Termites are the most nightmarish pests to home and building owners due to their disastrous and insatiable hunger for wooden materials. Their presence is unbelievably damaging that they bring about billions in property damages every year! Termites like to move in swarms from place to place to found new colonies. Believe it or not, a termite colony is capable of consuming a pound of wood a day!
Termites can be pretty difficult to spot somehow, as they can be hiding within wooden materials. Subterranean termites, the most common termite species, love to chew wood from inside out and you won’t be able to see their handiwork until the massive damage has risen to the surface. To protect your home against damage by termites, it is important to learn and look for the signs that can tell whether you have termite infestation in your property.
(i) Identification of termite wings
Termites have straight and beaded antennae on their heads, and these flying white ants have 2 sets of wings that are almost the same size. Termites often shed wings, and, if you find these discarded wings, be prepared to enlist the help of a termite control specialist in no time. Termites live in humid environment and you can easily look for their wings in damp areas.
(ii) Termite shelter tubes
Termites are fragile insects. Whenever they are not inside the wood or under the soil, they build tubes as safe passageways and tunnels which are dark brown in color and made of cellulose and mud in order to protect themselves; they also use these tubes for foraging of food. If you find such tubes, say, on the walls or around water pipes, make sure that they are fresh ones and not some past, old trails. To distinguish them, remove a small section of a tube and wait for a few days to see if there is any termite coming to repair the broken gap of the tube; this is the only way to prove whether you have an existing termite problem at hand.
(iii) Termite cement
Check to see if there are any cracks or fissures that are filled with unnatural wizened mud in your house, because these holes were sealed up by termites with the purpose of reducing airflow and maintaining the humidity inside the cracks.
(iv) Damaged wood
Tap on a wall or wooden structure to hear and feel if it’s hollow inside. If it is, that means the inside of the wall or wooden structure had already been chewed up by termites, thus confirming their presence. Through visual inspection, the affected wall or wooden structure will appear striated or ridged.
Having termite problem? Contact AntiPest today at 03-8023 1888 for a free and non-obligatory inspection of your premises.
References: http://home.howstuffworks.com/home-improvement/household-hints-tips/insect-control/how-to-tell-if-you-have-termites1.htm http://killtermitesguide.com/9-signs-of-termites/ https://www.whatsthatbug.com/2016/05/30/evidence-termite-swarm/ (Image source)