5 Early Warning Signs of Termites

Termites cause billions of dollars worth of property damage in the United States each year, and property damage caused by termites is rarely covered by homeowners insurance. An active termite infestation poses an ongoing threat to properties, emphasizing the need for vigilance. The best way to protect your home from termites is prevention, but the next best way is early detection. Below, we’ll point out some early warning signs of termites, so you can identify termite infestation signs and treat a termite problem before too much damage is done.

Why It’s Important to Know the Early Warning Signs of Termites

Termites can go from virtually undetectable to a well-established colony if you aren’t prepared to intervene as soon as possible. Even though termites are small, they do leave behind tell-tale clues that they’ve set their sights on your home. Most pest control professionals recommend an annual termite inspection for this very reason, but it’s also helpful to be aware of what could indicate a termite problem so you know when to make that call if something seems amiss.

Signs of termites include the termites themselves and mud tubes or round tunnels chewed through wood. Subterranean termites are particularly notorious for building mud tubes as a means to travel and are responsible for a significant amount of damage to residential homes due to their underground nesting habits.

Once a termite colony has taken up residence near your home, it’s only a matter of time before termite swarmers take flight and land on your home. Drywood termites are known to nest directly inside wood, making their presence less obvious until significant damage has occurred. When a termite colony reaches a certain size, the winged swarmers will take flight to find a new food source and shelter in which to start a new colony. Swarmers don’t typically travel very far from the original colony, so if there is a growing colony on your property, your house might be their next target.

 These flying insects are tiny — and can be difficult to discern from flying ants — but they travel in large, easy-to-spot termite swarms. Swarmers are most active in the spring, but they can strike at any time. If you don’t have an active termite colony in your house, swarmers will likely be the first to arrive.

If you see a cloud of tiny flying insects or piles of termite wings on window sills, near door frames, or around your home, it might be time to consult a professional. Discarded termite wings can often be found in spider webs, on surfaces around the home’s foundation, or near other entry points, serving as an early warning sign of termite activity. It may take a couple of years for their new colony to reach maturity, but your home will already be severely damaged by then.

If you see mud tubes along the side of your house’s foundation, call a pest control technician for a termite inspection immediately. They’re a sure sign termites have already found your house and invested their energy into infrastructure so they can visit it again and again — eating a little bit more each time.

Mud tubes are not limited to the side of your house, however — they can be built just about anywhere. Termites can build these mud tunnels behind drywall, or even spanning the space between a house’s subfloor and its dirt basement or crawl space floor. These “drop tubes” are built like stalactites and allow termites to travel directly from their underground colony up into your home.

Because this waste is collected and dropped out of a small hole regularly, you might find small piles of what looks like sawdust or coffee grounds around your property — especially inside of structures where the pellets aren’t disturbed by wind and rain. Discovering these termite droppings is a common sign of termite infestations, highlighting the need for vigilance in detecting and addressing these hidden threats.

Don’t wait until you know there are termites in your home to take action. Take stock of conditions in and around your property and do what you can to protect yourself and your home. Termites eat various types of wood, especially favoring damp, rotting, or untreated wood, which provides them with both nourishment and moisture.

Termites prefer moist and rotten wood as it’s easier to chew through and can provide the colony with water. Similarly, they are attracted to homes with moist basements or plumbing leaks. Termites will typically begin to swarm in the spring, when their population is more active and growing. They love wooded areas and properties with large wooden structures — houses, barns, sheds, etc.

While favorable conditions alone don’t necessarily require a call to your local pest control professionals, if your property meets these criteria, it’s best to be diligent with regular inspections.