Early Warning Signs of Termites in Your Home

Published July 25th, 2022 by Rose Building Contractors, Inc.

Termites are incredibly sneaky pests. They eat through wooden surfaces and can make quite a huge mess for any property owner. In the US, they cost property owners over $5 billion annually, a considerable expense that can hopefully be avoided. If left uncontrolled, these pests will eat through all of your wooden materials in a matter of days, without you even noticing. When their mating season starts in the late summer, they search for a perfect spot for their nests and eggs. They will work day and night without sleep or pause. The only reasonable way of stopping them is to prevent them from establishing a colony in your home in the early stages. So how do you know if you have a termite infestation? This article will cover the early warning signs of termites in your home and what to do for termite repair.

Early warning signs of termites in your home are termite tubes

Termite tubes are one of the best and easiest signs of termite infestation you can find. Those tubes represent tunnels that termites produce so they can travel from their lair to a food source without hindrance. You can notice them as bumps on the wooden surfaces or by finding termite droppings that resemble fine wooden dust they leave behind. Since destroying the tunnels won't stop them from rebuilding and going at it again, the only solution is to find the source, which is their lair. Your best option is to call exterminators, so they can deal with this infection as soon as possible, without letting them spread further. If left unchecked, termites will damage and eat through every piece of wooden furniture.

Wood eaten by termites. Termite tubes are an early sign of termites in your home.

Winged termite swarms and collection of discarded wings as an early warning sign

Winged termite swarms represent an early warning sign that your home is infested with termites. They are also a warning that there is a mature termite colony nearby. Winged termites are produced when the current colony has reached its maximum capacity and needs to expand. Winged termites are bred for that single purpose, and encountering them means that you need to act fast and stop them from spreading. Experts at Master Moving Guide say that the only way to truly eliminate a termite infestation and get rid of winged termites is to destroy their nests and eggs. Another troubling sign that you are suffering from termite infestations is when you find a discarded set of wings. This is similar to finding the winged termite swarms, but it means they have fulfilled their purpose. This is potentially very dangerous since you don't know how many colonies there currently are. Acting fast is crucial in these situations.

Damage under paint is a sign you have termites in your home

If you encounter a small set of holes in the walls and ceiling, that means you probably have a termite infestation. Termites tend to dig through wooden surfaces and cardboard on your walls. Usually, they don't dig their tunnels through the layers of paint, but sometimes they can leave tiny holes for potential exits or entrances. This can be potentially disastrous for you. By looking at how far their tunnels have spread, you can determine the amount of damage they made. Look for:

Small pinholes where termites have eaten through
Bubbling paint
Peeling or discolored wallpaper
Buckling wood
Dented or sunken areas
Narrow, sunken winding lines.

As these are hard to spot, you may encounter many of them during home repairs and renovations. Needless to say, termites also influence the number of repairs needed and the money you'll have to spend.

Damaged paint on a wooden wall. Termites can tunnel under paint and wooden walls and can be hard to spot.

Termite repair in your home

Repairs after termites are costly and complicated. The cost can vary depending on how deep they have dug and how far they have spread. Needless to say, there is no guarantee that after the repairs, they won't come back again. Because of this, many people tend to do a total home renovation instead of repairs to ensure they have ridden their home of termites. Moreover, this can be even more expensive since you need to move out for the time being. It is in your best interest to acquire a storage service to store your belongings safely away from termites. It is also wise to discuss what is included, so you know what to expect from storage services. At the beginning of the storing process, remember to check your belongings thoroughly for any signs of termite infestation. This is very important so that you can stop them from spreading in safe and clean storage space.

Person painting wooden posts. Repairing after termites is hard and costly.

Other early warning signs of termites in your home

There are other early warning signs of termites in your home, and there are just a few things you can do to repair them. If you struggle to open your wooden doors and windows, it could signify that you have a termite infestation on your hands. Termites tend to find weak spots in windows and doors and tunnel through them, which makes them particularly hard to open. Therefore, you should pay special attention to any sticky windows and doors. Another sign, but not that common, is hearing noises through the walls. They often come as clicking noises. Termite soldiers are producing them as a warning to nearby workers. This only happens when those soldiers perceive some danger, but if they don't, you won't be able to hear a thing. Even when they do make clicking noises, you can only hear those sounds through a stethoscope.

Having a termite infestation is no trifling business. Termites are silent, relentless, and come in numbers. The amount of damage that they can do to your home is huge. If not adequately addressed, they can spread their colonies to nearby locations, making it that much harder to deal with them. Looking out for early warning signs of termites in your home can save you stress, pain, and money. Also, having to do termite repair is not easy or cheap. Many people suffering from those infestations instead opt for a whole home renovation to get rid of them for good. The only safe solution is to look for the early signs and call in the exterminators before they spread too far.

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