How can you tell if you have termites in your home or on your property? In Chicago termite season typically begins in the spring, when swarms of these wood-destroying insects emerge from their colonies in search of mates and new sites to establish nests. What are the termites signs in the home?
As a homeowner or landlord, you should be aware of early termite warning signals such as mud tubes and discarded swarmer wings. Recognizing a termite problem early on could save you thousands of dollars in repair and treatment expenditures.
In this article, we'll go through the most common early termite indications to look for in order to protect yourself from these devastating bugs.
How Can I Tell If I Have Termites?
Termites infest around 600,000 homes in the United States each year, costing homeowners and landlords approximately $5 billion in structural damage and termite control.
This implies that if you're unfortunate enough to be the victim of a termite infestation, you could wind up spending $8,333 on average to eradicate them and repair the damage they do.
So, how can you determine if your property has termites?
The Eastern subterranean termite is the most prevalent type of termite in Chicago and the Northeast. During the spring and summer months, these species are known to swarm. Subterranean termites are more difficult to detect than dry wood termites since they often reside underground (rather than inside wood). For the sake of this post, we'll concentrate on subterranean termites, however, some of the symptoms listed below also apply to dry wood termites, particularly termite droppings (frass).
Keep an eye out for the five warning indicators listed below to see if you have termites. We recommend arranging annual inspections to discover termite activity before it causes substantial damage to your house or property, in addition to remaining attentive. If you see wood destroying insects in your home then contact A-1 Pestmasters.
A soldier termite is the sort of termite that consumes wood. Here are five early warning indicators of a probable termite infestation:
· Window or door jams
· Paint or wallpaper damage
· Swarmers of termites and discarded wings
· Mud Tubes
· Termite excrement
5 Symptoms of Termite Infestation
1. Frozen Windows or Doors
Do you have a window or door that has recently become stuck or has become considerably more difficult to open or close? This is occasionally an early warning sign of a termite infestation.
Termites like to attack exposed and easily accessible timber, such as windows and door frames. As termites chew through the wood, the frames of your windows and doors may bend, making it difficult to open and close them properly.
Aside from stuck windows and doors, termite damage can cause other structural issues in your houses, such as disintegrating baseboards or drooping floors and ceilings.
Other sources of structural difficulties, such as wood rot or seasonal variations in humidity, should be investigated, so look for damaged wood with termites or tunnels containing dried dirt to discover if you indeed have termites.
2. Paint or wallpaper damage
While feasting on cardboard and wood paneling beneath the surface of your walls, termites develop tunnels (called termite galleries) and tiny pin holes (called exit holes).
They accomplish this sometimes without affecting the thin coat of paint or wallpaper on the surface, making this form of damage difficult to identify unless the paint or wallpaper is removed. As a result, termite damage is more likely to be discovered during home repairs and restorations.
Termites can also make an interesting appearance on painted or wallpapered surfaces. If you look closely, you can notice traces of termite damage beneath the surface, such as:
· Termites have chewed through little pinholes.
· Paint splatter
· Wallpaper that is peeling or faded
· Wood buckling
· Sunken or dented areas
· Sunken, narrow twisting lines
3. Termite Swarmers and Dropped Wings
Termite swarmers inside a house or building are an indication of an active termite infestation. Termites have castes that include workers, soldiers, and swarmers. Termite swarmers, also known as alates, are reproductive termite individuals.
They can be identified by their two pairs of huge pale-colored wings that are around 1/4 to 1/2 inches long. A swarmer removes its wings after leaving the colony and finding a mate.
In Chicago, termite swarmers are most likely to be seen flying around in the early spring, when they emerge to locate mates and form new colonies. Because swarmers are drawn to light, they tend to congregate near doors and windows. They also don't live very long indoors, thus dead swarmers or discarded wings may be found along windowsills and entryways.
Swarmers are frequently misidentified as flying ants. Termite swarmers have straighter bodies and two evenly sized pairs of wings, whereas flying ants have pinched waists and two unevenly sized pairs of wings.
4. Mud Tubes
Next, look for mud tubes on your land. Mud tubes resemble slender veins running over the side of your house. These tubes emerge from the earth and go to regions with exposed wood. Termites use mud tunnels to shelter themselves from air dryness. Subterranean termites, the most prevalent type of termite in Chicago, have very thin exoskeletons that dry out quickly. As a result, they require a humid atmosphere to survive. They may securely go from their colony to their food source thanks to mud tunnels. If you discover mud tubes, you can determine whether or not you have an active termite infestation by breaking off a portion of the mud tube and inspecting it for live termites. Even if you don't locate any right away, return later to see if the tube has been fixed.
Even if you don't detect any traces of living termites and the mud tube isn't fixed, you're not out of the woods. Termites may have relocated to another area of your home or property where they have easier access to a food source.
5. Termite Excrement
Another evidence of termite activity is termite droppings, sometimes known as "frass." To avoid buildup, termites eat down the wood, digest it, and push it out of the colony. Humans can only see frass from dry wood termites, which are mostly found in southern coastal states. Drywood termite frass is wood-colored and pellet-shaped, and it frequently resembles wood dust or shavings.
Subterranean termites, on the other hand, use their droppings to construct mud tunnels. A pest technician inspects a door frame for termite damage.
A1 Pest Masters: Eco-Friendly Termite Control
To achieve successful outcomes, termite treatments should be carefully given by licensed professionals. As one of the leading termite control experts in Chicago, A-1 has over 35 years of experience.
Termite warning indicators should not be ignored because these pests are capable of causing major and costly damage to your house. Termite colonies take 3 to 5 years to grow, which implies that termite damage can mount over time.
We strongly advise arranging annual inspections to detect and cure infestations as early as possible. Read more about Does termites have wings. A-1 Pest masters have certified termite and home inspection company. You can contact them at (312) 647-2630.
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