters, cracks or sags on any of these surfaces, there’s a high possibility that termites are present. Another way to detect termite-inflicted damage is to knock on timber around your house.
However, these lookalikes have more defined waists than termites and wings of unequal lengths. Formosan termite swarmers, for instance, are yellowish-brown, while western drywood swarmers have orange-brown heads and dark brown bodies. Individual termites may look harmless enough, but in a colony, they pack a destructive punch.
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