In the United States each year, termites infect about 600,000 homes, leading to an average of $3,000 in repair for each home.
If you can’t afford costly repairs due to termite damage, it pays to know how to spot the signs of termites early so you can catch it before it gets too bad.
This article is here to help.
Keep reading to learn how to tell if you have termites so you can save yourself a headache (and money!) down the road.
Table of Contents
Quiet Clicking Noises
If you’re sitting around your home and hear an unidentifiable noise, it could be a sign of termites in your home.
Termites tend to be noisy eaters, so if you put your ear close to wood you might hear them snacking away on your home.
They’re also smart pests that can detect a threat to their colony. If they sense danger, soldier termites will bang their heads against the wood as a warning to the other termites.
To humans, that headbanging sounds like a quiet clicking noise within the walls.
Physical Evidence
If you’re the squeamish type, beware that termites often leave behind physical evidence of their presence in your home.
You might notice small piles of discarded wings around your house, which happens when swarmer termites shed their wings before finding a new nesting site within your walls.
Termites also leave behind droppings after consuming wood, which is a clear sign that you have an infestation. The droppings are usually wood colored and are often near a small hole in your wall that serves as an entry point for the colony.
If you notice any of these physical signs of termites, call a pest company like Fast Action Pest Control immediately.
Tight Doors and Windows
Have you noticed that it’s a little harder to open and close doors or windows in your home? If so, it could be a sign of a termite infestation.
As termites eat their way through your home, they produce moisture. That excess moisture left behind on your doors and windows eventually causes the wood to warp.
As a result, you’ll notice your doors and windows sticking more than usual.
Hollow Sounds
You probably don’t often go around your home knocking around on the walls. But, if you suspect that you might have termites, you should give it a try.
As termites consume the wood in your home, they leave behind hollow tunnels. When you knock on the walls, if it sounds hollow, it’s indicative of a termite colony.
Since it’s hard to tell how bad the damage is from that alone, proceed with caution, as there could be significant and dangerous damage to your house.
Now You Know How to Tell if You Have Termites
Now that you’ve read this post and know how to tell if you have termites, you can help prevent damage to your home by keeping an eye out for trouble.
The sooner you discover termites, the less likely you are to have significant structural damage.
Looking for other ways to keep your home in great shape? Read through our other articles before you go!
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