Termites can really cause some serious damage to a structure. While they are constantly eating the wooden beams and frame of a home, the queen termite cranks out thousands of eggs a day. Termites are relatively quiet and stay hidden deep within your walls, floor, or ceiling so you may not know they are there for months or even years. To minimize the damage, you want to catch any termite problem early. To be able to identify an infestation, you have to know what the top 3 signs are that tell you that you have a termite problem.
1. Look for piles of wood pellets on the floor
As termites munch away at your home, they produce large piles of excrement that resemble sawdust. These piles are called frass and you may look for them underneath windows, below wall hangings, or directly beneath light fixtures. As the termite tunnels become full of chewed up and biologically processed cellulose, the termites make little holes in your walls and ceiling to push the frass out of their home and into your’s.
2. Evidence outside
Termites have to get inside your home first before they can start wreaking havoc. They will often leave evidence of their entry outside your home. Look for mud tunnels on the foundation. Termites do not come out into the open air so they create mud tunnels that allow them to get close to your home so they can find a way inside.
You may also find shed wings from swarmer termites outside of your windows. When a swarmer termite lands, they will shed the wings as they start hunting for a way to get inside your home to begin a new colony.
3. Swarmers pouring out of the walls
In the spring, a termite colony will produce swarmer termites who will fly off in search of more homes to destroy with new termite infestations. The swarmers will spill out of a hole in the wall into the interior of your house. If you are home during the swarm, you will definitely be aware of the termites covering your floor and walls. Be sure to locate exactly where the termites are coming from so you can tell your trusted exterminator when they arrive. Likely, the swarm will be over by the time the exterminator is able to come to your home.
Call a professional termite exterminator
If you see any of these three signs of a termite infestation, call your termite exterminator as soon as possible. You do not want a termite colony living in your home a minute longer than they have to. If you are in Upland, CA, give our trusted team at Bug Baron Exterminator a call today.