Warning Signs You Have Termites in Your Home

Termites are among of the most destructive of household pests because of their ability to cause real damage to your home. These wood-eating insects can go undetected in your home for months until the evidence of their existence becomes visible. By that time, the termites would have caused significant damage to parts of your home that are mostly hidden from view.

Any home is vulnerable to termites. Drywood termites can burrow their way into the wood of your home’s structure, creating mazes of channels and tunnels that can eventually weaken furniture, floors, and timbers within walls. Subterranean termites emerge from underground colonies to invade your home through cracks and gaps in foundations.

Termites are responsible for an estimated $5 billion in damage to homes and buildings each year, so it is important to watch for the warning signs of these voracious pests. An expert in termite pest control in Atlanta, GA, can do the necessary prevention, mitigation and extermination to keep the damage in your home to a minimum.

The Swarm

Small piles of wings around window sills, corners, and other surfaces of your home is a sure sign of termites. They typically leave the nest in swarms during the spring or fall to start new colonies. The termites shed their wigs soon after.

Mud Tubes

The dirt tubes you may observe around your house is a transportation system for subterranean termite colonies outside your home. Subterranean termites use these tubes to reach the wood in your home. The tubes also protect the colony from predators. If you see these tubes, you’ll know that termites are near and may have already infested your home.

Termite Waste

A colony of termites can consume up to a pound of wood a day, and often leave behind mounds of fecal droppings called frass. This is typically a sign of a drywood termite infestation; the pests push their fecal matter from holes chewed out near entrances to the nest. The frass often resembles a small black-and-white powdery substance that you want to point out to a specialist in home pest inspection in Atlanta, GA.

Tight Fits

Warped doors and hard-to-close widows may be caused by hot and damp conditions, but it’s also another warning sign that there are termites in your home. Termites produce moisture as they eat their way through door and window frames, causing the wood to warp and making the doors and windows tough to open.

Act Fast

The damage that termites can cause is not limited to furniture, floors, and walls. These pests can put the future value of your home at risk. Home inspection specialists in Atlanta, GA, are trained to identify signs of a termite problem that can drive down a home’s resale value.

The best response to these warning signs is to call a professional exterminator specializing in termite pest control in Atlanta, GA, as soon as you notice them The termite specialist will develop for you the most effective and, in many cases, most environmentally responsible solution to eradicate these pests and save you potentially thousands of dollars in damage repair. Give the professionals at Inspect All Atlanta today to set up an inspection.