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Q: I have noticed some strange insect activity in and around my house, as well as some earth tunnels near wooden elements outside the house. Could this be a sign of termites?
A: Termites are a common pest. There are some obvious signs of termites such as crumbled or collapsed wood, but a lot of termite damage occurs in places that are not easily observed.
Being proactive means knowing what termites are and how they use wood so homeowners know what to look out for. These are some of the main signs of termites in a home.
Do you see any signs of termites?
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Clicking noises come from the walls.
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With tunnels to be built and the constant need to move resources, termites are always active.
To enliven their busy lives, termites draw energy from cellulose, a carbohydrate found in all plants and wood. Termites cut wood with pincer-like appendages near their mouth and break it down into building and food material. The movement of a single termite is imperceptible, but with hundreds of thousands of termites in a colony, small noises add up.
The most noticeable sounds are the warning sounds that termites send to others in the colony. When termites sense a threat, they hit their heads against wood to make a “click” sound. A quiet but persistent clicking noise in quiet moments around the house may mean there are termites in the walls.
You will see dead, winged insects in your home.
Finding dead winged insects on windows or scattered wings with no bodies around a house are common signs of termites.
Flying termites, also called hawkers, are sometimes mistaken for carpenter ants because of their dark color. However, a flying termite has a long, uniform body with four wings of equal size. Flying termites lose these wings when they mate, so discarded wings are a primary sign of termites anywhere in a home.
In moderately warm weather, flying termites emerge from hidden rooms to find new wood to start a new colony. While looking for a partner and a home, schools of flying termites may be in the house or yard. Identifying the source of the swarm can help homeowners locate the rest of the colony.
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You will see insects that look like white ants.
Worker termites, which make up the bulk of a colony, are likely the insect most people think of when they hear the word “termite”. They are no longer than a few eighths of an inch and their bodies are cream colored and translucent. Since worker termites spend their entire lives building and maintaining tunnels, they are the insects found in damaged wood. Soldier termites – with an even larger head and tongs than their working class counterparts – may also be present.
Color is a good indicator to differentiate between ants and termites. Although termites come in different shades, their body color is usually much lighter than that of the lightest ants. In addition, their body shapes differ, with ants having a slender belly (middle part) with a more pronounced head and rib cage (rear) and termites having an overall wider body without a distinct waist between the belly and rib cage. Termites also have long, straight antennae.
Do you see any signs of termites?
Call a termite killer asap. Get free, no-obligation estimates from experts in your area.
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Wood that is near or part of your home sounds hollow.
Termites destroy wood by eating it from the inside out. This is why termite damage is difficult to spot before it’s too late.
The tonewood creates a way to find out what is happening inside. Do a noise test in different locations around the house, starting with wood that is known (or strongly suspected) to be termite free.
By having a homeowner use something to hit the wood of the house, e.g. B. the back end of a tool, homeowners can identify various sounds that the wood is making, which can indicate its damage. Heavy, undamaged wood absorbs the sound quickly and produces a rich, deep sound. Wood that is hollow from termite damage has a higher pitch. For the most accurate indication of termite damage, follow the wood grain starting with the base and moving up.
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Windows in your home are difficult to open.
Termites don’t work very far below the surface of the wood, so a strange deformation to different woods in the house can be a sign of termites.
Before the wood crumbles from the termites’ internal work, the network of tunnels they form and the way they rearrange wood particles can cause it to swell. If this wood is part of a structure that opens and closes (like a window), the deformation can make it difficult to move – especially if it’s been a while since it was last used. The longer the wood remains undisturbed, the harder termites can be with their damage.
Not all difficult windows are termite signs. Other things, like water damage, can affect the quality of the wood in a home. However, termites also like moist wood. Even if they aren’t the cause of warped windows, recognizing the need for a repair can help prevent future infestation.
There is evidence of swarms and mudpipes.
Flying termites are only part of the colony, so it is often not enough to just follow them to their source.
Subterranean termites, the most common type of termite in the United States, need moisture to survive. Most household woods don’t have enough moisture to thrive, so they form mud pipes to let moisture from the underground into their work area.
Channels of caked mud and termite debris start in the ground and run down to the wood of a house. They’re usually the width of a standard pen and it takes some strength to scrape them off.
Mud pipes can be found anywhere soil encounters a potential source of wood in a home, and they actually help termites get over the things they can’t chew through, like concrete, plumbing, or electrical materials. If you follow a mud tunnel to its earth connection, you can find the entrance to the rest of the colony and begin treatment.
If you are concerned about a possible termite infestation, it is best to call a professional who can remove these pests and stop further damage to your home.
Get professional advice
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