- Discolored or drooping drywall.
- Peeling paint that resembles water damage.
- Wood that sounds hollow when tapped.
- Small, pinpoint holes in drywall.
- Buckling wooden or laminate floor boards.
- Tiles loosening from the added moisture termites can introduce to your floor.
How often should you inspect your home for termites?
Ideally, all homeowners should get inspected once a year. Older homes do tend to be more at risk for termites, making it absolutely essential to not only stay vigilant about inspecting your home yourself on a regular basis but also get a professional’s opinion every single year.
How often should I get my home inspected for termites?
They include the following:
- Your house is more than fifty years old. Houses built in the 1960s typically have steel pipes in their plumbing system. ...
- You have old trees in the yard. Mature trees often mean extensive root systems that can rupture your underground pipes. ...
- You moved to a new house. ...
How to determine if your home has termites?
- Provides invaluable research on different termite control treatments and technologies.
- The U.S. ...
- They publish news and events for the public on termites and termite control.
- The National Invasive Species Information Center has information on Formosan Subterranean Termites.
What to do if you find termites in your home?
- Termites need water, so keep your home and surrounding property as dry as possible.
- Use pest repellent as a preventative measure.
- Seal any cracks in the foundation and gaps around pipes and electrical wiring. – Screen doors, windows and porches.
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Do termites go away without treatment?
Yes, they can go away on their own. Why is it a scary answer? Because you never know when they are going to come back! Without a termite treatment, there is no way of knowing when a healthy termite colony will return to re-infest a structure.
How do you tell if you have termites in your walls?
Common signs of termite damage to a wall include:Small pin holes, where termites have eaten through the paper coating on drywall and/or wallpaper. ... Faint 'lines' on drywall. ... A hollow sound when you tap on the wall.Bubbling or peeling paint.Baseboards that crumble under slight pressure.Jammed doors or windows.
What does the start of termite damage look like?
Interior damage may not become apparent until infestations are full-blown. Termite damage sometimes appears similar to water damage. Outward signs of termite damage include buckling wood, swollen floors and ceilings, areas that appear to be suffering from slight water damage and visible mazes within walls or furniture.
Is termite damage obvious?
Is Termite Damage Obvious? Unfortunately, damage created by termites is often not obvious for many reasons including the following: Most people don't know where to look or what to look for. Infestations can be in dark or hard to see places.
What does a termite hole look like in a wall?
A termite exit hole will be round, one-eighth inch or smaller and filled with a brown, plaster-like substance. Exit holes made by termites are usually found in dry wood during the spring and summer months when it becomes warm enough for termites to leave the nest.
How do you know where termites are coming from?
0:182:28How to Check for Termites - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipAny holes or exit holes possibly. For where the termites may have swarmed or where they could haveMoreAny holes or exit holes possibly. For where the termites may have swarmed or where they could have even eaten through the wood.
How do you know if you have a termite infestation?
Keep an eye out for the following signs of termite activity:Discolored or drooping drywall.Peeling paint that resembles water damage.Wood that sounds hollow when tapped.Small, pinpoint holes in drywall.Buckling wooden or laminate floor boards.Tiles loosening from the added moisture termites can introduce to your floor.More items...
How do you know if you have termite infestation?
5 Signs of a Termite InfestationStuck Windows or Doors. Do you have a window or door that recently feels stuck, or suddenly became much harder to open or close? ... Damage under Paint or Wallpaper. ... Termite Swarmers & Discarded Wings. ... Mud Tubes. ... Termite Droppings.
How do you know if wood has termites?
Take a look at the top five signs of termite activity below:Blisters in Wood Flooring. These areas or blisters can indicate termites feeding within or below. ... Hollowed or Damaged Wood. Wood damage can be found below and behind surfaces like walls, floors and more. ... Evidence of Swarms. ... Mud Tubes. ... Drywood Termite Droppings.
How long does it take for termites to destroy a house?
