Termites are silent invaders that can significantly damage your home before you can detect their presence. These pests can secretly cause structural deterioration, which makes them among the most relentless pests that homeowners can encounter. Thankfully, residential pest control experts can protect your home against termites and the damage they cause.
How Quickly Can Termites Damage Your House?
Termites like to eat. Once they find anything made of wood, they will feast on it. Some subterranean termite species can have up to 60, 000 population once they reach maturity. In one day, they can eat up a fifth of 1 oz of wood. In six months, they could consume 1 foot of a 2×4 pine board. Once these termites reach 300, 000 workers, it takes just one year for them to finish 1 cubic foot of wood. If a colony has 2 million workers, your home can suffer significant damage in just a few months. In fact, total destruction might happen in just 1-2 years.
Termites can rapidly inflict damage to your home. But termite infestations can have varying progresses. Sometimes, you don’t notice the signs of a termite infestation right away. In this case, termites can eat away at your home’s structures for years, resulting in significant damage that may require expensive repairs.
Signs of Termite Infestations
To fight termite damage successfully, their presence must be detected as early as possible. The longer these pests go unnoticed and untreated, the greater and more extensive the damage they inflict. Below are signs of their presence:
- Hallow-sounding wood. Wooden structures and furniture can sound hollow when tapped if termites have eaten away at their insides.
- Discarded wings. Termites tend to swarm to build new colonies. They shed wings following the swarming process. If you can find discarded wings near light fixtures, doors, and windows, this might mean there is a termite colony nearby.
- Mud tubes. These are built to protect termites as they travel from their nest to a source of food. Seeing these tubes along the foundation or walls could indicate a termite infestation.
Keeping Termites Out
It’s important to detect a termite infestation early to reduce damage and possible repair costs. As a homeowner, you must inspect your property regularly, particularly wooden structures, to find signs of an infestation. Also, you must understand how quickly you can lose your home to termites. Contact a pest control company right away once you find signs of an infestation.
