“Out of sight, out of mind” does not always work when it comes to termites.
In fact, it’s the last thing you want to think about when termites are involved. They can stay concealed behind walls, under floors and inside wooden structures while causing damage. One day, you come across frass piled up near the windowsill and a few weeks later, that wooden door may start feeling hollow. That small crack in the paint might seem harmless at first until it starts revealing the real culprit behind the damage. The silent slayers: termites!
In this blog, we’ll walk you through the subtle warning signs termites leave behind when they’re active. These signs should never, ever be taken lightly. Let’s get into it.
How Termites Damage Your Home
Every year, termites cause over $500 million in structural damage in Florida. And this damage can show up in doors, cupboards, wooden attics, roofs and even pavement, among other places. In Florida, we cannot completely get rid of termites. It’s almost impossible to make them disappear entirely – our warm and humid climate creates the perfect conditions for termites to build colonies and keep coming back.
Homeowners might not be able to overcome the silent shackles of termite damage, but they certainly can stay cautious and take precautions. This is exactly why staying alert and looking for termite signs is so important. If you catch a termite infestation before it reaches the damage point, you have a much better chance of dealing with it early – without putting a big dent in your wallet, your home or your peace of mind.
7 Warning Signs You May Have Termites in Your Florida Home
Unlike other pests, termite damage won’t give you a big, hefty call. They appear in almost silent ways, so nonchalantly that you might move past them. But the saying “Out of sight, out of mind” doesn’t always work when it comes to termites. Here, we have enlisted 7 7 Warning Signs You May Have Termites in Your Florida Home, let’s have a look at them:
1. Mud Tubes
Mud tubes are long, pencil-shaped, moist soil tubes that appear on foundations, walls and cracks when termite activity is happening. Inside these mud tubes, subterranean termites travel from one place to another, build colonies, transfer food and multiply in days.
Subterranean termites rely on moisture. They cannot survive in direct sunlight and unable to function in open sight. Hence, they construct these mud tubes and take shelter in them. They are so resilient that even if you clean up the mud tubes from the outside and clear the area, termites might come back and build the same tubes all over again. It is indeed imperative to never take mud tubes lightly. Whenever you see them around your home, get a termite inspection and treatment right away.
2. Discarded Wings – Swarmers
Swarmers appear after mud tubes. When a termite colony inside the mud tubes becomes fully mature, it produces swarmers. Swarmers are sent out by the colony to find mates and establish new colonies nearby. So whenever you see swarmers gathering around lights, window sills, or doors – know that there must be an active termite colony nearby.
Also, shed swarmer wings are very common to see when termites have been active. They shed their wings after mating. In Florida, swarming season starts in late winter and continues into summer, but it can happen anytime because of our warm and humid weather conditions.
3. Termite Droppings
It is very important to never take the droppings of any pest lightly especially when it comes to termites. Termite droppings are of two types:
- Frass from drywood termites
- Waste inside mud tubes from subterranean termites
Drywood termites are the ones that make spotting their droppings a little easier for you. They leave frass around their colonies usually not very far away, so you may be able to catch the signs easily. The other type is associated with subterranean termites. They keep their waste material inside their mud tubes and use the material as part of the tube structure. So, you won’t see any big piles of droppings from them – it’s all inside the tubes.
Droppings can be your first clue that termites are nearby. So, do not ignore them. The placement, shape and type of droppings can definitely help you identify termite activity and get ahead of the problem before it gets worse.
4. Small Piles Resembling Sawdust
Small piles that look like sawdust around your wooden structures can be another warning sign of termite activity. We can see it around windows, doors, wooden furniture or underneath damaged wood. While it may look like ordinary sawdust at first, it could actually be termite frass or debris pushed out from an active colony. If you keep cleaning it up and it keeps appearing again, don’t ignore it. It could be a sign that termites are active somewhere nearby.
5. Wood Appearing Hollow
Of course, when there is termite activity inside your wooden structures, the damage does not always show up immediately on the outside. The wood may look completely fine but inside, termites can be feeding and creating tunnels. Over time, the wood starts losing its strength and can sound hollow when you tap on it.
If you notice wooden doors, window frames, floors, or other structures sounding hollow or feeling weak, don’t ignore it. It could be a sign for homeowners that termites are underneath the surface.
6. Structural Damage in Doors & Windows
Many times, we see doors and windows swelling up, getting stuck and taking forever to close or open. We often attribute this to weather conditions or poor wood quality. But the issue may remain underneath and be more severe than either of the two.
When termites start settling in, they create mud tubes and bring moisture into the surrounding areas. This moisture can cause wooden structures to swell and crack. The foundation of the wood structure gets damaged and then one day, we find the whole door, window, or exterior frame dragging on the floor when we open it, or window sills becoming uneven. This is one of the signs homeowners should never ignore because it can mean the termite damage is spreading fast.
7. Peeling of Paint
We see paint peeling off and bubbling and many times we take it as a plumbing issue or a humidity problem. But in Florida, structural damage can mean more than that. Most of the time, it can be a sign of termite activity happening just below the surface. Termites can create moisture in the wood, which can cause the paint to peel and bubble.
When To Get Professional Termite Help
In case of termite damage or even a suspicion of termite activity around your home, go for a termite inspection. See, this is not a pest problem we can handle with store-bought sprays or cleaning the area a little too much. Termites will come up again and again until we handle them with a bigger and more professional approach.
The time to get termite help is absolutely before it becomes a need. Homeowners in Florida should schedule termite inspections every now and then and get their homes inspected properly and thoroughly. Leave no room for termites to settle in and cause bigger damage!
Dave's Pest Control - Local Termite Control Florida
Dave’s Pest Control has been serving Floridians for more than 45 years. We have witnessed some serious termite damage and helped leave those homes better than ever. We have learned from local experience and know the area well; these local learnings have helped us understand the termite problems Florida homeowners face.
If you suspect or believe you have termites around your home, give us a call. We’ll be there in no time!