A single termite on its own would take thousands of years to do serious damage to your property, and termites only live for around two years. The problem is that termites do not live on their own; they live in colonies with hundreds, or even thousands, of other termites.
What is the best way to identify termite damage?
So when you knock or tap on an area that has termite damages, it will sound hollow or papery due to parts (or all) of the timber having been eaten away. Tight fitting door or hard to open window - As termites devour timber, their excrement or 'mud' creates a protective environment that traps heat and moisture.
What does termite poop look like?
Generally, all termite feces are small, measuring about 0.04 inches long. They are light beige to black, depending on the kind of wood the termites eat. Additionally, termite excrement is oval-shaped with six concave sides. Termite excreta usually forms tiny mounds that look like small piles of dirt or sawdust.
How do you know if you have termites?
Since termites act like silent assassins, you might not even know you have an infestation until it's too late. But you can keep an eye out for some of these telltale signs of a termite infestation: 1 Wood damage: According to Mannes, termites like to eat wood from the inside out, so if your wood sounds hollow when you knock on it, you may have a problem. Rotting wood is also a dead giveaway of a termite problem. 2 Mud Tubes: Subterranean termites need moisture while they travel back and forth between their colony and their food source, so they build mud tubes. You'll find them most often near your home's foundation, but can also be found in basements or crawl spaces. 3 Frass: Drywood termites like to leave behind these powdered shavings while they're eating through wood. 4 Swarmers: These young female and winged termites can often be found in homes during spring and are often mistaken for flying ants. "If you see ant-like creatures both with and without wings, as well as discarded wings on the ground in the area where the swarm occurred, it may be termites," Cooper said.
How to keep termites away from house?
Keep an eye on any exterior wood, including door frames, windows and skirting boards , for any visible changes. Send water away from your house. "Termites also need moisture to survive, so homeowners should ensure their property has proper drainage and that gutters and downspouts route water away from the structure.
What type of termites are there?
Most often, homeowners deal with two main types of termites — subterranean and drywood — and they each come with their own set of challenges.
Where are drywood termites most common?
Drywood termites, on the other hand, are harder to detect and are most common in the Southeast and Southwest regions of the U.S. "Drywood termites have a different type of biology that allows them to infest homes without coming in contact with the soil. These termites not only infest the wood used in the construction of ...
How much damage do termites do to property?
According to the National Pest Management Association, termite infestations can cause more than $5 billion in property damage each year. Yep, that's billion with a "b."
Where do termites build mud tubes?
You'll find them most often near your home's foundation, but can also be found in basements or crawl spaces.
Do drywood termites leave powdered shavings?
Frass: Drywood termites like to leave behind these powdered shavings while they're eating through wood.
How do you know if you have termites?
Other Signs of Termites 1 Maze-like patterns on wooden surfaces 2 Crumbling or damaged wood 3 Tiny holes or discolored drywall 4 Peeling paint 5 Buckling or squeaky floorboards 6 Loose kitchen or bathroom tiles
What does it mean when you don't find a live termite?
The termites may have moved to another part of your home or property with better access to their food source.
What are termites castes?
Termites have a caste system that consists of workers, soldiers, and swarmers. Swarmers, also known as alates, are the reproductive members of a termite colony, and they’re easily distinguishable by having two pairs of large wings. People often mistake swarmers for flying ants.
What is the most common termite in the Northeast?
Subterranean termites are the most common termites in the Northeast. They’re also the most difficult to detect because they live underground.
How long are termite swarmer wings?
Termite swarmer wings are pale-colored and approximately 1/4 to 1/2 inches long.
How to tell if a mud tube is termite?
If you find mud tubes, you can confirm if you have an active termite infestation by breaking off a piece of the mud tube and check for live termites. Even if you don’t find any at first, come back later to check if the tube has been repaired.
How much does termite damage cost?
Every year, termites damage about 600,000 homes in the United States and cost homeowners and landlords approximately $5 billion in structural damage and termite control.
