Signs of Termites in Your Home
Termite damage costs building owners in the U.S. billions of dollars a year. In order to keep termites from destroying the structural integrity of your home, you need to be on the constant lookout for termites. Knowing these signs of termites in your home can help you detect an infestation and stop it before it’s too late!
Signs of termites in your home:
- Discarded Wings
- White Ants Around Your Home
- Noises in Your Walls
- Hollow Sounding Wood or Walls
- Warped Doors and Window Frames
- Mud Tubes
Discarded Wings
If you spot winged termites in or around your house, then you are in luck. You have likely caught your termite infestation in its earliest stages. Flying termites, also known as swarmers or alates, serve as scouts, seeking out a good location to start a colony. Once these winged scouts find a proper nesting location in which they can mate, they lose their wings.
White Ants Around Your Home
Think your house may be infested with white ants? Think again. There is no such thing as a white ant—at least not in the Boston area. Termites, however, can look very similar to ants. Both have antennae, sectioned bodies, and two sets of wings. But unlike ants, termites are pale, have straight antennae, and have wing sets of equal size.
Noises in Your Walls
Putting your ear up to your wall may seem strange, but it can help you determine whether you need termite treatment. If you hear small clicking noises or the faint sound of munching in your walls, then you have reason to worry. The clicking sound belongs to soldier termites who hit their heads against surfaces to warn their colony of danger and the chewing noise indicates the presence of worker termites eating away at your walls and wood.
Hollow Sounding Wood or Walls
Another sound to be on the lookout for is unusually hollow-sounding timber. Starting from the inside of your walls or other wooden structures of your home, termites eat away layer after layer often leaving behind only a paper-thin layer wood. With extreme termite infestations, you may even find that your finger can poke straight through your wall. As you can probably assume, a finger poked through your wall means you are in urgent need of termite control.
Warped Doors and Window Frames
Those tight-fitting door and window frames in your house may not necessarily be a result of water damage. The moisture produced by termites when they eat can cause door and window frames to warp in a fashion similar to water damage. If you’re fighting to close your doors and windows, that could be an indicator that there is a much more important fight at hand—the fight against termites.
Mud Tubes
Termites like moist environments where survival is ideal. They often make mud tubes along with foundations for protection. Mud tubes are structures made of soil, debris, and their own saliva. They are used as protection against dry atmospheres and predators. When you find these on the foundation of your home, it is time to act!
Get Professional Help
Think you’ve spotted one of these signs, but still not sure whether termites have invaded your house? One easy way to determine whether your house is termite-free is with an expert inspection. Luckily, Clancy Brothers Pest Control offers free termite inspections. Let us restore your peace of mind and protect your property from a termite infestation. Contact one of our experts today!