Is It Termites? Three Major Signs.
The only way to know for sure whether or not your home is suffering from a termite infestation is to call in professionals. A thorough termite inspection from a reputable pest control company is the surest and safest way to protect your home, your belongings and your family from these invasive little critters, and if you're starting to get suspicious, it's never too soon to book a visit!
If you're wondering what the warning signs are, though, read on—here are three tell-tale hints that whatever's going on with your house, it's probably termites.
#1: Your wooden beams are failing the 'thumb test'.
Wood that has been eaten by invading termites has a pretty distinctive feel to it. It's brittle and hollow and quite flaky; it will feel lighter than it should if picked up and clearly lacks the structural integrity it once had. You can test this by firmly pressing the pad of your thumb into the surface of the wood. Healthy wood will feel solid and strong; termite-ridden wood will have more give to it, and you'll feel your thumb sinking in through the layers.
#2: You're starting to spot strange muddy or sandy tubes.
Termites are pretty good at figuring out where wood is in your home, but they can't always burrow straight through brick or concrete to get to it. When they can't go through, they go over—and they leave behind them a few pretty clear signs of their passage. These 'mud tubes' look like little tunnels or sandy casts and are pretty distinctive. They're often found on the foundations or in the basements of homes with termites, and in a particularly bad infestation, they may even be seen hanging from the ceiling in long, fragile rope-like formations.
#3:Your usually dry home is showing signs of damp.
A few of the tell-tale signs of termite infestation mimic those of seeping or rising damp. Termites can burrow through drywall to get to the wooden beams inside it, so they often leave it sagging or crumbling away. They can also leave paint peeling and flaking off in a way reminiscent of water damage or loosen tiles as they burrow. If your home is usually relatively dry but has started showing signs of dampness, bear termites in mind as one potential cause.
If you've spotted these signals, don't delay. Termite infestations don't get better on their own, and the longer they're left to develop the harder they become to eradicate. Book a termite inspection right away, and you'll have a termite treatment plan in place in no time.
Contact a professional to learn more about termite inspections.
