3 Signs of Termite Infestation That You May Have Missed
Do you suspect that your home might have an infestation of termites? Has it been a long time since you had a professional out to place anti-termite measures around your property? While termites might not be a problem in some areas of the country, there are definitely portions of the US where termites are a very big concern. If you live in one of these termite-inhabited areas, it's important to be vigilant regarding possible infestations so as to avoid expensive damage. Some of the biggest signs that you're overdue for professional pest control services include:
Bits of sawdust: Too much light will kill a termite so you will rarely, if ever, actually find one just wandering around out in the open. What you will see are small bits of otherwise unexplainable sawdust around places like on windowsills and near doorframes. This "sawdust" may be termite droppings, otherwise known as frass, or it may be leftovers from termites chewing through the wood in your home. A professional exterminator can look at this debris and tell you whether it came from termites or from some other type of pest. You must also be especially vigilant outside since wind can easily blow away this type of evidence, leaving you with nothing.
Warping or hard-to-close doors: An active termite nest can put off a lot of moisture and humidity while in the process of destroying your walls. Although they might go straight for a door frame and cause it to crumble, you shouldn't wait for this to happen before calling an exterminator. Instead, you need to be aware of doors that suddenly refuse to open and close properly. The humidity given off by the termite nest can cause nearby wood to start to warp, making it difficult to open and close any doors that happen to be nearby.
Structures on exterior walls: Again, termites are extremely sensitive to light and will do whatever they can to protect themselves. One of the most obvious signs that you need to call an exterminator as soon as possible is if you see what looks like thin branches or tubes of mud going up a wall, especially an exterior wall. A termite colony will build these types of tubes when, for instance, it is currently living in the ground and needs to get past a brick wall to find tasty wood to chew on in your home. If you see these structures, you need to immediately call in professional help before the colony causes any more damage
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