Having a termite invasion is really not good. They can cause some serious structural damage, and what’s worse, termite damage is not always covered by your home insurance policy. So you have to be extra vigilant when it comes to this sort of damage. The problem is termites are subterranean insects, meaning they live under the ground. That means that they may go undetected for long periods of time. Every year terminate causes damage to around the sun of $5 billion, and unfortunately, most homes are at risk of a termite invasion. Termites will definitely reduce the value of your home. So, let’s have a look at some ways you can see if you have a termite problem. If you do spot any of these signs, then you could contact exterminator now.

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Blistering or Hollow Wood

If you knock on some wood in your home and it sounds hollow or papery, you may have termites. If that wood is blistering too, that is another warning sign. Being subterranean, termites will eat away at your home’s woodwork from the inside out, and you may be left with just a mere thin tube of timber, or sometimes just the paint. Occasionally this hollowing will be accompanied by strange, unexplained cracks appearing on your internal walls. Wood may also warp due to this hollowing effect. This can make it hard to open windows and doors. No wooden feature is immune to termite attack, ceilings, beams, rafters, etc. They can even go for laminate floors and baseboards, meaning that your floors may sag, blister, and feel spongy.

Dry Mud Tubes

Dry Mud tubes can appear in the foundation or inside in your crawl space, and they are the most common indication that you have termites. Termites create these tubes with their own dropping and soil to travel from place to place while remaining hidden and in a moisture-rich place. You can easily see these tubes with the naked eye. Try and avoid creating a moisture-rich environment that attracts termites. 

Flying Termites or Swarmers 

If you see swarmers, then you have termites. They are termites with wings, and they generally emergy from their nests in big groups. Swarmers are termites that are getting ready to mate, and their next home could be your house. Depending on the species of termite, they will emerge at different times. Some are attracted to light, some will swarm in the day, and dry wood termites usually swarm after rainfall at specific times of the year. 

Discarded Wings

Instead of actually seeing termites, you may only notice discarded wings piled up. Swarmers generally shed their wings after they take flight.

Frass

Dry wood termites generally leave behind wood-colored droppings known as frass. Frass can look like sawdust. Dry wood termites don’t use their dropping to create tunnels; they expel it out of small holes which are located at the entrances to their nests. You may see what appears to be a dark powdery substance or small black marks littered around the areas that have decided to infest.  

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