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I’m going to be honest with you: there was a time, not long ago, when I had no idea what a termite actually looked like. In fact, there are many things I’ve learned about termites in the time since. For instance, did you know termites never sleep? They are always working around-the-clock, eating wood 24/7. Did you also know termites can sprout wings? It’s true. “Swarming” termites grow wings when they set up a new nest, then discard them immediately afterward.
Another thing I’ve learned: it’s very difficult to spot a termite infestation on your own.
Knowing What to Look For
One of the main problems with performing your own home inspection is the fact you won’t recognize the signs of termites. These little insects don’t like to be out in the open, preferring to stay hidden within your walls and the lumber inside those walls. Therefore, you often have to rely on circumstantial evidence of their presence instead of actually spotting a group of termites.
Here are some of the warning signs of termites:
- Piles of discarded wings: Remember that swarming we just talked about? Well, once the termites are done swarming, they’ll usually discard their wings in a large pile. If you come across one of these mounds of wings, there’s a termite nest nearby.
- Mud tubes: Here’s a rather gross fact I’ve picked up – termites use mud tubes to travel safely from the work site to the nest (like their own personal subway system), but mud isn’t the only ingredient of these tubes. Termites will use a combination of soil and wood fragments to construct the tube, and then seal it all up with saliva and anal secretions. Yuck.
- Hollow wood: If you suspect termites might already be in the home, you can check pieces of wood by knocking on them with your fist. If the wood sounds hollow, termites may have already gotten inside and begun to consume it.
