Signs of Termites - Termite Inspection

    

Anyone is at risk of being invaded with termites in their home. Being aware of the early signs of termites may save your home from extensive damage. The first alert is the presence of flying termites and season. Keep an eye out for loose wings on the ground, bathtubs, vents and sinks. You may notice sawdust from the areas where termites are building tunnels; or holes in the exposed wood. Keep in mind that termites work in the dark and are very hard to spot.

Mud tubes are pieces of earth and wood stuck together with a glue-like secretion.
They are the termite's highways. The worker termites build these to avoid exposure to the light and for protection from ants. The shelter tubes vary in size and length. They are generally about 1/4 inch in diameter and can be several feet long.

 

Mud tubes or shelter tubes are usually found hanging from a joist or clinging to a
foundation.

Mud tubes act as protective connections between the underground colony and your house, the food source. If the colony is active, they'll be built back up again

 

 

 

This picture shows a house with major termite damage. The termite shelter tubes hanging from the joists (freestanding). Note the circled area, where the termites are building tubes up from the ground to reach the hanging tunnel. 

 

 

 

This is a hardwood beam in the garage.

Notice how they eat the wood in layers.

They eat the "soft" grain of wood that grows in the springtime. 

Termites will eat just about any kind of wood, hard or soft, and most wood byproducts and other cellulose materials.

 

 

 

 

Wherever they have eaten wood the "soil" that they carry in their bodies for building "tunnels" will be left behind in the wood.

 

 

 

Dark or blistered area in your wood flooring that can be easily scratched with a kitchen knife is another sign termites. If you knock on the wood, you'll hear an answering tapping that means the termite soldiers are alerting the others to danger by banging their heads on the walls.