5 Obvious Signs of Termites To Alert a Homeowner

Along with severe damage the termites can cause, another key point is their silent but heavy activity.

They might be thriving in your home, but you will remain totally unaware of that presence.

By the time you actually notice any signs of termites your property may have totally suffered.

Actually, all the houses can provide a feast of feasts for termites - cellulose-based material.

Beyond all doubt, they will find their way to the expected food, regardless of the house construction type.

In basic terms, these creatures feed on dead wood.

However, they will be attracted not only to furniture and books, but even to the building foundation.

How to Disclose Termites: 5 Certain Tell-Tale Signs

• Winged guests, either from the soil or around the house.
• Mud tubes in wooden areas.
• Piles of discarded wings on window sills.
• Hollow sounds of wood.
• Frass or termite droppings.

What to Look for in Detail: 5 Visible Indicators

1. Swarming.

Swarms usually happen in spring, when the termites fly from their colony to establish a new one. For this reason, be ready to find the insects bodies in places of possible exit.

2. Shelter Tubes.

Weak and fragile termites need moisture to survive and protect themselves from predators. So, they seek for tiny spaces, and thus build tunnels of mud and soil across exposed areas. Whether these tubes are active or not, simply break one off to see if it's rebuilt. Sometimes these tubes will even extend for meters.

3. Bugs.

Inspect the suspicious areas near the house and look for any of termite castes - nymphs (immature termites); soldiers (colony protectors with enlarged jaws & heads); workers (the most numerous nest builders & repairers, as well as foragers & carers of the young); reproductives (winged swarmers).

4. Hollowed wood.

Take a knife or a flat-blade screwdriver to observe its being hollowed. Tap the wood as a last resort.

5. Dirt in wood & Water draw.

Since water & termites are commonly related, this can be quite difficult to differentiate moisture damage from just termite damage. Anyway termites bring dirt into the wood, entomologists say. Also, look in the areas where the moisture holds - leaky faucets, air-conditioning units, etc.

4 More Things to Keep in Mind

All sorts of cracks & crevices, meeting the house foundation, are those in concrete, as well as in plumbing penetrations/front entry doors, or around garage openings.

Wood debris is the favorite termite hangout, the so-called 'steak' for termites.

Nests house the whole colony. These are the structures made of mud, soil, saliva, chewed wood/cellulose, and faeces, functioning as a protected living space/water conservation/nursery chambers/air conditioning. They are built either underground or above ground, developing into mounds.

Mounds, or 'termitaria', take place when the aboveground nests grow beyond. In Africa and Australia, they're called 'ant hills', occurring in complex, irregular mound shapes.

So, what are your own signs of termites?