How Will I Know If My Home Is Infested With Termites?

Termites can do rapid and serious damage to any home. The trick to preserving your most valuable asset lies in early diagnosis. While many newer homes are constructed with termite-resistant features, many older homes are not. So if you enjoy beautiful older homes with a lot of history and character, you’ll need to be on the look-out for the following signs of termite infestations.

Termite Damage

Termites can be found in your window frames, foundation, and door frames without you even noticing. Just about any piece of wood they find will become food. Worse still, the worker termites can chew up your wood 24 hours a day, seven days a week. They never sleep. It’s estimated that termites cause $5 billion worth of damage each year. 

Instead of looking for the termites themselves, homeowners are forced to look for signs that they were there. Catching them early ensures that the damage done to your home is kept to a minimum.

Signs Of Termite Damage

Luckily, termites leave the same kinds of signs everywhere making them fairly recognizable. Some of these include:

• Headbanging – No, not the kind of headbanging you’ll find a Megadeth concert. Soldier termites will make noises (using their heads) to signal to the other termites that danger is afoot. Additionally, the worker termites who spend all day chewing up your wood are fairly noisy themselves. If you listen closely enough, you will be able to actually hear them destroying your home.

Incidentally, if you play loud and fast rock music, the termites will actually begin working faster. A study showed how termites keep the beat to the music and work that much harder. If you’re afraid you have a serious termite problem, it might be time to pull out Barry Manilow. 

• Flying termites – The only termites that can fly are the reproductive termites. Termites are divided into three castes with one queen. You have your workers, your soldiers, and your reproductive termites. Once you start seeing reproductive termites flying around, you have a problem. These are the guys who establish new colonies. That means that the colony inside your home is doing so well, it’s about to give birth to another colony.

Scientists have discovered all-female termite colonies in Japan. These termites reproduce asexually making tiny genetic copies of their mother. 

• Timber is flaky, papery, and hollow – Termites will consume wood from the inside on out.
• Hard-to-open windows and doors that stick when you try to close them – Some of the signs of a termite infestation can mimic the effects of humidity. Termites create moisture when they’re eating and this results in the warping of wood fixtures.
• Tunnels in broken wood – If a piece of wood falls of a termite-ridden home, you’ll be able to see tiny tunnels through which the termites burrow.
• Floor damage – Termites can damage both laminate flooring and hardwood. The also like skirting boards. If you begin to see blistering there, it may be time to call in the exterminator.
• Wall damage – You may notice cracks in your walls that weren’t there before. The termites extract the cellulose from the wood weakening the overall structural integrity.

I’ve Seen The Signs! Now What?

Termites are incredibly destructive and notoriously difficult to get rid of. However, the skilled pest technicians at Amco Ranger have decades of experience dealing with these critters. Our technicians will take a look at the current infestation and provide the means to prevent future ones. 

If termites are a major concern given your home, you can sign up for our prevention plan. This will ensure that you’re not one of the thousands of Americans each year who is contributing to the $5 billion that is spent annually to repair the damage done by termites.

Call Amco Ranger Today

You can get rid of termites in Missouri. At Amco Ranger, we provide various degrees of protection against these destructive critters. This includes making recommendations on the best way to protect your property before there is a serious termite infestation. Give us a call or talk to us online to set up your free inspection today.