How Do I Know If I Have Termites In My House?

Of all the termites that can infest and damage homes, the subterranean termite is the most destructive. These little wood eaters cost property owners in the United States billions of dollars every year. They chew their way in and consume wood from the inside out. This character trait is what makes detecting termites so difficult. It's easy to detect flies. They buzz around and smack into your head. It is more difficult to detect cockroaches because they hide in nooks and crannies you have no interest in exploring. Termites live inside the wood of your home. That makes them the most difficult to detect. Here are a few ways you can detect them.

• Some species of subterranean termite can live entirely inside a manmade structure by using their own feces as a moistening agent for their nests. But most subterranean termites do not. They live in the soil near your foundation walls and build mud tubes on those walls. If you have subterranean termites, inspecting for mud tubes is a good first step. These tubes can also be found inside. Search in the back of your closets, on interior basement walls, in bathrooms and any wall voids to which you have access.
• If you have mulch around your perimeter, peel up some areas and look under. Termites love moist wood. If you have subterranean termites you will sometimes find them crawling around en masse under your mulch.
• Termites come in swarms, but those swarms don't last long. If you find transparent wings on your window sills, deck, walkways and other flat surfaces around your home, it is definitely time to call a pest controller.
• If you are fortunate to see termite swarmers you will recognize them by their black bodies and whitish wings that appear as one stack on their back.
• When you find wood damage on your fence or other objects made of wood, this is a warning sign that termites may be inside your home.
• Termites prefer moist and decaying wood. Check these areas first and inspect closely.
• You can sometimes hear termite activity when you put your ear to your wall. Termites sometimes communicate by smacking their heads against tunnel floors. This will sound like a clicking noise.

Be aware that termites can be extremely difficult to detect. Even a certified home inspector can miss this insect threat when evaluating a house. If you're wondering if you have termites in your Lexington Kentucky home, call Action Pest Control and get a certified professional to inspect. This is not an insect you can afford to miss.

Serving Indiana, Kentucky, Illinois, and surrounding states including Ohio, Tennessee, Michigan and Missouri, Action Pest Control offers effective termite control that not only takes care of foraging termites but the entire termite colony.