9 Warning Signs You Have Termites in Your Home

Jun 19, 2020

Photo by Bianca Ackermann

Originally Posted On: https://pegasuspest.com/2020/06/9-warning-signs-you-have-termites-in-your-home/

There are several different warning signs you have termites in your house. You can learn more about these signs by clicking right here.

Nobody likes to have a termite infestation. Although many areas of the country will experience termite swarms in the spring, in locations where temperatures remain pleasant, termites can also surge in the fall.

But wherever you live, termites are good at hiding, and you may not know you have an infestation until its too late. If you notice the signs early on, you can get rid of them more easily with help from local pest control experts.

If you suspect you may have termites or you’re worried about experiencing an infestation, we’re here to help. Here are nine warning signs you have termites. It’s time to say goodbye to these unwanted guests.

1. Discarded Wings

Discarded or broken wings are often one of the first signs of termites. As a termite swarm ages, winged termites leave the nest to create a new colony. When they’re no longer required, termites drop their wings.

Scattered wings are a clear sign that termites are around. As termites are drawn to light, you’re most likely to spot wings in basement windowsills or in cobwebs. If you find wings inside your home, contact a professional pest removal team as soon as possible.

2. Frass

Frass, otherwise known as termite droppings, are also evidence of termites. Drywood termites live inside the wood, and when they make tunnels and eat the wood they’re nesting in, they leave droppings. Frass is pushed out of small holes close by to the entrance to the nest.

These droppings look like mounds of pellets that resemble black marks or a dark powdery substance.

Most frass is tiny, around one millimeter long. They often resemble sawdust or wood shavings, so make sure you don’t mistake one for the other.

Frass pellets can be found anywhere there is wood in the home, including attics.

3. Termite Sightings

An obvious clue that you may have a termite infestation is if you spot any live termites inside the home. Termite nests can be built both outside and inside your home, and you may see flying termites in either location.

Flying termites can leave through foundation cracks from soil or from structural wood that they’re living in. If you do spot any live termites in your home, call for immediate removal.

4. Mud Tubes

Subterranean termites make mud tubes to move from the soil to their food, which could be your home. These narrow tunnels retain moisture and prevent the termites from drying out.

Usually, you can spot mud tubes around a termite’s home foundation.

5. Hollowed Out Wood

Termites usually munch from wood from the inside out, so if you tap on wood that sounds hollow, this could be a sign of termite damage. You should also keep an eye out for blistering or erupting pieces of wood too.

6. Exterior Wood Damage

Leading on from the last point, any wood that appears harmed on the surface could suggest a termite infestation. Bare, exposed, or rotted wood is attractive to termites.

Subterranean termites are especially drawn to moisture-damaged wood as it keeps them from drying out when they nest.

7. Uneven or Bubbling Paint

Does your paint look strange, such as uneven or bubbling? This is often a sign of a moisture build-up. And this could mean one of two things: water damage or a termite infestation.

8. Outdoor Issues

If there are any small holes and wood shavings in the trees near your home, these could be signs of termite damage. Have a look around the base of the tree and try using a small shovel to poke around the roots just below the soil line. As mentioned earlier, you may spot other signs of a termite infestation such as discarded wings or dead termites littered around the base of the tree.

It’s easy to dismiss an outdoor termite infestation as unimportant as your home isn’t directly affected, but trees infested by termites can be dangerous. With serious damage, a tree could fall on your home or in your backyard or garden.

Likewise, an infestation of termites in trees outside your home means they could try to find a way to get inside.

9. Head Banging

Ever wondered what termites sound like? Well, termite soldiers make a quiet clicking noise from inside the walls. They do this by banging their heads against the wood, or by shaking their bodies.

Termite soldiers make this distinct noise to signal danger to other termites when the nest is alarmed or disturbed. Termites are sensitive critters and can identify vibrations and sounds using several organs at the base of their antennae and on the tibia.

The worker termites, which are the creatures that munch on your woodwork, are noisy feeders too. If you’re brave enough to put your ear close enough to any termite-infested wood, you can hear them gobbling away.

Understanding the Signs You Have Termites

If you’ve found signs you have termites, it’s important to call for professional help to remove the infestation. Here at Pegasus Pest, we’re here to help.

Our team are experts in discovering the signs of termites around your home and have the technology to uncover them even if there are no visible signs.

If a termite colony is found, our technicians will offer you recommendations for the suitable treatments available for your home.