Why You Cannot Ignore Termite Warning Signs

Termites are responsible for billions of dollars worth of damage every year in the United States alone. Ignoring termite warning signs would be a big mistake and could end up costing you a lot of money in wood damages, including structural damages that could cause your home to become unstable.

The problem is that a termite infestation may not create instant or noticeable problems in the beginning, but the long-term effects can be completely devastating. Just one colony can devour a foot long two by four in less than four months unnoticed, just imagine what multiple colonies can do to your home.

It’s important to know that termites eat wood and can be very helpful in getting rid of old rotten dead trees that have fallen outdoors. It’s another thing when they come inside your home and start chewing away at the inside of your floors, ceilings, walls, and structural beams. Once the damage has been done you still may not realize that you have termites. Properly trained and experienced pest control technicians can be extremely helpful.

In the meantime be alert for the following signs of termite activity in your home:

• Peeling paint that looks like water damage
• Drooping discolored walls
• Hollow sounding wood
• Pinholes in drywall
• Laminate or wood floorboards that are buckling
•  Lose floor tiles
• Squeaky floorboards
• Damaged wood
• Windows and doors that stick
• Wood floors, walls, and furniture with mazed patterns
• Small piles of termite feces that resemble tiny piles of salt and pepper
• Insect wings in piles left behind that resemble fish scales
• Mud tubes around the foundation of your home

As far as prevention tips go, your best bet is to seal off all entry points to your home in the foundation and exterior walls. You should also make sure that you keep moisture away from and out of your home. Of course, you should inspect structural beams regularly, but to be on the safe side you should enlist the help of a professional pest control company to eradicate current infestations and prevent any problems in the future. DIY methods can be messy, dangerous, time-consuming, and fall short of eliminating entire colonies and satellite colonies. Don’t let the “silent destroyers” get their teeth into your wood and cause you huge amounts of your hard earned money in repairs. Get help ASAP by contacting A-1 Pest Control for effective termite control solutions. 

Serving Lenoir, Hickory, Mooresville, and Blowing Rock as well as communities throughout western North Carolina and portions of the Piedmont region, our team of termite control experts are ready to help you protect your home or business from these destructive pests.