Termites are known to feed on wood including telephone posts, homes, trees, and even commercial buildings. Buying a home can be a great time in your life until you find out the home is infested with termites. Just because you find termites, it doesn't mean you should retract your offer. If they are found early on, you can prevent major damage being done to the house. Unfortunately, every year, termites do about 5 billion dollars in damage. Prevention is crucial in order to protect your investment. In an effort to find the termites, here are some things you need to know about them.
Identifying the Termites
There are five social classes with the termite colony and each one of the social classes has a specific job to do. On the top is the king and queen. You then have the winged termites that are made for reproducing. These winged termites end up being kings and queens as they get older. The last social classes are the soldier and worker termites. Typically, you would find the soldier termites first because they run in the largest pack. If you disturb their nests, they will start coming out in hundreds.
Locate the Mud Tubes
One of the easiest ways to identify the presence of termites on the property is by locating mud tubes on the exterior of the home. By walking around the house, you should be able to see if there are any mud tubes on the exterior. Pay specific attention to any wood structures like garages, wood fences, benches, and more. Just because you do find some mud tubes, it doesn't mean that there are definite termites occupying the house. It just means there was once a class of termites on the property and you want to get a complete inspection done.
Check Out the Wood
When termites feed on the wood, it can cause major structural damage. Unfortunately, it can take 3 to 8 years until you find the damage done by them. In order to check for wood damage, you want to take a screwdriver and tap the wood. If you hear a hollow sound, this is most likely the result of termites eating out the wood. If you see wood dust piles laying around, this can also show signs termites have been snacking on your potential home.
Look for Wings
The reproductive class of termites will shed their wings throughout your home once they are in. You can usually find these around window sills and in corners if you look hard enough. Occasionally, you may even be able to see a termite flying around the window or door.
To learn more, contact a pest control company like Edmonton Exterminators Ltd.
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