What Are the Signs of a Termite Infestation?
If your goal is to protect your home from the unthinkable so that you won’t face costly repair or replacement costs, don’t overlook the red flags of a termite infestation. When these pests get into your home, they can cause a lot of damage without warning, and you can’t afford to let them catch you off guard. Many people are shocked when they see how much trouble termites can cause, but you can avoid that situation when you arm yourself with the right information.
Discarded Wings
An overcrowded termite colony will send flying swarmers out to find a new place to infest, and you could end up on the wrong side of an invasion if you are not careful. The good news, however, is that you can spot discarded wings when swarmers are trying to take over your home. They usually shed their wings near common entry points, so you might want to look near your window seals and the bottom of your doors.
Shelter Tubes
Because they don’t like people to see them, termites will spend a lot of their time in your walls or underground, and you won’t even know they are near. On occasion, termites will need to leave the safety of their colony to search for additional food sources. Rather than exposing themselves to you and the elements, they will create shelter tubes from mud, and you can find the tubes on your home’s foundation and in your basement.
Sagging Walls and Floors
If you have missed the other signs of a termite infestation and the pests have spread, you will notice a serious problem. The termites that consume your wooden floors and walls will damage the structural integrity of your home if nothing stops them from doing so.
When that happens, your walls and floors will start to sag, and you won’t have much time at that point. You will already have a lot of problems to address, but you will still want to eliminate the pests before they inflict any more harm. While some people hope the issue will go away without intervention, they are making a mistake that will cost them a lot of money down the road.
Termite Control
Termites have been on earth far longer than humans have been and, chances are, they will still be here long after we are gone. They may be small – they are even smaller than average ants – but together in large groups they can cause major damage. Some experts estimate that they cause as much as five billion dollars in property damage in the United States each year. Termites wreak havoc because they survive by eating the cellulose found in dead plant material, and so they love chomping away at your home’s walls and support beams. If left unchecked, termite colonies can cause damage that is not just unsightly, but that is dangerous as well.
How to Identify a Termite Problem
Often, the destruction that termites are doing in your home is hidden, and you may not even know you have termites until something collapses. This is scary to think about, and is exactly why you should have a pest control specialist inspect your home regularly. If you see signs of termites such as bubbling wallpaper, buckling wood, or sagging floors and ceilings, you may already have an infestation.
Other signs are even more obvious. In the worst cases, homeowners may even be able to hear the sound of termites chewing inside their walls and this can be very unsettling. Maze-like patterns in wood furniture, walls, and floors can be another indicator, as can mid tubes running up and down interior or exterior walls. Termites build these tubes so they can travel from place to place without exposure to light or predators.
Sometimes termite damage looks like water damage, and if you do have water damage in your home, it can attract termites if you don’t have them already. Again, contact Alvin Pest Control so we can help you to identify your problem and help you to deal with it swiftly and effectively.
How to Deal with Termites
A termite infestation is not something that you as a homeowner can handle on your own. To completely eradicate the termites, and to keep them from coming back in the future, you simply must enlist help from a pest control company like Alvin Pest Control. We will use the Sentricon with Always Active Termite Bait System to eliminate the queen and the rest of the colony will collapse as a result. It will also deter new termites from entering your home in the future. Once the colony is destroyed, then you can begin replacing damaged wood in your home to ensure the safety of you and your family moving forward. Our pest control specialists will return to your home to ensure that the termites do not come back in the future.
At Alvin Pest Control, we are ready, willing and able to help you rid your home from termites once and for all. Please contact Alvin Pest Control today so we can help you solve this problem so you can go on with your life and so you can continue enjoying your pest free home.
Why There's No Such Thing as a "Small Termite Infestation"
Each year, millions of hopeful couples will take the leap of faith together, and the overwhelming majority will fail. Those few termites who succeed will be together for life, carve a kingdom for their children and grow old together. It would be inspiring if that couple wasn’t carving its kingdom out of the wooden supports that keep your family safe.
Colony Growth
A pair may begin with just a dozen or so workers and have a few hundred after a few years. That “small” infestation you discovered may even be a secondary or tertiary nest for a larger colony and will grow far faster. The queen will lay an egg every few seconds when she has the workers to care for them.
Wood Consumption
Large colonies may eat as much as a pound of wood a day; imagine a hunk of wood that weighs about as much as a pop can. But, even a young colony can begin working at the foundations of your home. Think of a chunk about half the size of a No. 2 pencil eraser disappearing from the same beam of wood every day.
Structural Damage
The same tiny colony that is eating chunks of wood from your home is also introducing moisture into the tunnels. As they carve, they introduce moisture to the wood that causes it to rot, weaken and fail. The wood is often far worse than what is observed on the surface, especially if termites have been eating away at it for days, months or years.
The truth is, the “small” infestation you observe is often the tip of the iceberg lurking in your walls.
Know the Enemy
Texas has two main types of termites that invade people’s homes – Formosan subterranean termites and Southeastern drywood termites. The former live underground and grow huge colonies, whereas the latter have smaller colonies but live inside wood tunnels they carve. Both species have the same caste structure of a queen, a king alates (princes and princesses), workers and soldiers.
The queen must die to end the colony.
Alvin Pest Control
If you suspect termites might be in your home and don’t want to take the risk, contact Alvin Pest Control as soon as possible. You will have access to trained and compassionate experts who care about your home and needs, and they won’t let you down. They will search for and destroy the termites that have been consuming your home, and you will smile when you see what they can do. Give us a call right away if you are ready to begin, and we look forward to hearing from you.