In Texas and the other lower 49 states (including Hawaii), termites and effective termite treatments should be the top priority for homeowners. If you’ve never given a passing thought to termites and what they might be doing to your North Texas home, you’re not alone because, unlike wasps, cockroaches, and other pests, termites do their destructive work quietly and under the radar. That makes it easy for homeowners like you to ignore what could be happening right under your nose. The best thing you can do to ensure that your home is protected from termites is not to wait to see evidence of their activity but to have a termite inspection right away. If you insist on seeing proof of a possible termite infestation before you get an inspection and termite treatments, here are four termite signs to look for:
Mud Tubes
Mud tubes are pencil-thin, hollow tubes of mud that are normally found on a home’s foundation. They can easily be mistaken for splashes of dirt, but if they appear to be mostly vertical, it’s likely they are mud tubes. Mud tubes are essentially little, covered highways that termites use to travel from their ground colony into your home. Because termites are sensitive to sunlight and require moisture, they construct mud tubes to protect themselves as they travel up your foundation to feed on your home.
Swarmers and Swarmer Wings
Termite swarmers are young, reproductive termites with wings. In the spring, when the last chance for a winter freeze has passed, swarmers leave their old colony to mate and find a place (your home) to start a new colony. When they leave the colony, they fly out one at a time and for short distances. When they find a suitable place to start a new colony, they land and twist their own wings off because they won’t need them again. If you’re lucky, you’ll see the swarmers flying inside or outside of your home, but you’re more likely going to find discarded wings around doors and on window sills.
Termite Frass
What goes in must come out. As termites consume your wood and other cellulose, they produce wood-colored droppings around your home. What looks like a little pile of sawdust on a window frame can actually be a little pile of termite droppings.
Damaged Wood
You may not see damaged wood in your home before you hear it. Because termites work behind the walls and in the attic where it’s difficult for you to see the wood members, tapping on walls and listening for a hollow sound can tell you that you could be living with termites. This happens because termites generally eat wood from the inside out, which leaves tunnels or galleries in wood that makes it sound hollow when tapped. If you have easy access to your attic or crawlspace, you can perform a visual check for dark, blistering wood or wood members that have galleries running down the outside.
The fact is that trained, professional termite experts are experienced when it comes to looking for the signs of a termite infestation, and they are your best bet for finding one and treating it before you have extensive damage to your home. For the best termite detection and termite treatments in Frisco, TX, call us at Bug Commander Pest Control at (214) 307-1933 for an appointment for a termite inspection.