7 Signs You Have a Termite Infestation

Termites are one of the major banes of a homeowner’s existence. It’s easy to miss the early indicators of a termite infestation, allowing them to eat away, damaging your house from the inside out. Since termites cause an estimated $5 billion in damage every year, detecting a termite infestation as early as possible is crucial.

How Can I Tell If I Have A Termite Problem?

Wood damage isn’t usually obvious at first. There are a few other signs of termite infestations that you should keep your eye out for…

The signs of a termite infestation include:

1. Shed termite wings
2. Swarming termites
3. Mud tubes
4. Frass (which are droppings that look like wood pellets)
5. Wood damage
6. Hollow sounding wood
7. Bubbling paint

Bubbled paint and wood that sounds hollow when tapped tend to be later-stage infestation signs. Mud tubes and frass can be easily missed by the average homeowner. Swarmers and discarded wings typically happen in spring – though summer is also possible if a colony has become very large. That’s why a yearly termite prevention inspection is the best way to protect your home and catch an infestation as early as possible.

What Are the Signs of Termite Damage?

If you don’t have a yearly termite inspection and missed the early warning signs of an infestation, you might not realize your house has termites until you find actual damage. If you notice any of these types of damage in your home… book a termite inspection right away because the longer you wait, the more expensive the damage will be!

• Tiny holes in drywall, like pinpoints
• Sagging or discolored drywall
• Peeling paint
• Loose tiles
• Bulging wood or laminate floors
• Wood that’s crumbling or damaged
• Loudly squeaking floorboards
• Sagging, stuck, or hard to shut windows or doors
• Spots or strips of dried mud on sheetrock, paneling, or walls
• Sunken areas or lines in paint, wallpaper, etc.
• Dried mud that seems to be sprouting from the ceiling or walls
• Mud tubes on foam insulation
• Wood damage found when remodeling or removing wallpaper
• Ceiling cracks
• Signs of mazes in wood

Much – if not all – of that damage can have other causes as well. That’s why a termite inspection is essential.

How Long Can Termites Go Undetected?

Because of their size and how they operate, it’s all too easy for termites to go undetected for a long time. How long? A termite infestation could be going on for years or even decades!

How Quickly Do Termites Spread?

How fast termites spread depends upon the size of the colony – the larger the colony, the more quickly and widely they spread. To give you a more concrete sense of what this means… a termite queen can lay up to 30,000 eggs in a day.

A mature termite colony can eat as much as 11 pounds of wood a month. This is why it’s essential to act quickly if you’ve found termites and why a yearly termite inspection is advised.

Do Termites Eat Wallpaper?

While known for eating wood, termites will eat anything made of cellulose. That means that while proper wood is the primary food source for termites… they will also eat items such as wallpaper, cardboard, books, drywall, and even wood furniture.

Call Fox Pest Control For Termite Treatment

A yearly inspection is the best way to protect your home from termites. If you suspect that you may have a termite problem, contact us at Fox Pest Control. Catching an infestation early could save you thousands of dollars in potential damage to your home. To schedule a free termite inspection, contact us today.