Gaining insight into the elements that give rise to termite infestations is key when pondering how they make their way into your home. Termites are notorious for causing extensive damage to wooden structures and can lead to costly repairs if not detected early.
In this post, we’ll explore the various types of termite species and their preferred environments, as well as warning signs of activity and tips on how to prevent infestations.
So let’s dive in and learn more about how you get termites in your house.
How Do You Get Termites in Your House
Termites are a nightmare for Texas homeowners, as these insects can cause significant financial losses due to the damage they inflict on homes and their structures. Below are the most common types of termites in the U.S. and how each one makes its way into your home.
Subterranean Termites:
These termites travel through a network of underground tunnels and require moist environments for survival. They often build mud tubes near or beneath houses using soil and bits of wood.
These pencil-thin tubes allow them access inside your home by exploiting cracks in the foundation or gaps around pipes. Subterranean termites are the most destructive type of termite and can cause severe structural damage if left untreated. Some signs of a subterranean termite infestation are:
- Swarming near lights, windows, or doors, especially in spring.
- Discarded termite wings that look like fish scales.
- Mud tubes on or near the foundation, floor joists, sill plates or support piers.
Drywood Termites:
Different from subterranean termites, drywood termites don’t need moist tunnels because they obtain moisture directly from the wood they consume. Instead of crawling through tunnels, these pests fly onto wooden structures such as door frames or roofing cracks.
Drywood termite infestations may also occur when you bring infested furniture or other wooden items into your house without checking for signs of these insects first. Drywood termites can live inside wood for years without being detected and can cause extensive damage to furniture, walls, and ceilings.
Some signs of a drywood termite infestation are:
- Termite droppings or frass that look like small wood-colored pellets.
- Hollow-sounding or blistered wood when tapped.
- Small holes in wood where termites have entered or exited.
Warning Signs of Termite Infestations
Wood and paper are the main food sources for termites, which means they can cause serious and lasting damage to your house if they invade it. You need to be able to spot the typical signs of termite infestations to prevent your McKinney property from suffering major losses.
- Hollow places in the wood
- Mud tubes
- Musty odors
- Fragments of wood on floors or windowsills
- Swarms inside/outside the house
- Droppings (frass)
- Tiny wings near doors and windows
- Damage to paint or wallpaper
- Buckling or sagging floors
How to Get Rid Of Termites
Discovering indications of termites means that you likely have them in your home. It’s important that you seek professional termite control ASAP. Without a professional inspection and treatment, it’s nearly impossible to eliminate them on your own. There are several methods termite control companies will use, including:
Bait Treatments
This method involves placing bait stations with poison in the ground around a structure that is infested with termites. The termites eat the bait and take the poison back to their colonies. The poison can then eradicate the whole infestation. A baiting system is relatively gentle on the environment compared to other treatment methods. They’re also tamper proof so pets and children can’t get into them.
Chemical Treatments
This technique involves applying termite poison around the foundation of a house, killing any existing termites and preventing any future ones from entering.
Fumigation Treatments
This treatment involves covering the house with a tent and filling it with gasses that kill almost everything inside, including termites. Fumigation is one of the most costly termite control options and does not offer any protection from future termite invasions.
Heat Treatments
This eco-friendly method does not use any gas or chemicals to treat your house. Instead, the technician heats the home until the internal wood core reaches 130 degrees and keeps it there for 8+ hours. This kills termites in all stages as well as bed bugs, ants, cockroaches, and most other insects in your home.
Call Licensed Termite Experts
Contacting a pest control company like Stampede Pest Control to help you get rid of an infestation as soon as possible can place you firmly in control and reduce the damage to your property. At Stampede, our termite technicians are licensed and insured. They’re experts at identifying, eliminating, and preventing future termite colonies. Reach out to us today to schedule an inspection.