You might come home one day and find swarms of termites flying around the exterior and even the interior of your home. This may be the worst case scenario, but there are a few other signs that you may have an infestation in its earlier stages. Swarms are typically the first sign that you have a problem. You may also notice excrement around wood in or around your home. Mud tubes, which are hollow tunnels that allow these insects to travel between their nest and food source are another sign that you have an infestation. You can tell you may have mud tubes present in your home by examining the wood in your home. You can normally tell if the wood is hollow or not by taping it with a metal screwdriver. So what exactly should you do to get rid of these insects?

There are a number of things that you can do to prevent an infestation before it occurs. You can seal and caulk windows and any gaps or cracks that may be around your home. Gaps around pipes, windows, doors, and other areas make it easy for these insects to get inside your property and spread. Termites are drawn to damp, moist areas, so keeping your property as dry as you can help deter them from invading. Keeping loose wood off your property is also a good way to prevent them from attacking.

Check for Drywood Termites

Drywood termites are a major pest issue in the United States. They cause millions of dollars of damage each year and often their handiwork is invisible until it is too late. Learning where to find them, how to identify them and how to get rid of them is very helpful to minimize the potential damage from these wood chomping pests.

It depends a bit on where you live. These may be a possible hazard in colder climates and in other areas they are very likely to be an issue. Warmer climates and areas within four hours of the coastlines are heavy infestation areas. All of the US states that border Mexico are likely to have them. But be aware that any wooden items that come from these areas are likely to have drywood termites as well.

These are not subterranean or formosan termites. The differences between the two are numerous so it is important to know what kind of termite you have in order to properly treat. Drywood termites do not require moisture, have no connection to the soil, swarm at night instead of day and do not build mud tubes. These wood eating monsters often feed on structures like homes and buildings as well as wood furniture and do insane amounts of damage each year.

The obvious sign of drywood termites are the little piles of what looks like sawdust that start to accumulate outside of where they are nesting. This ‘sawdust’ is actually fecal pellets. Yes, termite poop that represents the remnants of whatever they are eating and destroying. These pellets are exceptionally consistent – 6 sided, small, oblong bullets that have been pushed out of the nest. With this in mind, anytime you see an unexplained pile of sawdust, beware.

Check for Termite Tubes

You may be wondering what termite tubes are? They are created by the subterranean type of termite pest and serve the purpose of shelter from the above ground environment. This protection often takes the form of a tube and can measure anywhere from 1/8 to 1 inch wide in places with the longest being several yards in length. This article will focus on termite tubes and related information.

What to Look For

As stated above since these tubes serve as a way for subterranean termite types to exist in environments other than what they are accustom to they can be located just about anywhere above the ground. On the outside of your house you can see such tubes going across the foundation of your house leading inside. Or maybe coming up from the soil and again going inside.

In the inside of your house you may see these tubes coming up from the floor or going down from the ceiling. Keep in mind that the sole purpose is to allow them to get access to wood.

In nature you may come across what appears to be mud covered branches or twigs. In reality what has occurred is that the termites have completely covered the wood so that they can eat in comfort. Keep in mind that termite’s natural function is converting dead wood fibers back into dirt.

Whenever you see termite tubes you can almost always be assured that they are nearby working away at eating up some source of wood that they have found. If you notice these tubes near your house or some structure that you would like to protect then it is high time you contact a professional termite exterminator straight away. Most of the time by identifying a termite tube in or leading into your house you have also identified an infestation problem. 

Contact Alliance Pest Services to solve your termite pest control problems.