How To Tell You Have Termites In Your Home
Pest damage is one thing that you definitely do not want to deal with when you are a homeowner. That is why it is best to get ahead of a pest problem by knowing what warning signs to look for. Here are four different ways that you can tell if you have a termite infestation.
Damaged Wood
The most obvious sign of termites is going to be damaged wood. However, it may be hard to identify if it is not easily recognizable. For example, if you have carpeting over wood floors, you may have termites that have damaged that wood that you walk on. Termite infested wood can cause a sensation as if the floor buckles in places due to being weak when walked on.
If you take a close look at the wood itself, it can seem as if someone has randomly chiseled away at the wood. There can also be small holes where a single termite has burrowed its way through the wood. Termite damage is often confused with dry rot due to its deteriorating appearance, so be sure not to confuse the two and look for more signs.
Wings
A sure sign of a termite infestation is their discarded wings. Termites will often leave these behind in various places around your home where they have traveled. Take a look in your crawl space to see if you see discarded wings next to any of that wood damage. The wings can even find themselves caught in spider webs.
Mud Tunnels
Termites love to travel by going through mud tunnels. You'll find these tunnels between where their colony is located and the wood that they are damaging. The mud tunnels are brown in color, which is due to being made out of dirt and debris. They are also no wider than a pen or pencil.
Droppings
Drywood termites tend to leave behind recognizable droppings, which are almost like a black powder that has been left behind on the surfaces that they travel. Much like with the mud tunnels, you may see a trail of droppings that leads you to where their colony is located.
Sounds
Do you hear a weird clicking from places in your home, almost as if it is from inside a wall? This could be the termites actually burrowing through the wood. It is a faint sound that can be difficult to hear but is another way to identify a termite infestation.
Contact a pest control service to learn more about termite control.