How to Tell If You Have Termites in Your Home

Termites are very good at sneaking into homes. But, if you know where to look, it is possible to stop an infestation early before it gets worse. You don’t even need to be a qualified pest controller or have access to fancy equipment. You just have to check for warning signs in the right places.

Advantages of early termite detection

• Avoid having to repair costly termite-related damage
• Avoid emotional stress and heartache
• For property sellers, you preserve the resale value of your investment property
• For property buyers, you know what the exact condition of a potential property is before you buy
• Feel safe and comfortable in your home again

How to check for termites in your home

A visual inspection can help you tell if you have termites in your home. You can do this quickly, easily, and safely in the comfort of your home.

Keep in mind, a visual inspection may not entirely rule out the possibility of an infestation. This would require you to perform a deeper search into hard-to-reach spots like wall cavities, rooftops, and drainage pipes. Nonetheless, a visual inspection can help you decide if further investigation is needed.

For convenience sake, break up your inspection into two phases: outside and inside.

External area

You should first inspect the external areas of your home. This can include but is not limited to outdoor living areas, garden beds, fences, retaining walls, nearby trees, around the foundation, and timber decking. Be sure to inspect both the front yard and backyard including the side of the premise.

While you search outside, here’s how to tell if you have termites near your home:

• Mud tunnels: Also known as mud tubes, these are tunnels made of small pieces of soil and wood, which allow worker termites to travel to and from the nest in the safety of the ground soil. They can often be found on the exterior wall, especially where two wall junctions meet.
• Flying termite swarms: Depending on the time of day, you may be able to spot flying termites, or at the very least their discarded wings. These are male and female termites who have left the nest to find a mate and set up a new colony. After they find a mate, the flying termites will lose their wings and seek shelter to mate and start a new colony.
• Weak or hollow timber: Termites will often enter a piece of timber and then feed from the inside out. For this reason timber that has been devoured by termites will sound hollow when you knock on them. They may also crumble away the moment you touch them or apply any force. Be sure to search all timber products outside like decking, support beams, window sills, door frames, and furniture.

Once you have fully investigated the outdoor space, take note of any suspicious findings and head inside to continue the inspection.

Inside the house

Now it’s time to head inside. Make sure you inspect as much as you possibly can within your limits. This includes all the main living areas, bathrooms, kitchens, laundry rooms, hallways, storage rooms, and private study areas. You should also search the pantries, cupboards, and underneath the basins.

During your search inside, check for these signs of a termite infestation:

• Hard to open doors and windows: When termites feed on timber door frames and window sills, they produce a large amount of moisture and this causes the wood to warp. As a result doors and windows become harder to open.
• Weak or hollow timber: Just like outside, check every piece of timber to see if they are weak or produce a hollow sound when knocked. Common timber products to search include door frames, window sills, timber flooring, furniture, staircase hand rails, and cabinets.
• Termite droppings: Also known as frass, termite droppings are typically left behind by drywood termites. These droppings are easy to spot due to their dark, powdery appearance.

From there, you will have completed your search of both inside and outside the property.

When to hire the experts

If you discover one or more of the above mentioned symptoms, you may have an infestation in the works. To avoid potential damage, consider having a qualified pest controller inspect your home.

With their expertise and the latest termite detection technology, they can track down the exact source of the infestation – including the location of nests, entry points, and more – and propose a custom treatment plan to resolve the issue.

They can also implement defence measures to prevent the risk of an infestation and keep your home safe for the long term.

Book a termite inspection with All Bugs today. Simply call (07) 3324 0111 or send your online enquiry. One of our friendly staff will be happy to discuss your pest control needs and give you an honest fixed quote.