It’s a good thing that beavers are not common house pests. It’s hard to imagine how much damage even a single beaver could do to the wood of a home! Luckily, we only have to worry about smaller wood-damaging pests like termites. In no way are we saying that termites are a good pest! In many ways, termites are worse than beavers. You would notice a beaver eating your home and would get rid of it quickly. But termites can eat away at a home, unnoticed, for years, causing extensive damage.
What Are Termites?
Termites are cream-colored social insects that live inside colonies consisting of castes. In these castes, there are reproductives, soldiers, workers, and swarmers, each having their own unique jobs. Overall, the job of the colony is to gather cellulose (wood) for their queen so that she can reproduce and send swarmers to start new colonies.
Signs Of A Termite Infestation
When termites eat their way into homes, it can be hard to know they are there. Unlike other pests, termites almost never come out in sunlight or even at night, so spotting them is virtually impossible. What you can spot, however, are signs that they are around. Here are some things we suggest you look for.
Pencil-sized mud tubes running up your home’s exterior foundation.
Galleys chewed out of wood
Hollow-sounding wood
Frass (termite droppings and wood shavings pushed out of termite kickout holes)
Hard-to-open windows and tight-fitting doors
Bowing walls and dipping floors
Bubbling wallpaper and paint
What Types Of Wood Is Attractive To Termites
The most common termite here in Lewisville, the subterranean termite, prefers damp, rotting, water-damaged wood. This wood is softer than sound wood and it is easier for them to chew through and digest. The wood of a home is affected this way when water is allowed to pool around it or soil is directly touching it. The best thing you can do to stop this is by installing barriers between your home's wood and the soil around it and by making sure no leaks or broken gutters are negatively affecting the wood of your home.
How Difficult Is It To Treat For Termites?
Because of how elusive termites are, using DIY treatments to eliminate termite infestations can be difficult to impossible. And without the proper knowledge, training, and equipment, you will never know if what you are doing is actually working. When dealing with termites, the best solution is to invest in a professional termite control program.
For the most effective solution to your termite problems, call the professionals here at DANCAN, the Pest Control Experts. We would be happy to send one of our qualified technicians to inspect your home for termites. If termites are found, they will walk you through your options for treatment. Whatever your pest need is, we have the best answer!