Signs of Termite Infestation

As you've heard, Termites are often referred to as "hidden threats."

This is because the majority of the time, homeowners and business owners have

absolutely no idea they've taken up residency until far to great damage has occured.

Listed below are things to watch out for, and if you happen to see one or many

of the items below, give us a call immediately so we can help.

Mud Tubes

Subterranean termites need moisture to survive, which means they rely on their soil habitat for

the moisture they need. When termites travel above ground, they have to take the soil with them

to protect themselves from drying out. Subterranean termites build mud tubes above ground so

termite workers can travel inside the protected structure when foraging between the infested wood

and theirnest. The tubes may be easy to spot when they extend over concrete foundations and

other exposed surfaces. However, the tubes are much less visible when they run along cracks

in the foundation or behind siding and baseboards.

Wood Damage

Subterranean termites only like to eat soft spring wood fiber, which means they will eat along

the wood grain, rather than across it. Subterranean termite damage is very easy to identify

because the damaged wood will only have the grain left behind. Since subterranean termites carry

soil with them, the spaces between the wood grains are typically packed with mud. Both drywood

and subterranean galleries (small rooms inside the wood connected by tunnels) can be detected

by tapping a piece of wood every few inches with the handle of a screwdriver. The damaged

wood will sound hollow, and the screwdriver may even break through the wood into the galleries.

Frass (Termite Droppings)

Around the house, it can look like dirt or coffee grounds. Unfortunately, termite droppings could

be what is showering your kitchen or home floor.

As drywood termites eat their way through wood, they produce frass or wood-colored droppings.

For housekeeping purposes, sometimes the termites will chew small holes in the wood to push

these droppings out. Termite fecal pellets can be found in little piles beneath the infested wood.

Swarmers

Winged termite swarmers may emerge inside or outside your home. A swarm is often the first

visible sign of a termite infestation. Because swarmers are attracted to light, they are often found

around lighting fixtures in a home and in windowsills. Drywood termites produce relatively small swarms (10-100 swarmers), so if the homeowner is not home during the drywood swarm, the termites

might go unnoticed. However, subterranean termites could produce hundreds to thousands of swarmers.

An indoor swarm of such massive numbers is hard to miss.

Discarded Wings

Swarmers break off their wings shortly after they land on the ground. While the termites may

quickly disappear, the groups of identical, disembodied wings discarded on windowsills, floors

or in spider webs are sure signs of an indoor termite swarm.

Mounds

Many people have heard that termites build large mounds out of soil to house entire colonies

of termites. While this practice is true for some termite species found in Australia or Africa,

the United States has no mound-building species of termites. A mound of earth found in the

yard of a home in the U.S. is most likely due to some sort of wildlife, not termite, activity.

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