How can you tell whether your house or other property has termites?
When swarms of these wood-eating insects start to emerge from their colonies in search of mates and new locations to build nests, the termite season in New York typically begins to peak in the spring.
Understanding termite early warning signals, such as mud tubes and lost swarmer wings, is crucial for any homeowner or landlord. You might avoid having to spend thousands of dollars on repairs and eradication if you catch a termite infestation early.
We’ll go through the most typical early termite warning signals in this so that you can Google for ‘termites specialist near me’ or ‘best termite pest control near me’ at the earliest stage of infestation.
Symptoms a Termite Infestation in Your Home
In India, the majority of homes, including flats and villas, employ wood, whether for doors and windows or for woodwork used in home furnishings. We occasionally make compromises on the wood to be used because the grade of wood varies according to the pricing.
As a result, consumers settle for wood items that have not been insect or pest-treated. Termites then start to attack. Termites are very destructive and have the potential to wreak a lot of harm quickly. Therefore, it is important to schedule pest control treatments as soon as feasible.
However, you may only do this if you are aware of a termite infestation. So let’s investigate the indicators of a termite infestation.
Hollow or Blistering Wood
Termite activity may also be indicated by wood that is blistering or sounds hollow. Termites often eat wood from the inside out, leaving just the paint or a thin veneer of wood behind. Termite damage will make an area sound hollow or papery when you knock or tap on it. This is due to the inside wood being eaten away in part or in its entirety.
Additionally, the inside walls may have mysterious fissures. The obvious fissures in the walls may indicate termite activity inside since termites feed on the cellulose contained in the wood of the walls. The wood in door and window frames might deform as a result of eating and burrowing through them, making it difficult to access the doors and windows.
Attics that have timber ceilings, beams, architraves, and rafters are just as susceptible to termite damage as those that do not. On the cornices and ceilings, look for cracks.
Baseboards and laminate flooring are all susceptible to damage from termites. Checking below the flooring may assist to find termite activity. Affected flooring may blister and sag in certain places. You may also feel your floor to see whether it seems more springy and bouncy than usual.
Damage to Wallpaper or Paint
Termites dig under the surface of your walls, feasting on cardboard and wood panelling, to generate small pinholes known as escape holes and tunnels known as termite galleries.
Sometimes they do this without removing the thin layer of paint or wallpaper that is already there, making this kind of damage difficult to spot without first removing the paint or wallpaper. Because of this, termite damage is more frequently found during house repairs and renovations.
Another early termite indicator is a strange look on painted or wallpapered surfaces. You may discover evidence of termite damage below if you look closely, including
- Bubbling paint
- Buckling wood
- Dented or sunken areas
- Narrow, sunken winding lines
- Peeling or discolored wallpaper
- Small pinholes where termites have eaten through
We would advise you to search for ‘termites pest control near me’ or ‘affordable termites pest control near me’ as soon as you can after seeing these damages.
Swarms of Termites and Abandoned Wings
A termite infestation is active when termite swarmers are visible within a home or other structure.
There are three classes in the termite caste: workers, soldiers, and swarmers. The reproductive termite colony members are referred to as termite swarmers or alates.
They have two sets of big, pale-colored wings that are between 1/4 and 1/2 inches long, making them easy to identify. A swarmer loses its wings after leaving the colony and finding a mate.
Early in the spring, when termites emerge to locate mates and start new colonies, you’ll probably notice them buzzing around in Brisbane.
Swarmers frequently congregate near doors and windows because they are drawn to light. Additionally, because they don’t survive long indoors, you could encounter dead swarmers or abandoned wings close to windowsills and doorways.
Swarmers are frequently mistaken for flying ants. Although they have extremely similar appearances, flying ants have pinched waists and two pairs of wings that are of different sizes, whereas termite swarmers have straighter bodies and two pairs of wings that are of equal size.
Mud Tubes
Next, look for mud tubes on your land. Mud tubes resemble slender veins running down the side of your house. These tubes emerge from the ground and move in the direction of exposed wood.
Termites employ mud tubes as a form of defence against the dryness of the air. The most prevalent form of termites in Brisbane are subterranean, which have exoskeletons that are flimsy and soon dehydrate. As a result, they require a moist atmosphere to survive. They may safely move from their colony to their food supply through mud tunnels.
By cutting off a portion of the mud tube and looking for live termites, you may determine whether you have an active termite infestation if you discover mud tubes. Even if you don’t first discover any, return later to see whether the tube has been fixed.
Even if the mud tube is not fixed and there are no indications of living termites, you are still not safe. It’s possible that the termites have relocated to a location on your land or house where they have easier access to a food supply.
Head Banging or Chewing Noises
The presence of low clicking noises emanating from the walls is another indication of termites. To warn the other termites of danger, soldier termites hammer their heads on the wood or shake their bodies when the colony is disturbed.
The sensitive nature of termites allows them to hear and feel sounds via a variety of organs located on their tibia and at the base of their antennae (one of the segments of the leg).
The loud eaters are the worker termites, which like your woodwork. You may hear termites eating away if you place your ear close to any wood that they have invaded.
Termite Holes
Finding small, circular holes punched into wood is one of the most prevalent indications of a wood-destroying insect issue. The termite exit holes are made when the swarmers leave the nest when termites swarm to start new colonies.
Termite escape holes often measure little more than 1/8 of an inch in diameter. The nymphs in the nest will use a frass paste to seal the openings once the swarmer has left the nests. Uncovered termite holes are uncommon, however wood that has been thrown out can sometimes be seen in a pile and resembles small mustard seeds. Usually, a termite specialist is required to identify these termite holes.
Often, the presence of these small holes indicates the presence of drywood termites. This is due to the fact that drywood termites frequently infest wood above ground and do not require contact with soil. Subterranean termites swarm throughout the spring and summer exactly like other termites do, but they do it completely differently when they leave their nests.
Subterranean termites establish their nests beneath and migrate in mud tubes, living up to their name. They use these mud tunnels as their escape from the nest as well. Therefore, the presence of holes on a wooden structure is often a sign of drywood termite activity.
The Bottom Line
Make sure to inspect the whole house to find these signs. And we only hope it’s not late for you.
