Termites are among the most dangerous pests to the integrity of your home. They are fast-working and can cause extensive damage before you even notice they’ve arrived! To keep these pesky wood-munchers from getting too far, it’s important to understand the warning signs that you may have a termite infestation in your home.
How Do I Know If I Have Termites?
Termites rarely show themselves out in the open, preferring to hide within the soil or wood where they are tunneling in or near your home. As a result, it’s difficult to tell if you have a termite problem before damage occurs. Even worse? Termites often aren’t discovered unless you remodel your home and expose their handiwork.
Because termites are difficult to identify and can cause so much damage, it’s important to seek professional help for effective termite inspections. But this doesn’t mean you can’t also be on the lookout for these tiny pests on your own time! Here are signs to look out for when checking for possible infestations:
Mud Tubes
Mud tubes are tunnels that subterranean termites create for easy access to wood from their nest. They are only about the width of a pencil, which means it’s hard to uncover them without a trained eye.
Wings
Termites also leave behind their wings in piles when they leave to settle a new colony elsewhere. While this may mean the termites have evacuated your home, they likely have done significant damage before their departure. Piles of termite wings are a warning sign: it’s time to get your home inspected for potential termite damage.
Termite Damage to Your Home
One of the most prominent and readily noticeable signs of a termite infestation is visible damage to your home. Some signs of termite damage include:
- Buckling, bubbling, or peeling paint
- Hollow sounding wood
- Rippling or crushed appearance to structural joints
- Tunneling along the wood grain
Live Termites
Of course, if you find actual live termites in or around your home, you probably have a termite problem! That said, it’s easy to confuse some ant swarms for termite swarms, so make sure you know the difference between the two. Termites have straight antennae and equally sized wings, while ant antennae are bent at a ninety-degree angle, and their front wings are longer than their back wings.
Do I Need a Termite Inspection?
Many signs of termites are difficult to identify without professional help, and even if you don’t think you have a termite problem, it’s important to get regular inspections. Professional termite inspections can prevent swarms from settling in around your home, or exterminate them before they get far enough to cause costly damage.
How Can I Prevent Termite Infestation?
Beyond routine termite inspections from professionals like us, here is an expert tip to maintain termite prevention in and around your home:
- Do not store wood next to your home, including firewood and wood debris
Will Termite Control Further Damage My Home?
Many homeowners are hesitant to have termite inspections because they fear that inspections and exterminations may require drilling into the building’s foundation or walls. Our goal is to alleviate any fears by using our field’s most effective and home-safe termite control systems: the Sentricon® Always ActiveTM System.
This system destroys the queen and her colony without any structural drilling or disruptions to your home’s foundation or landscaping! As a bait-based termite control system, it eliminates the colony from the day of installation. The long-lasting bait will also protect your home against future invasions long after the original colony has been resolved. This chemical-free system has been used in some of the country’s most significant buildings and landmarks, from the White House to the Statue of Liberty.
If you’re due for a termite inspection, or already see signs of possible swarms near your home, contact Advantage Pest Control today to schedule your first inspectio
