How Can You Tell If Your Home Has Termites?

Termites are a homeowner’s worst nightmare, and if they are not caught early, termites in a home can wreak havoc. In fact, termites cause about $5 billion in damage to buildings in the U.S. each year, and this damage is often not covered by insurance. Fortunately, if you know the signs of termites, you can recognize a termite infestation before it does too much damage. How can you tell if there is termite activity in your house?

If your door and window trims have become warped or disfigured, you may have a termite infestation. Over time caulking and paint around doors and windows will deteriorate and will allow for termites and water damage to infest your home. Termites will normally crawl into these seams left from deteriorating caulking and start eating the wood from the ends. Water will also creep into these small voids and soak into the unpainted ends of wood, which will cause dryrot and other issues to form. You might also notice crumbling baseboards or ceilings that sag and floors that squeak. Sometimes, these problems can be caused by wood rot or seasonal changes, but it is worth taking a closer look to determine whether the issue is termites.
Termites can leave pinholes in drywall and wood panelling. Sometimes, you might not even notice this under the paint or wallpaper until you start doing a repair or renovation. However, if your paint or wallpaper begins to look different, with pinholes, bubbling paint, peeling or discolored wallpaper, dented or sunken areas, or buckling wood panelling, you may have a termite infestation.
Sometimes, you will see the termites themselves. Each year, reproductive members of a termite colony, known as alates or swarmers, will go in search of a mate and a place to build a new colony. You might see these swarmers, or you might notice their discarded wings around your entryways or in your window sills. Sometimes, they are mistaken for flying ants, but you can identify termites by noting that they have two large pairs of pale colored wings, on straight bodies. Ants have pinched waists, and their wings are unevenly sized.
Mud tubes are a clear sign of termite infestation. Subterranean termites cannot tolerate exposure to the air, so they use mud tunnels to allow them to travel from the colony to their food source, often inside your home. If you see mud tubes that start from the ground and go up the sides of your home or foundation wall, you have probably found a termite infestation.
Termite droppings are often left behind by drywood termites. Known as “frass,” these droppings are often but not always wood-colored and look like wood dust or shavings. If your home is infested with subterranean termites, you will not see droppings.

Knowing these signs is important, but even more important is having an annual inspection by a professional termite company. At MightyMite Termite Services, we’ve earned a reputation as experts in California termite control. We perform termite inspections to ensure that your home is free of termites and work hard to help you keep it that way, using treatments that are naturally derived and have a low impact on the environment. We diagnose and treat infestations with the most effective methods and unmatched warranties, solving your termite problems the first time, with an industry best “no call-back rate.” That, combined with our experience, technology, and highly trained professional staff, makes us the leading extermination company in the Bay Area. We understand that your home is your most important investment, so we work hard to provide excellent service, utilizing best practices to solve our customers’ termite problems. For more information, email Info@mightymitetermite.com, call us today at 408.335.7053, or contact us through our website.