Termites are small insects that can cause significant damage before you even realise they are there. In this article, we will explore ten signs that may indicate that your home is infested with termites.
Tell-tale Signs of Termite Infestation
- Hollow or flaking wood
Hollow or flaking wood is a common sign of termite infestation. When termites feed on wood, they eat it from the inside out. At first, the damage may not be noticeable, but as they continue infesting your home, the damage becomes severe, leaving behind only a thin layer of wood on the surface.
- Tight doors or windows
Termites, which are the most common cause of tight windows or doors, eat through your window frames and make mud tubes as they move to ensure a protective environment ideal for survival. This causes wooden window and door frames to swell or warp, making it difficult for you to close or open them.
- Droppings
Termites leave behind small, pellet-like droppings called frass as they eat through wood. If you notice piles of frass around your home, it’s a sign that termites are present, and you should contact a pest exterminator.
- Discarded wings
When termites swarm to start a new colony, the reproductive members of the colony (known as alates) will fly out to mate and establish a new nest. Once mating is successful, termites discard their wings as they are no longer needed. You will find these discarded wings in piles near windowsills, doors and other entry points into your home.
- Mud packing
Mud packing is a common sign of subterranean termite infestation. Termites rely on moisture to survive and use saliva, soil and droppings to create mud tubes to protect themselves from dehydration and predators while travelling from their nest to a food source.
- Sagging flooring
As termites eat away at the wooden structures of a home, the floorboards weaken and begin to buckle or sag and produce a hollow sound when you walk over them. In severe cases, the damage caused by termites can compromise the floor’s integrity, making it unsafe to walk on.
- White ‘ants’
To determine whether you have a termite infestation in your home, look for a milky cream or transparent colour to the creatures’ bodies, a double set of wings, and straight antennae (ants have bent antennae).
- Damp spots
When you have leaky pipes, water damage or poor drainage around the foundation of a building, there is a big possibility that you have a termite infestation. These termites create mud tubes to travel from their colony to the source of moisture and food.
- Clicking sounds
Do you hear clicking sounds that sound something like a phone’s vibration in your house, especially in ceilings, walls, floors or walls? Well, in a place with a termite colony, you will hear these clicking sounds as the termites are active.
- Paint blisters
Wall termites thrive where there is moisture, and for them to survive once they invade your walls, they will bring moisture inside. When the moisture reacts with the paint, it causes the paint to bubble, flake, crack or peel.
It’s essential to have regular termite inspections to catch infestations early and prevent significant damage. You’ll need a qualified pest control company to identify signs of termite activity and eliminate the infestation to protect your property from further damage.