Termites slowly and quite silently eat away the foundations of your home without you realizing it and then it is too late to make any corrections. It is therefore so important to know all about termites – how their breeding takes place and what encourages their growth to stop termite infestation at the right time – before it weakens the foundations.
One of the easiest ways to know whether there are any termites at home or not is to keep a lookout for the common signs of termites that these wood-eating insects usually exhibit. Unlike their habit of quietly making a structure hollow from the inside, signs of termite infestation are quite obvious and clear. However, you can only spot them if you know about them. That is why we are sharing these top signs of termite infestation with you so that you quickly know if there are any termites in your house or not.
So let’s go hunting for signs of termite infestation!
Top Warning Signs You Might have Termites at Home
Early detection can help in effectively dealing with this problem. We will first share the list of signs of termite infestation and then explain in detail below:
- Flying wings
- Clicking sounds
- Scurrying white ants
- Hard-to-open windows
- Tunnels in wood
- Termite droppings
- Hollow sounding furniture
Let us now go through each of these signs in detail.
Flying wings
Drywood termites usually swarm after the rainy season. Male and female termites called swarmers leave their nest to find a mate and establish a new colony. Once they find their mate, they lose their wings. If you spot any discarded wings near your abode, it is quite likely that your house is infested with termites. Some species swarm at night and therefore you can’t really spot them unless you see the discarded wings.
Clicking sounds
As you know a termite colony consists of soldier workers and a pair of king and queen who can live up to ten years. These wood-eating insects make quite a noise when munching away the timber. Soldier termites bang their heads against the wood producing clicking sounds. So, if you press your ears against any infested piece of wood, you will hear the busy sounds of termites eating and banging their heads.
Scurrying white ants
Have you ever seen weird white ants scurrying near a wooden door or a piece of log out in the garden? If yes, then it is a clear sign of termites infesting your home. The physical appearance of a termite is quite similar to an ant, but they are light in colour. They even look translucent at times. A clear distinction between a house ant and a wood-eating termite is its colour. Appearance-wise ants and termites are quite similar, but termites are translucent and therefore can be easily spotted.
Hard-to-open windows
After a rainy spell, the moisture in the windows and doors can cause it to warp and it becomes to open and shut them. If that is the case it is one of those dreaded signs of termite infestation in your home. Because of dampness and extra moisture, wood becomes a breeding ground for termites. So, keep a look out for tight-fitting doors and difficult-to-open windows.
Tunnels in wood
Mud tubes are another major giveaway of a termite problem. Usually termites make a tunnel also known as galleries. These mud tubes usually rise from the ground above and clearly shows that the piece of wood is infested with termites. If you have a garden with big old trees then do watch them closely. The tree trunk usually has termite mud tubes tunneling their way up. Use organic homemade pesticides to keep termites and other insects at bay.
Termite droppings
Frass or termite droppings are termites’ feces. If you find crumb-like or powdery dark substance near wooden furniture, doors or windows, it is an indication of the presence of these pests. Drywood termites have a habit of leaving their excreted feces outside their nest so if you find a pile of powdery substance near any wooden structure or furniture then that means termites have found their way in your home.
Hollow sounding furniture
Have you ever knocked a piece of furniture and heard a hollow sound? If that is the case then it is quite likely that your house has termites. Termites have a habit of eating the insides of furniture or a wooden structure. If you knock or tap on an area that has termites, you will hear a hollow sound as the insides of the piece of furniture are already consumed by termites.
So, these were some of the best ways to identify termites at home. Make sure you also follow these tips to kill termites at home. If you are planning to build your own house and want to have a rough budget outline, then do check out our comprehensive blogs on construction cost of a 5 marla, 10 marla and 1 kanal house. Stay tuned to the best real estate blog in Pakistan. Write to us at blog@zameen.com and we will surely get back to you. Subscribe to the Zameen Newsletter appearing on the right hand side of the page.
