How do You Tell If You have Termites? Infestation Signs to Look for

Termites are the most frequently occurring and destructive pests. They are often found in every second home of Brisbane and Melbourne because of the warmer temperature that suits them for infestations. Termites are often termed as silent destroyers and are known for their dangerous capabilities of damaging the structures of buildings and homes involving timber in construction. People living across Melbourne, specifically, and Australia in general, are mostly worried about these pests disturbing their peace. They can steal your peace of mind and cost you thousands of dollars in repair bills. That’s why knowing how to tell if you have termites in your place is necessary to deal with them on time before the damage becomes irreversible.

How do You Tell If You have a Termite Infestation?

You can simply examine the wooden items like furniture and floorboards, etc, to see the physical deterioration like peeling of paint or bubbling to ensure the presence of termites. Furthermore, you can consult the signs of termite infestations mentioned below to conduct a comprehensive inspection of your place.

Remember, it is not necessary that you will find all the listed signs while checking. You should go for termite treatment upon finding a single sign of termites attacking your valuable wooden items.

Pro Tip: Always go for professional pest control whenever you find the activity of killer pests like termites in your apartment or restaurant for better prevention.

Signs of Termite Infestations in Homes and Businesses

Here are some of the most commonly available signs of termites attacking the foundations of your home or eating the dining table from the inside.

1. Mud Tubes:

Subterranean termites prefer to live inside tunnels and eat up the foundations of buildings rich in moisture due to direct contact with the soil. They build tubes of mud around the walls or foundation of the function venues to travel between the source of food and their colony.

Never disturb the mud tubes upon finding because doing so can give them a chance to build new colonies somewhere else and scatter. Always call professional pest controllers for extermination and long-term prevention from future infestations.

2. Discarded Wings:

Flying termites, like alates or swarmers, usually shed their wings after building a new colony or mating with the queen for population growth. They often shed their wings around the windowsills or door openings, a clear sign of a new termite colony in process around your home. 

You can also find them around the fluorescent light sources because they get attracted to light very easily. 

3. Frass or Termite Droppings:

Termites’ droppings or frass look like sawdust and dry pellets, easily visible to the naked eye. Drywood termites that live deep inside the timber usually drop frass while pushing out from the small holes developed as an in/out point around their nests. These termites can also eat up the firewood stored in your warehouse or backyard.

4. Sticky Windows or Doors:

After a consistent termite attack on the same window or door of your cafe or cottage, it will become stiff or sticky, needing more force to close. A clear bump in the structure at a certain point is a sign of wood warping due to termites, making it difficult to open or close, even by adults.

5. Bubbling or Peeling Paint:

If the termites have reached inside the painted kitchen racks, drawers of side tables, garden chairs, and tables, etc. Then, it is evident that the paint gets bubbled or peeled off from the infestation point. It is the easiest sign to check for termites attacking your wooden items, including the structure of the brewhouses and distilleries.

6. Unusual Sounds:

Termites can chew through wood or other cellulose-rich items like insulation, paper, cardboard, dead plant cells, etc. And makes clicking or tapping sounds while chewing through anything, and makes signals to other termites for building a new colony. Whenever you hear such sounds, straightaway search for how to kill termites effectively before the damage becomes irreversible.

7. Visible Tunnels:

Making tunnels or galleries on the surface of the wooden items under their attack is another common thing to tell if you have termites or not. These tunnels are clearly visible on the timber and sometimes are just under the surface of the wood in contact with soil, like a sofa or a garden couch.

8. Sagging Wood or Tiles:

How to tell if you have termites is the easiest thing to answer because whenever you feel sagging wood or tiles of the floor upon walking or running. It is an indication of termites eating up some skirtings of your home. People often observe this while casually jumping towards their bathroom or kitchen because it happens in these areas mostly.

How to Check Your Home for Termite Infestations?

To detect termites presence in your home, you need to conduct a comprehensive inspection session all around the place. Simply make a list of the indicators as mentioned above, discussing how to find out if you have termites and examining each one by one. 

Don’t forget to place a cross against the signs not present, and only go for dedicated termite treatment methods to ensure 100% success. It is recommended to go for professional pest control inspections, not to let any infestation go unnoticed and incur hefty repair costs.

What Makes Aussie Homes Vulnerable to Termites?

The moderate and warm temperature of Australia gives termites ideal conditions to build new colonies and infest wooden items. For example, during spring and summer, flying termites alates or swarmers take flight to new places and nurture infestation colonies by reproducing.

Warm and humid conditions, specifically of Melbourne’s leafy eastern suburbs, like Ringwood and Glen Waverley, provide ideal moisture to termites. In case you live in Melbourne, you must go for professional termite control services to get rid of these property destroying pests and enjoy long-term prevention from reinfestations. 

What are the Damages Caused by Termites?

Termites don’t just casually chew away through the foundations or timber items of your home. Even though they are smaller in size, they cause serious damage to your properties and valuable items. Some of the most common damages are mentioned below.

• Compromises the structural integrity of walls, floors, roofs, and foundations by eating them from the inside.
• Damages skirting boards, ceilings, and window frames to the extent that they resist opening or closing.
• Cause fire hazards by chewing on the electrical wires or insulation in your roof.
• Creates costly damages that are not covered by insurance and can make you broke. 

Conclusion

It is not a really difficult task to know how to tell if you have termites in your home or not. Simply follow the signs or steps mentioned above and complete your termite presence hunting process peacefully without calling anyone for your help. 

Upon getting sure about the presence of termites in your home and restaurant. Don’t wait a minute anymore and go for termite treatment or prevention methods to safeguard the structural integrity of your building and valuable items.