There are more than 2000 termite species in the world, and they cause property damages that exceed $5 billion in costs.
There are hundreds of active termite species in Arizona, but the species that pose the most danger to your home in Phoenix is the subterranean desert termite. Essentially, subterranean termites happen to be the most common and most destructive and require professional Termite Control Phoenix, AZ, exterminators.
The question is, how do you know whether you have termites in your home? What are the signs that you need to call in a professional Phoenix pest and termite control exterminator?
1. Visible Mud Tubes
Mud tubes are by far the most obvious sign that you have a termite invasion in your home.
You see, most of the time, termites do their damage behind the scenes and are quite hard to detect, but they build mud tubes wherever they have a colony, and they are easy to spot. What are these mud tubes we talk about?
Termites burrow beneath the earth, but they need vertical surfaces in order to access the wood, regardless of whether it’s your home or a rotting tree. The answer and best solution for them is building a mud tube. Mud tubes are thin tunnels held together by mud and termite saliva. It’s like building a superhighway to your home, so to speak.
Beyond that, the subterranean termites are sensitive to moisture and heat changes, so the mud tubes give them passage underground where they escape these elements. Some build mud tubes to access food sources, but they can also build drop tubes in places like the attic, which allow them to access wood beams.
These tubes give the termites great mobility, and you should look for them on the foundation of your home and the perimeter. If you spot one, regardless of how small it is, it’s a sign that you need to call the best Termite Control Phoenix AZ, professionals.
2. Damaged Wood
When termites start chewing on wood, they leave a network of holes that make the wood hollow and quite weak. This is one of the most frustrating things a homeowner can face when it comes to pests because, by the time they realize, irreversible damages have already been done.
There are several ways to check whether your wood has been damaged by termites.
First, start by knocking the wood surfaces with a small hammer and compare the sounds you hear. Solid and hollow wood doesn’t sound the same, and you’ll know when you come across a hollow piece. The wood could also be papery, and these are good signs that you have termites on your property.
3. Winged Swarms
Termites have wings, and they swarm in the right conditions. Some of the members of the termite colony grow wings and fly in the cool, late summer evenings, mostly from July to September. The main purpose of doing this is to reproduce and establish new colonies because they get a better chance when the soil is moist and waterlogged.
Like most insects, termites are drawn by light, so if you notice a swarm around your outdoor lights, it means you have termites close by. This is a sign that you need to call in professional termite and pest control services.
4. Head Banging
Termite soldiers tend to bang their heads, and if you can hear quiet clicking sounds coming from your walls, it’s a sign you have pests. The sounder termites bang their heads when they note danger, and it’s a sign to warn others in the colony.
The worker colonies are also noisy eaters, and they do make sounds when chewing on different parts of your home.
Of course, they don’t make loud noises like most other pests such as rats and mice, but if you place your ear close to an infested wood log, you can hear them chewing away. You may not know this, but it was discovered that termites like rock music and could chew twice as fast when listening to it, so maybe try playing them some of that then listen to them.
5. Sticking Doors and Windows
Termites could reach anywhere as long as there’s wood, and if you have wooden door and window frames, they can tunnel into the frames and cause damage. They’ll not only damage the appearance of your windows and doors, but the moisture they produce while tunneling and eating through the wood cause it to warp. This makes it hard for the windows and doors to open.
6. Frass-Termite Droppings
One of the easiest telltale signs that you have termites and need a professional Termite Termite Control Phoenix, AZ service is frass. This is especially easy to notice if you have dry wood termites because they leave their droppings near the entrances of the nests.
The termite frass is usually small black marks or dark powder, and if you find it, you can be sure there’s a colony close by. If you’re dealing with subterranean termites, however, it may be harder to notice because they use their frass to build their tunnels.
7. Tunnels in Wood
Drywood termites usually eat the wood from inside, and they leave thin tunnels, known as galleries behind. They are hard to see since they are in the interior of the wood, but you can check whether there are any broken wood pieces, and if you notice these galleries, you can be sure you have termites.
Professional Termite Control Phoenix, AZ exterminators, will come with various types of technology such as infrared detectors, electronic odor detectors, X-rays, microwaves, and sometimes dogs to get to the termites.
Hiring the Best Termite Control Phoenix, AZ Services
Wattspest offers some of the best Termite Control Phoenix, AZ services you can find, and we guarantee we’ll not only find the termites but exterminate them as well. We also take care of other types of pests, weeds, and wildlife, so please get in touch with us today, and we’ll get rid of all that for you!
