Are you concerned about the presence of termites in and around your property? Are you confident that you may be able to identify termites or their workings in the event that they start to invade your home? As Building and Pest Inspectors we have come across many termite nests and workings, including live termites that had made themselves at home gnawing on the timbers around and within homes. In most instances the owners and buyers were completely unaware of their presence. In this blog post we discuss 3 signs you may have termites in your home, to assist you in a quick identification before they do significant damage!
1: Damage to internal or external timbers
Termite damage to timbers can be very obvious or it may be concealed, depending on the location of timbers, the extent of termite workings, the termite species, and the type of timbers affected. Timbers may appear to be crumbling, hollowing, rough to touch or inverted and may have a honeycomb patterned appearance. This is usually consistent with the type of timbers the termites have found to devour. External soft untreated timbers such as yard stumps are easy targets for termites, compared to hard treated timbers that may be used within the home or for more permanent structures such as retaining walls or fencing.
Termites that have penetrated a home may leave evidence in the form of hollowing and inverted timbers to areas such as skirtings and architraves. If you run your hand along the timbers and it feels rough or soft to touch you may require further inspection for termites. A hollow sound when tapping on timbers is also an indication that termites may have been causing damage to the structure of the timber. Termites are attracted to areas of high moisture such as those caused by leaks or poor drainage, and use areas such as subfloors to access a home to feast on the smorgasbord of timbers inside.
2: Mud Tunnels
Mud tunnels are formed as a protection for termites against predators such as ants and to enhance and maintain moisture, which is both an attractant and key to the termite’s survival. They are formed by termites who craft dirt, mud, saliva and droppings to create these tunnel systems. There are different types of tunnels such as drop tunnels, exploratory tunnels and working tubes. Each type of tunnel serves a different purpose such as allowing termites to explore for food, as well as to maintain moisture and humidity, and to form a link to the termites’ nest. Mud tunnels are obvious and will often be seen running up posts to the subfloor of homes, or along floor beams to find a vulnerable entry point to the more easily devoured timbers contained within your home.
3: Swarming Termites
When termites are preparing to create new colonies, the alates, the name for young winged termites, develop wings and start to swarm. If you notice swarming bugs that appear to look like termites, this may indicate you have a termite nest and are about to have new colonies forming and reproducing. This typically occurs during the hotter and more humid months. You may notice this occurring in many areas of your property, such as within the yard space if there are existing termite nests, around subfloor areas or we have even identified them recently within a roof space. If alates are identified within a property it is important to act swiftly to not only eradicate the existing nest, but any additional colonies that may have found themselves comfortable throughout the rest of your property and be starting to form new nests.
If you are concerned about the potential presence of termites in your own property, or a property you are about to purchase, we recommend a comprehensive Building and Pest Inspection, which identifies timber pests including termites, termite workings, conducive conditions for termites and termite management systems and breaches.
We hope this blog post helps to keep you informed on 3 signs you may have termites in your home. We always recommend contacting the professional and highly experienced Building and Pest Inspectors at Informed Building Inspections in the event you do identify termites, or their workings, are due for an inspection or are concerned about what might be lurking in and around your home.