1. Blisters in Wood Flooring
These areas or blisters can indicate termites feeding within or below. Subterranean termites can cause damage to the subfloor, which can make your wood flooring appear as if it has water damage.
2. Hollowed or Damaged Wood
Wood damage can be found below and behind surfaces like walls, floors and more. This can be caused by termites chewing through wood in search of cellulose, leaving behind long grooves. Over time, these grooves weaken the wood and create structural damage. Hollowed wood usually has a honeycomb interior and an empty sound.
3. Evidence of Swarms
Discarded termite wings can be found near closed windows, doors and other home-access points. This is caused when termites swarm out of their nest to mate and find a place start a new colony. When they land, termites intentionally twist their wings off because they will never need them again.
4. Mud Tubes
Pencil-sized mud tubes can be found wherever the ground meets your house or any other possible food source like a tree or shed. This is because subterranean termites nest underground and forage up to their food source, which is often a house structure. These termites require certain temperature and humidity levels to survive.
5. Drywood Termite Droppings
Drywood termites nest inside of wood. While tunneling and eating the wood they’re infesting, they create galleries that they like to keep them clean. To keep them clean, they create kick out holes where they remove their excrement. And since drywood termites eat wood, their excrement is wood, which essentially creates mounds of pellets.
How do you know if you have termites?
How To Know If You Have a Termite Infestation. Termites are blind but they’re always looking for food. “They just bump into things,” Webb says. If one bumps into your house, finds a crack and tastes the delicious wood, they may bring it back to the colony, leaving a little trail others can follow.
What are termites' signs?
Mud Tubes. Some of the most common indicators, Webb says, are mud tubes. Termites use their saliva to glue these tunnels together for travel. Homeowners may see the pencil-width mud tubes spreading out like veins on their home’s foundation. zimmytws/Getty Images.
How long do termites live?
And try swallowing this news: Webb says a queen termite can live up to 30 years.
What happens if termites show up again?
If you hire a professional, ask about their guarantees if the termites show up again; different companies make different promises. Generally, the entire home will need to be treated. If not, termites will just move to another spot.
How many members can a termite colony have?
Now realize a termite colony can have one or two million members, all under your house. It’s a chilling picture. “One termite can’t do significant damage,” says Webb, who works for pest-control company Terminix International. “But thousands can.”. The average termite damage repair costs thousands of dollars, according to Terminix.
What to do if you discover termite damage?
If you discover termite damage, don’t panic. Call a professional ASAP for an estimate to assess the damage.
How to tell if wood is termite?
But other signs of termites include wood that sounds hollow when tapped, soft wood that’s easily probed with a knife or screwdriver, and “a thin gritty gray-brown film on the surface of damaged material ,” according to the North Carolina State Extension Service.
How long does termite treatment last?
On average, termite treatment lasts about 5 years. Liquid termite treatment can last five years or more, whereas termite bait stations only last one year and need to be maintained annually.
How does degree of infestation affect termite removal?
The degree of infestation is a major factor. The larger the termite colon y, the longer it will take to eradicate. The level of expertise your termite specialist has will have a big influence since it can determine how complete the application is.
What type of termites live in the soil around houses?
The type of termite can affect the length. Subterranean termites and drywood termites are the most common. Subterranean termites live in the soil around houses and build tunnel networks to access their food—the wood that your house is made of. Drywood termites, on the other hand, tunnel within your wood and eat right through it.
How long does it take for a termite bait station to work?
Termite bait stations can take months to work, while liquid treatments can take anywhere from a few days to several months.
Do termite treatments last longer?
Your termite specialist will need to access all the wood components of your home. If these elements are inaccessible or harder to reach, the treatment won’t last as long.
Do termites need bait stations?
Termite Bait Stations. In order to be effective, termite bait stations need to be monitored and maintained year-round. A specialist will place the baits strategically around your property. Termites will take the bait while foraging, and bring the poisonous bait back to their colony, infecting the other termites.
