Termite damage can significantly impact your home. Although termites are ecologically beneficial in that they break down detritus to add nutrients to soil, the same feeding behaviors that prove helpful to the ecosystem can cause severe damage to human homes. Because termites feed primarily on wood, they are capable of compromising the strength and safety of an infested structure. The average colony can eat about one foot of a 2×4 in six months, but certain species of termite can tear through homes at a much faster pace. In eating wood, termites are also making tunnels inside the wood in order to help foster and grow their colonies, each of which contain about 60,000 termites. As such, when they eat the wood that provides the structure of your home, they can quickly create an unsafe environment for you and your family.

Termite damage can render structures unlivable until expensive repairs are conducted. Homes constructed primarily of wood are not the only structures threatened by termite activity. Homes made from other materials may also host termite infestations, as these insects are capable of traversing through plaster, metal siding and more. Termites then feed on cabinets, floors, ceilings and wooden furniture within these homes.

Homeowners must be able to recognize important signs or conditions that indicate subterranean, dampwood, and drywood termite problems. These signs include:

• Swarmer termites and their shed wings found around the home’s windows and doors.
• The presence of subterranean termite mud tubes.The presence of drywood or dampwood termite fecal pellets.
• The presence of wood damage.
• Wood that sound hollow if tapped with a screwdriver or other similar tool.
• Since soil moisture is required for subterranean termite survival and colony growth, if there is a part of the house that has wood to ground contact that condition is conducive to termites infesting and damaging the house. Therefore, the more soil to wood contact equates to more termites and more likelihood of activity in the home.
• Was wood and cardboard debris created during the construction of the house and was it removed? A common mistake made during the construction phase is to bury wood debris in the dirt fills of porches and slabs.
• Are there moisture problems around the house or property? Moist soil near the foundation is conducive to termite problems when moisture accumulates around the house foundation due to the foundation grade not sloping away from the house, clogged rain gutters, leaking faucets or downspouts that do not allow rain water to flow away from the house?
• Does the homeowner repair or ignore leaks in the roof? Once again, moisture is a conducive factor that favors termite populations.
• Termite populations are less likely to increase and cause damage when the homeowner conducts his or her own termite prevention techniques and uses a PMP to inspect and use termite control techniques when needed.
• Has the house ever been treated for termites? If not, a termite infestation will continue to become more destructive and damage will be more pronounced over a shorter period of time than if the home was effectively treated by your PMP.
• Did the house receive a pre-construction termite treatment prior to construction? A liquid termiticide application applied to the soil substrate prior to pouring the concrete is known as a termite pretreat. If that is done, termite activity will be limited, nonexistent or at least initiated much later than if the preconstruction treatment was not done.
• Is there termite activity in mulch, trees, under firewood piles and other wood and wood related debris such as cardboard and lumber piles and have these sources that are conducive to termite activity been removed? The less termite food on the property, the less likely termites will be attracted to and invade the house.
• Do you have a termite inspection and damage warranty from a reputable Pest Management Professional (PMP)? The obvious value of such a warranty is your PMP will be able to spot any visible termite activity and take action to manage the amount of damage the home may experience. Since most homeowner insurance policies do not cover termite damage, having an annual inspection and termite damage warranty is worthwhile.
• What species of termites have infested your home? Generally, the subterranean termites cause more damage than either the drywood or dampwood termites. This is especially the case when the termite infestation is cause by the Formosan subterranean termite. These termites live in very large colonies that can have millions of termites in each colony. Therefore, Formosan termites can cause a huge amount of damage in a short period of time. Plus, Formosan termites may also attack living trees.
• What is the age of the colony? The longer a colony has existed, the more termites there are might eat the wood in your home.
• What is the construction type of the house? Stucco and exterior foam insulation systems (EIFS) are special problems when the siding is below the grade of the soil or the distance between the horizontal wooden components of the house and the soil is no less than 8-10 inches.
• Where is the house located? Termites are generally more problematic in the south than the north and near rather than far from coastal areas.
• Are there any secondary termites colonies present in the house? When suitable conditions exist, termites isolated from a primary colony can obtain moisture from a source other than the soil. When this happens, a secondary colony is formed and will occupy an area not required to be linked to the soil. For example, secondary colonies may be found in wood or behind siding that stays moist as the result of a rainwater or plumbing leak. EIFS homes are liable to contain secondary colonies if not properly built and annually inspected.
• Is preservative treated wood used whenever there must be wood to ground contact on the property?
• Are firewood or compost piles close to a house?
• Are shrubs and other vegetation kept away from the siding and foundation; dense vines growing up the side of a home may trap moisture and increase the moisture conditions that termites require.
• Has the homeowner taken steps to decrease the humidity in crawlspaces by fixing plumbing leaks, adding ventilation vents and installing dehumidifiers?
• Are dirt filled planter boxes attached to the side of the house? These can be a place for termites to build colonies and penetrate the inside of the house.
• Are termite monitors in use where termites are most likely to occur?
• Are physical barriers such as particulate sand or rock barriers and stainless steel mesh installed to prevent or reduce termite foraging around the house?

Because termites are often not identified before considerable damage has occurred, it is advised that homeowners experiencing a termite infestation contact a pest control professional before attempting to address the problem on their own. https://landing.terminix.com/ppc/nb/termite Professionals will conduct an inspection in order to correctly identify the problem and will then discuss possible avenues of treatment with homeowners. Interior damage may not become apparent until infestations are full-blown. Termite damage sometimes appears similar to water damage. Outward signs of termite damage include buckling wood, swollen floors and ceilings, areas that appear to be suffering from slight water damage and visible mazes within walls or furniture. Termite infestations also can exude a scent similar to mildew or mold.

Termite damage can be a homeowner’s worst nightmare. Often, it seems to come out of nowhere because the warning signs can be tricky to find. It can also be very expensive, but it needs to be handled immediately to avoid further damage. Unfortunately, your insurance company probably has explicit language about not covering your home against any damage caused by pests, including termites. Termites can cause about $8,000 in damages to your home a year. Get rid of these invasive insects and install a baseboard system that makes it easy to check and see if they have tried to return.

Made Rite’s Snap On Baseboard system was at one point considered to be put in the building code for all Florida homes because of the states massive termite infestation. These unique baseboards are impervious to insect damage and can easily be snapped off the wall to check for signs of invaders before snapping them back into place where they will stay firmly in place until your next inspection. From Florida to Australia to South America to Texas to Thailand, there is a struggle to keep these hard bodied insects from invading your home. Catch them as early as possible with Made Rite’s Snap On Baseboard System. You are guaranteed to save time and money, and catching an infestation early will save you a lot of stress.