Termite control is difficult to get in front of because the signs of an infestation often go unnoticed until it’s too late. Knowing the signs of termites and how their colonies begin can help keep your home safe from these almost invisible bugs. Below are four signs your home might have termites.
Mud tubes
Subterranean termites live underground but have to come out for their food source: your home. Termites require a certain temperature to survive, and the mud tubes help keep them cool and dry while traveling. These tubes can be found on the outside of your home where it connects with the ground. Tubes may also be seen around entry points, such as doors or windows.
Swarming and discarded wings
Termites will typically swarm a home during the springtime after it rains. If your home is being swarmed, you may notice little, winged insects near your light fixtures. Many people mistake them to be moths or other insects, when in fact they are termites. Once the termites have swarmed, they typically lose their wings. If you notice wings around your windows or in cobwebs, there’s a good chance the original swarm is nesting in or under your home.
Hollow-sounding wood
Since termites’ main food source is wood and they are basically invisible, an easy way to check for termites is to knock on wood surfaces that should be solid. As termites eat through doors and wooden beams or floors from the inside out, they create hollow pathways in the wood. If you knock on a door and it sounds hollow instead of solid, consider checking other things, such as support beams, and calling a pest control company.
Peeling paint that resembles water damage
As termites travel from their colony to their food source, making their new home, they bring water with them. This creates a moisture build-up underneath wooden surfaces. If termites are infesting the wood in your walls that are painted, eventually the moisture will create bubbles or peeling in the paint, just as a water leak would do.
Checking around your house once a month for signs of termites could save you money in the long run. If you think you have a termite infestation, call Apple Pest Control’s qualified technicians to exterminate your home!
