Don't Let Wood Damage Ruin Your Los Angeles Home

One of the most important ways you can protect your home against termite damage is to perform routine inspections or contact a licensed pest professional and have them perform routine termite inspections for you. The reason termites are so destructive is that they're incredibly sneaky. Damage can go on for years without detection.

How are they sneaky? They avoid light and stay inside their tunnels where it is moist. You're not likely to see termite activity in your home until it is too late unless you take the time to perform a termite inspection. Look for the following warning signs:

• Subterranean termites create shelter tubes made of soil and saliva. You may find these tubes outside or inside your home. Look for shelter tubes in dark, shaded, and moist areas on the outside. You may see them on a foundation wall behind landscape vegetation, inside a crawl space, or underneath a deck. They can be in the open as well. You might notice a wiggly mud line on brick steps or running up the side of an exterior door frame. On the inside of your home, look for shelter tubes in dark, humid spaces. It is not uncommon to find them in bathrooms or cabinets underneath kitchen sinks.
• Subterranean termites use mud to patch holes in their tunnel walls. When these insects have infested a thick support timber, you may notice these mud patches. Tap on the timber to see if it sounds hollow. If it does, you have a termite problem.
• Drywood termites feed on hardwood and produce a material called frass. You may find frass leaking out of a gap, crack, or hole. The frass you find will be the same color as the wood the termites eat. For this reason, you may mistake frass for sawdust. In either case, you should take notice of this warning sign because the wood of your home doesn't produce sawdust on its own. You have a pest problem.
• Drywood termites can create holes for you to see. Look for changes to the wood of your home. While holes will not be proof positive that you have a termite infestation, you should address the pest or fungal issue that is causing the damage. When you do, you're likely to be able to tell if you have a drywood termite problem as you'll uncover the termites as you make repairs to the wood.
• All termite colonies produce winged termites. When you find winged termites in your yard, it is evidence that termites are currently damaging your home because winged termites don't travel far from where they hatch. If you find winged termites inside your home, it is a warning sign of a severe infestation.
• Winged termites, also called swarmers, gather together in a swarm when they mate. The mating process takes less than thirty minutes. Often, winged termites appear and disappear before detection. During the mating process, the termites shed their wings. You may find these wings on the ground, on surfaces, or in spider webs on your property.
• When you pick up dead branches in your yard, you have an opportunity to detect termites. Worker termites are about 1/8 of an inch long and milky colored. Some describe them as looking like fat, white ants, while others describe them as maggots with legs. If you see worker termites on a dead branch in your yard, there is little doubt that you have an infestation.
• If you have mulch around your home, rake a section of your mulch and look underneath. You may find workers, soldiers, or winged termites.
• If you have wooden objects in your yard or stacked wood, pick the wood up off the ground and look underneath. You may find termite workers or soldiers.
• If you have a wooden fence or wooden posts that enter the soil, you may be able to detect termite activity. Inspect around the base of posts that enter the ground.
• If you have a stump or log in your yard, you may be able to saw into it and detect termite activity within.
• If you have stacked cardboard, magazines, clothing, or some other material that consists of cellulose in your garage or shed, you may inspect these items for worker termites.

When you detect termites, what is the next step? Can you just ignore them? We wouldn't recommend it. Termites can damage your property for years and cause costly damage right under your nose. It is essential to address your termite problem with effective termite control you can trust.

In Los Angeles, contact HomeShield Pest Control. We can guide you toward the right solution for you, and we provide all of the options you need.