5 Early Warning Signs of Termites in Your Home

I'm a termite specialist with Terminix, and if you clicked on this video, you may be wondering if you've got termites. I'll show you what signs to look out for and what you can do right now to keep termites from feasting on your house.

Sign number one, wood damage. It's typically really hard to see with the naked eye because it's happening inside the wood. So, here's an easy test anyone can do to see if they may have termites. Take a pencil and go along your window frame. If it's solid, that's great. If anywhere is soft or the pencil goes in easily, that's a pretty good sign that you may have termites.

Another big sign is mud tubes. Mud tubes are little, pencil-sized tubes that you may see around your foundation, and that's a pretty clear-cut sign that you've got termites.

The next sign of termites — wings. If you're finding piles of wings around your doors or windows, those come from swarmers. Those are the termites that fly, and they're looking to start a new colony in or around your house.

The next sign of termites is one that tricks a lot of people. Bubbling paint. If you look and you see some kind of paint bubbling, you'll usually think something like moisture damage or a leak behind the wall. But if you press on it and it's hollow, that's probably termites. In this case, it presses in and you can see that there are holes that look like tunnels. And you can see just a little bit of frass along the inside here.

Then there's frass. It's a fine, wood-colored dust that looks a little bit like sawdust. It's not. It's termite poop. We know that this is a pretty clear sign of termite damage because we're seeing both the frass and that hollowed-out wood.

Termites cause about $5 billion of damage every year. And most homeowners don't even realize they have termites until the damage is already done. A single termite colony can eat several pounds of wood in just a few weeks. Termites eat anything that's cellulose, which can be wood, but can also be things like furniture, your grandfather's antique clock, even things like books, papers, or even your money.

Not all termites attack your home in the same way. If you want to stop termites, you've got to know which kind you're dealing with. Subterranean termites live underground and really rely on moisture to survive. There are Formosan subterranean termites. These are the heavy hitters. These are the guys that are coming for you. What takes other types of termites a couple of years to get through in terms of wood damage, Formosans can do in a couple of months. Formosans are mostly located in the Gulf Coast area. Eastern subterranean termites, on the other hand, cover most of the United States. Eastern subs across the states are still a huge problem because their colonies can be established for a lot longer and cause just as much damage over time.

Let's talk about drywood termites. Drywoods, they'll swarm, fly, land, and then once they've found the wood that they need, those drywood termites do not need any extra moisture. They get everything they need from that wood that they're eating. And yes, you can have drywoods in your attic and subterraneans in your basement at the same time.

Now, some people think they can handle their termite problem on their own. And I get it. I'm a DIYer, too. But this is the time that you need professional help. Most of those DIY products aren't going to kill the entire colony. They might be able to take out the termites that you can see right in front of you, but that colony could be up to a football field away, where they're continuing to lay eggs, and those termites are going to come back and keep eating your house. Your DIY solution may be cheaper, but in reality, it may be costing you because every day that you're not getting professional help, that colony and that infestation may be growing and causing more and more damage.

Think you might have termites? Here's what to do next. You call Terminix. We come out and do a thorough inspection. We're looking at your attics, your crawl spaces, your basements, all of it. We'll make sure, if you have a termite infestation, that we take care of you. Once we know where the termites are, we'll bring in the treatment. For subterranean termites, there are two main ways of treating them. Bait stations are essentially little stations that we put around your home. The termites will come in, feed on that bait, take it back to their colony, and slowly over time, that bait will knock out that entire colony, leaving your home safe and protected.

Liquid, on the other hand, is essentially a barrier treatment put around your home that keeps termites out. For drywoods, depending on the size of the infestation, you may need to tent and fumigate your home to reach those termites where they live.

Another thing we'll do when we come out for an inspection, we'll take a look for things that could possibly cause an infestation in the future. Conducive conditions, moisture problems, and wood-to-ground contact. Every home is different, which is why we build you a custom plan and execute it. And if the termites come back, so do we. That's our guarantee. Because protecting your biggest investment isn't just about stopping damage, it's about giving you peace of mind.

If you've got questions about your specific situation or you want to schedule your free inspection, go to terminix.com or give us a call. There's more information in the description.