With their nasty habit of feasting on wood, termites are one of a homeowner’s worst nightmares. Termites can destroy wooden buildings and structures in no time flat. The worst part is that they usually go undetected for years, slowly destroying a building from the inside out. This being true, it’s important to keep a close watch for signs of termite infestation in order to catch this problem before it becomes severe. There are several warning signs that homeowners can look for to detect termite activity in its early stages.
The first thing homeowners need to watch for are termite tubes along the foundation of a building. These tubes run from the ground to the wooden structures of a home. Subterranean termites build their colonies underground, but have to expand outside their colony to gather food. These mud tubes are what they use to get from the ground, over a foundation and into the wood of a house. For this reason, it’s important to routinely check basements, crawl spaces and wooden structures such as steps and doors which sit in a concrete or earthen floor.
Another sign is the appearance of earthy material on wood in a house; when termites create channels in the wood they infest and it rots away, they attempt to patch it with dirt or other substances which give the appearance of mud on the wood.
A third warning sign of an infestation is the appearance of wings in or around a home. When termites swarm to build new colonies they fly around and shed their wings. The discovery of wings in a house or near any wooden structure is almost always a sure indication that an infestation has begun, even if there are no other outward signs.
Lastly, and perhaps most obviously, keep an eye out for any type of substance that looks like sawdust gathering in little piles inside the house, as this is a fairly sure sign that Drywood termites are present. Drywood termites live inside the wood they infest. They literally move into your home. But they have to kick out the waste as they excavate their tunnels. These little piles of dust appear below kick holes termites have dug to the surface of the wood and used to get rid of waste.