Termites: What Signs To Look Out For

If you live in the Nashville, Brentwood or elsewhere in the Middle Tennessee area, you are probably all too familiar with the problems that termites can cause when they get into man-made structures. They can eat away at the inside of a home or business for years and years, silently, without being detected. In fact, termites are responsible for billions of dollars in costs for United States property owners each and every year. And they don't slow down too much when the weather turns cooler, at least not here in Tennessee.

Don't let termites eat away at your home for years and end up costing you a bundle in repairs or, worse, render your structure unlivable. Here are signs to look out for that termites have invaded your space.

• Termite swarmers. These swarmers don't travel far and don't last long. If you see one, it is likely that you have a mature termite nest on your property, or worse, inside your walls. You may see these winged termites under mulch, under a wood pile, and in a crawl space, or you may see them coming out of a hole in a structure.
• Termite swarmer wings. If you missed the swarm, because they only appear for around ½ an hour a couple of times a year, you may detect the shed wings that they leave behind. These are transparent wings that may be found on foundations, decks, or window sills.
• Mud tubes. Subterranean termites live in the soil and eat away at wooden structures without exposing themselves to the elements because they will die if they are dried out. Because of this, they need to build mud tubes to get from the soil to the wood of your home. These tubes can be found on foundations, basement walls, behind shrubs, and in other places. If you find a mud tube, break off a piece. If that piece is rebuilt in a few days, then you have an active infestation.
• Wood siding damage. If you have wood on your home that is touching the soil, and it is in a shaded, moist area, you may see chewed areas near the soil.
• Stud damage. In outbuildings, you may see long channels inside wood that will eventually make strong wood brittle.
• Mazes inside walls. If you are doing a construction project and you rip out a wall, you'll know if termites have been in there. The wood will be porous and filled with troughs and channels. And, if you have a current infestation in that spot, you will see the insects themselves. They look a little like a mass of wiggling maggots, only termites have six legs and scurry around.
• Ceiling, floor, and wall warping. If termites are allowed to stay long enough, you will begin to notice floors and ceilings start to sag and walls start to warp as the structure of your home weakens.
• Door and windows that don't work properly. Extensive termite activity can cause doors and windows to stick, or to not open and close easily.

If you are seeing any of these signs, or you just want to rest easy knowing that you don't have termites, reach out to All-American Pest Control. We offer industry-leading termite control solutions to protect Middle Tennessee homes and businesses from these pests and the resulting termite damage.