Your house has a lot of wood in it. There's wood in the skeleton of your home as well as in your doors, window frames, and many other places. All that wood is useful and may be attractive, but it also puts your house at risk for certain pests like termites. They like to live in and eat wood, so if they can get to the wood in your house, they will. That's why you must know the signs that you may have termites. Knowing the signs means that you can call the exterminators as soon as you think you have termites and get them under control. So, what are some signs that you may have termites?
Mud Tubes
One of the signs that you may have termites in your house is that you have mud tubes on the sides of your home. These tubes are from subterranean termites. They don't like to be above ground, so they create tubes to be over the surface but not exposed to it. Those tubes will run up the sides of your house where the termites are getting into your home.
Frass
Frass is insect droppings. Termites don't like droppings in their nests, so they will push them out of holes. The frass will fall into little piles under the holes that look like sawdust mixed with salt and pepper. If you aren't sure that the pile is frass, what you can do is wipe it up and then check the area the next day. If it is termites, there will be more frass in that spot. It may be hard to see after only one day, but you could also put down a piece of white paper in the area. The droppings will fall on the paper and be more visible.
Doors Acting Strangely
If your doors suddenly swing shut instead of staying open or you have a tough time closing them, that can also be a sign that you have termites. As they eat away at the wood, they affect its structural integrity. The wood in your door may have been affected, but it is just as likely that a severe infestation has started to affect how level your house is.
If you think you have termites, you need to call an exterminator as soon as possible. They can treat your house and then put some preventative measures to keep the termites from returning. For more information on termite control, contact a professional near you.
Share21 March 2023
Do you spend your spring and summer months battling the pests that enter your home? There are many ways to prevent the intrusion of ants, roaches, flies, mosquitoes, mice and other pests in your home. I own several rental properties that I have to be sure do not get infested with all sorts of pests and have learned a lot about preventing the intrusion to begin with. You can learn from my personal experiences and keep the pests from ever becoming a serious issue in your home. With a few minor changes to the home and working with a skilled pest control agent, your home can be pest-free forever!
