Termites do not just infest people’s homes. They will take residence in any property regardless of its purpose. They are drawn to the cellulose materials in them, so the natural fibres, paper and wood to feed on. They also take those materials back to their nest to feed the thousands or even millions in their colony. You should look out for signs of termites in the house because more than just being a pain or nuisance pest, this bug can actually cause a great deal of damage. This is not just the superficial kind, it can impact upon the structure itself and then there are a danger for really badly impacted properties of how long they will remain standing. Rather than having to spend thousands of dollars on repairs, you could invest in professional extermination help.
Stop stressing about what to do and start acting
Having an understanding of the signs of termites can mean you are able to act a lot more quickly and prevent serious damage from happening. By acting sooner you save yourself the worry and stress and the fact is if you know you have them, ignoring them does not make them stop or go away. With the discovery of early signs of termites, you can respond more appropriately. Termites create underground tunnels about the width of a pen to move around the structure, eating the cellulose they find along their many tracks. They can be in the walls, the floors, the ceilings, crawl space, even in the furniture! They are quite happy to travel for a good meal and cover a lot larger distance than you might think in order to reach food and take it back to the best. And what’s worst — some termites can fly!
So what signs of termites in the house should you be aware of?
Here are a few tips on spotting the signs that termites have become a problem on your property.
- Since termites prefer the environment to be more on the moist side with a consistent temperature this means one of the places they are going to build their nests is in the soil on the garden between the bedrock and the frost line.
- To hunt for food termites will build mud tubes so they can travel over and around to get to it. They build these tubes using chewed up cellulose, saliva and mud. These tubes also protect them from predators like ants and stop them from drying out. You can spot these mud structures coming to the surface in your lawn and garden beds and might also see free-standing ones. Mud tubes are a big sign!
- Look for signs of termites around small holes and cracks leading into structures around windows and doors. The mud tubes are likely going to point towards these access points. Inside the property the two spaces to check out closely are the crawlspace and the basement, so grab some old clothes to put on and a torch. Look for termite poo, it will be various shades of browns depending on the type of wood they are eating from the property. They look like grains of sawdust or sand.
- Another thing to look for inside is damaged timber. If you find baseboards, wall studs, beams that are breaking easily and hollow, then these are classic signs of termites, Australia. You might notice that along the grain it looks like a honeycomb as they eat and it might be packed with mud.
- Of course, a big clue that you a termite problem is spotting live termites! They do not like the light so you would see them scurry away if you let in the sunlight or shine the torch on them. They are light in colour, have soft bodies and about 10mm long.
Conclusion
When you think you have signs of termites in your home you should take steps to deal with them straight away. While there are options you can try to remove them yourself, the best way to get them all out and feel 100% confident none were missed, is to call in a professional pest removal service. They also offer advice on prevention options. When you notice the signs of these termites, do not hesitate to call a termite control expert!