Termite Signs That Easy To Find Yourself

 

Sightings of termite swarmers (flying termites) or discarded wings are sure signs of an infestation. After consuming wood, dry wood termites often leave behind brown-coloured and grainy faecal mounds. These faeces are usually found beneath the infested wood. Ants and termites are considered a menace or nuisance to a home. The negative impact resulting from a termite problem is few folds more serious and damaging compared to an ants problem.

For home owners, here are some quick tips to spot if that is a termite or ants bothering you. When is a good time to have your home checked and inspected? For new home owners, it is wise to have the home inspected thoroughly before you move in. If you are an existing home owner, you can look for potential tell-tale signs or engaged in inspection technology. It is always advisable to prevent and protect your home before a major home disaster starts!

If your home is termite-free, you can opt for a home protection plan, by "planting" a protective barrier around the perimeter of your home. Alternatively, there are various safe, effective and responsive termite treatments you can consider.

Termite Signs That Easy To Find Yourself

Termite infestations are typically not detected until significant damage has occurred. They live in a dark, humid, and protected environment, making them difficult to locate - until it's too late.

Because termites eat their way through wood from the inside, detecting a termite infestation can be difficult, but there are some tell-tale signs that they are present.

Here are a few common termite signs you might notice (or hear) around your home or business:

What to search for

Mud tubes on a wall - Subterranean termites construct shelter tubes out of mud, dirt, and debris to allow them to travel to and from food sources while remaining unseen. These tubes are about the size of a coin and are typically found on the exterior and interior walls leading up to the building's entry points.

Termite swarmers (flying termites) and discarded wings - The presence of swarmers or alates is usually the first sign of an infestation noticed by property owners. The presence of discarded wings on windowsills and floors is another common indicator. While they may quickly vanish after finding a mating partner, the identical and disembodied wings are unmistakable signs of an indoor termite swarm.

Papery or hollow-sounding wood - Termites usually consume woods from the inside out, leaving a thin veneer of wood or paint behind. When you knock or tap on a termite-damaged area, it will sound hollow or papery because parts (or all) of the timber has been eaten away.

Tight-fitting door or difficult-to-open window - As termites consume wood, their excrement, or'mud,' creates a protective environment that traps heat and moisture. This causes the wood to swell, making it more difficult to open and close the infested windows and doors.

Tunnels in the woods - Also known as 'galleries,' these are difficult to spot from the outside.

Termite droppings - Dry wood termites frequently leave behind brown-colored and grainy faecal mounds after consuming wood. These faecal pellets are typically discovered beneath infested wood.

Have you noticed these signs?

Termites eat 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This means they are constantly consuming and destroying wood. Termites can weaken the wood in your home and cause more expensive damage if left untreated. View real-life examples of Indonesian homeowners who have had termites in their homes.

Is your home infested with termites or ants? Can you spot the distinction?

Termites and ants are both considered a threat or nuisance to a home. While there are some similarities between the two pests, the negative impact of a termite infestation is many times more serious and damaging than an ant infestation.

Here are some quick tips for determining whether you have a termite or ants in your home.

Creamy, white to dark brown or black in color, long, narrow, and oval in shape, with straight antennae, 6 legs, and wings of equal size. (Note: Ants' wings are not all the same size, they have a more red and black color scheme, and their antennae are elbowed.)

Termites consume wood and cellulose, whereas ants consume sweet food, dead insects, and proteins.

Termites are mostly found underground or within structural platforms (Danger: Hence, it is harder to spot and identify them, till the problem gets severe, comparing to ants, termites are less obvious and visible)

Have you noticed that in some properties or homes you've visited, mud tubes have formed on the walls or structures, or there is damaged wood or cracked walls, and in some cases, you may see "wings" along the window sills? In fact, there have been reports of structural incidents such as collapsed walls or ceilings, or unstable structural platforms in the premise, which endangers the health and safety of the home owners.

These are the negative consequences of a termite infestation on a property. This is due to the fact that termites feed on wood (or, in other words, your home) 24 hours a day, and their scissor-like jaw allows them to chew and bite off small fragments of wood one at a time! This also means that if preventive measures are not taken on time, your home will gradually deteriorate and collapse.

The big misconception is that termites are very small, only 0.4mm long, and thus safe to ignore. However, the consequences can be extremely damaging to a home. With over 350,000 termite members in a termite colony eating your home on a daily basis and the ability to reproduce, you can imagine the structural risks that can accumulate over time.

But the good news is that, with today's advanced standard of living and various introductions of innovation and technology, determining if your home has turned into a permanent lifetime meal is not that difficult. Termites, like what you've seen on crime scene inspection in TV shows, can be scanned and detected using microwave technology. Liquid crystals are intended to display signals or interrupt termite activity. This means we have complete visibility and transparency into the presence of termites in the home, as well as where they are resting!

But when is the best time to have your home checked and inspected? It is advisable for new home owners to have the home thoroughly inspected before moving in and beginning renovation and home décor activities. This will save you the trouble of moving your furniture around to have them inspected during midway, providing you with assurance and peace of mind about safety, and, more importantly, avoiding unnecessary and additional renovation, replacement, and disruption to your home and family in the future.

Consider your home to be the equivalent of your health. It is always advisable to conduct a home inspection to ensure that everything is in order before it is too late, and then only begin taking corrective actions to correct and address the condition and home damage.

If you already own a home, you can look for potential tell-tale signs or use inspection technology to determine the current condition of your home. There are two possibilities:

Scenario 1: If your home is termite-free, you can choose a home protection plan that involves "planting" a protective barrier against termite activity around the perimeter of your home. Alternatively, termite monitoring baits strategically placed around the home allow for routine-based monitoring for termite activity and termite activity control in a safe and environmentally friendly manner.

Tips: Always try to prevent and protect your home before a major home disaster occurs!

Scenario 2, the unfavorable outcome: If your home is infested with termites, there are several safe, effective, and responsive termite treatments to consider. Liquid termiticide is injected into the ground, and termites working through the soil and tunnel are exposed to the termiticide, which eventually spreads to the other termites, effectively and safely controlling the colony.

Prevention and protection are always preferable to cure. Are there any helpful hints that homeowners can use to avoid a termite infestation?

Repair any leaking faucets and pipes to reduce the moisture level that attracts these termites.

Remove any dead trees or stumps: these are ideal termite nesting sites.

Place no climbing plants or bushy gardens against the structure: this allows termites to enter undetected. Plant roots may also penetrate the foundations of the property.

Remove any tree branches, debris, cellulose materials, or dead leaves: termites find these to be an attractive food source and nesting site.

However, termites can potentially travel and spread sideways or upwards, especially in landed homes that are connected in a cluster or a row, and thus, while your home may be termite-free for now, or you may have done some diligent DIY tips, the neighbouring homes could potentially spread these termites to your property, and thus, it is important to build a protective barrier to keep your home safe from these disruptive and destroying pest.