The process of home ownership is a maintenance and watchkeeping process. Although we usually have the tendency to concentrate on the apparent side of our property like a new coat of paint or a mowed lawn, there is this lurking danger that may bring down the entire investment that we have put into it. Termites cause billions of dollars of structural damage each year and the worst thing about their activities is that they are silent workers. Since they eat wood and do so on the inside, a homeowner may also end up having a huge colony living with them many years without ever knowing that the walls are being drilled. The first step to successful termite control and peace of mind in the long term is the ability to identify the minor red flags of an infestation.
The Swarmer Wings that have been thrown away.
Changing of seasons is one of the most typical initial warnings that your property is being probed. Once a termite colony grows to a size and maturity level, winged reproduces called swarmers are produced. They are called the swarming termites and come out of their original nest to search another mate and start another colony in that area. After landing and locating an appropriate entrance into the house, they do not necessity their wings anymore and deliberately lose them. You can come across these transparent, rainbow-coloured wings lying heaped on windowsills, or at doorways, or in spider-webs upon the outside of your basement. When you find such disposed wings, then it is an easy indication that a colony of termites is either trying to get into your home or has already reached its goal and settled in your home.
Unexplainable Mud Tubes at the Foundation.
Subterranean termites are very sensitive to the environment. They need a certain amount of moisture in order to survive and cannot endure a long exposure to the open air or sun. In order to connect their subterranean nests with the wood parts of your house, they build special tubes of mud. These tunnels are pencil-like and are composed of soil, saliva and organic debris. They can be found in a crawl space running up and down the concrete slabs, brickwork or the floor joists. These tubes are safe pathways of the colony and they can move to and fro without detection. In case you snap a small part of a tube and you are finding small, creamy-white insects crawling inside it, you have a problem that needs to be addressed by a professional at once.
The Wood and Surface Blisters of hollow sounding.
Since termites value the interior of the wood than the exterior parts of your house may appear perfectly normal yet be structurally damaged. A simple tap test is one of the most helpful methods of checking the damage of wooden beams, baseboards and window frames. When the wood can be tapped with the screwdriver handle and gives off a hollow or papery sound, then it has probably been hollowed out. The damage could be in the form of small blisters in the surface of wood/drywall in some instances. These blisters are formed when the termites are tunneling too near to the surface and the paint or the thin layers of wood start rippling or sagging. These structural variations are considered to be water damage, yet they very often are a by-product of the termite long-term work.
Crude heaps of Frass around Wooden Structures.
Whereas underground termites can utilize mud to close termite tunnels, drywood termites possess another habit that is much easier to identify. They have their complete life in the wood they feed on and they do not need to touch the earth. They excavate minute holes called kick-outs to dispose their wastes to keep their tunnels clean. This waste is called frass and it appears in the form of small heaps of sawdust or tiny small pellets that resemble coffee grounds. These dusty heaps may be on the floor of a second room under a wooden cabinet, in the sill of a window, or on the corner of a loft. Frass is also a uniformly colored and shaped dust, unlike standard dust. The presence of such piles is a sure indication that a colony is in the process of feeding on that particular piece of timber.
Problem with opening windows and doors.
The effect of their tunneling can expand cumulatively to actually make the wood in your house move or swell as the infestation of the termites increases. This is attributed to a great extent by the moisture introduced by the termites into the wood during feeding. When you suddenly realize that a window that was sliding easily now is not sliding, a bedroom door is not closing properly; it may not be the humidity of the season. The frames hollowed out may result in an imbalance within the house due to structural changes. Although most owners of homes overlook such small inconveniences as a symptom of an old house, they are the first and last signals that the internal supports have been greatly compromised and that professional application of termites is not an option anymore, but an absolute necessity.
Conclusion
The honesty of your home is determined by your talent to identify the trouble before it turns out to be a disaster. Termites are quiet and silent and do not announce their presence by banging their heads on the floor or leaving their traces in the center of your living room; they leave behind little hints, such as discarded wings, mud tubes, and hollowed wood. You can find these silent destroyers before they strike by simply keeping a close eye on them by walking closely around your property and conducting frequent walk-throughs. When you notice any of these five signs, the best option would be to call a specialist that would offer a detailed examination and an individual treatment plan. Home protection is a proactive measure, and there is no sure method of making sure that your home is a safe and comfortable refuge that will support your family over the decades than having a professional control the level of infestation of termites in your home.
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