Spotting Termites in Your Home

Your home is your most valuable possession. Therefore, it is critical that you take good care of it and make sure that you are maintaining all of the main features such as your heating, electrical, and plumbing systems.Another area that you will want to maintain is the foundation. An insidious pest, known as the termite is known to cause significant damage to the wooden foundation and support beams of homes. Let's take a closer look at how you can do your due diligence by spotting signs of termites in your home.Since Alaska is the only state in the union that seems to not have occurrences of termites, the rest of us are not immune to having a termite issue in our home. The New England region is specifically known to have termites and thus homeowners should take precautions to examine their homes on a regular basis to ensure that they have not infested and begun to damage the structural component of your home.Thankfully there are several signs that will give you a clue that there may be a termite problem brewing on your property.

Mud Mounds, Tubes, or Tunnels

Termites especially the subterranean type, use mud mounds, tubes, or tunnels to travel between water sources and their food sources. These protective travel areas are a hallmark sign that your home may have termites.

Termite Droppings

Termites leave droppings in the form of pellets around the areas where they nest. They are often referred to as frass by the exterminator community. These tiny fecal mounds often indicate a nearby termite infestation.

Swarming Termites

Often, termites are described as looking like ants with wings. They swarm (meaning fly around,) when they are looking for mates or starting new colonies. You may notice termites flying around your home, either inside or out, and mistakenly think they are merely a flying ant.

Discarded Wings

If termites are swarming inside or outside of your home, you will probably find discarded wings caught in spider webs or possibly on the floor of your basement. These wings could mean that termites have taken up shop in your home.

Damaged Wood

If you happen to be in your basement and you notice sagging wood that sounds hollow when you tap on it, you may have damaged wood due to a termite infestation.Do you have any of these signs of a termite infestation? Drop us a line in the comments or comment on our Facebook page.