Recent research findings reveal more than $5 billion worth of property gets damaged by termites in different homes. Unfortunately, the cost of carrying out termite repairs is never covered by insurance companies. With this in mind, it is advisable for any homeowner to be on the watch out for termite signs.
In this article, we will be looking at important termite signs and where you can always find them.
What is a termite?
Termite is popularly known as a wood destroying insect. The three types of termites are dry wood, damp wood and subterranean.
Dry wood termites live in dry wood and are rare to find. Damp wood termites usually live in heavily forested areas. Subterranean is known to be very destructive and is always found in a moist environment.
Where to look for signs of termites in your home at Overland Park
Most of the homeowners in Overland Park do not have an idea of where to look for the termite signs in their homes. Below are key places where termites love residing.
Roofs
Broken tiles normally create moisture that will attract termites, giving them a gateway to your home. You can prevent termite by ensuring the house roof is always dry, and all the cracks are well repaired.
Air conditioning units
Termites usually prefer residing in moist environments, especially areas around the air conditioning units.
You need to ensure that release of moisture from the air conditioning units is away from the home foundations and always do away with any condensation, puddles or buildup of moisture.
Wooden beams
Always check for termite damage signs on the wooden beams by pressing your thumb against the timber. If the timber is spongy, then high chances, there are termites.
Boxes
Apart from the woods, termites will always devour cellulose inside the cardboard. To help prevent the termite infestation, always store items in plastic boxes and avoid using cardboard unless you have the cardboard traps in place.
Wooden flooring
The wooden floors can be a perfect breeding place for the subterranean termites, which are known to be very destructive. Ensure you check your wooden floor from time to time for any termite activity. Whenever you are coming up with a new extension, always lay down a physical termite barrier before the construction works.
Wooden furniture
Termites love wooden furniture since they are always in contact with the house walls or floor. Ensure that you check your furniture back and legs for any termite activity. Keep the furniture away from the walls. If possible, go for furniture made of metal or plastic. In case you have wooden furniture, you can consider putting it out in the sun whenever you notice termite signs.
Identify the following signs of termite activity
You can keep an eye on any of the following for termite activity in your home.
Termite Mud Tubes on the Wall
This is the most visible termite infestation sign. The mud tubes are made of dirt and help termites move to their source of food with ease. The tubes also offer protection to the termites and help in maintaining a warm and humid environment for food storage.
Flying Termites or Discarded Wings
The presence of flying termites called alates or swarmer is a common termite activity sign. Flying termites are the males and females who have come out from their nest to get a mate and create a new colony.
The flying termites usually lose their wings after finding a mate hence making discarded wings to be a very common sign of termite presence.
Tunnels in the woods
Tunnels in woods also referred to as ‘galleries’, are quite difficult to see from outside. However, when you see them in a piece of broken timber close to or inside your house, then you can always be sure there are termites in your house.
Papery or Hollow Sound in Timber in Floors
Termites consume wood from inside out, leaving a thin timber veneer or just the paint. Whenever you tap or knock on the region having termite damage, it will sound papery or hollow since part or the entire inside timer has been eaten away.
Tight-fitting and hard to open window and door
Warped doors and stiff windows can be a sign of termite infestation. The moisture they produce, whenever they are tunneling or eating through the window or door frame, makes the woods warp, making it difficult to open windows or doors.
Termite Droppings (Frass) or Pellets
The dry wood termites, unlike the subterranean termites, never use their feces to make tunnels. Instead, they will always push the feces out of the small holes close to their nest entrance. This usually leads to small black marks and a dark powdery substance.
Blistering hardwood floors
The Subterranean termites can easily cause damage to the hardwood floors as they will make the floors appear to have water damage. The blisters are a sign that termites are feeding underneath the flooring. If you see some blisters on your hardwood floors, it is important to contact Overland Park Pest Control so that they can immediately check the spots.
Swarming Insects Indoors
The mature termites in a colony will always leave the nest inside of the home and form swarms once or twice every year. The swarms usually happen in the fall or spring, depending on the termite type involved. The swarms take place quickly, making it easy for homeowners to miss them.
Damaged roof tiles
The damaged roof tiles are a great gateway for termites into the home. The termites can easily manoeuvre their way through the tiniest cracks and get into the house with ease.
Ensure that you always inspect your house roof from time to time and replace any damaged, waterlogged or cracked tiles.
Patches of bubbling paint
When termites crawl through the painted house walls, their activities always leave small punctures in the paint. The punctures will allow air inflow, and this can cause bubbles or swelling to be visible on the wall paint.
Since termites have strong jaws that can easily rip through woods, few paint layers will never be a challenge to them.
Worried about termite damage?
Since termites are a bane of any home, most homeowners can easily get worries about termite damage.
Ensure that your home is always protected with Mantis Pest Control Services, who will help eliminate them before small damage becomes costly.
At Overland Park Termite Control, we will also offer you the right steps to help in preventing termites from getting into your home.