Your home is your castle; you will do anything necessary to keep it clean and well-kept. You mow the lawn, clean the inside, keep the temperature comfortable and the air clean, and make needed repairs to keep your fortress in good condition for your family’s safety and enjoyment. One enemy can infiltrate your abode without you knowing it, set up their war room headquarters, and conduct guerilla warfare on the wood within. You guessed right—the tiny, but mighty termite!
Termites love to chew cellulose-containing items, and the average home is full of them. They leave little evidence of their presence until much damage has been done. That is why you need consistent termite inspections of your Alameda home by reliable professionals.
How do Termites Destroy Your Home
Termites will invade your home in any way they can. The subterranean variety will seek out any moisture within your home’s foundation walls. It’s not uncommon to see termites destroying wood around raised garden beds and planters too. Drywood termites don’t need as much moisture, so your attic is the perfect spot for them to reside. All these bugs need is some well-placed mulch, wood piles, or unkept trees and a crack in your home’s foundation or siding, and they will take advantage of this new roadway.
How to Detect Termites in Your House
It can take a while before you realize there are termites in your home. They are great at burrowing into the wood and the soil and remaining hidden. You can think of it as a game of cat and mouse, but you are the cat, and the mouse has the superpower of invisibility. By the time you discover them, the damage has already begun. Here are signs that you may have some wood-eating pests in your house:
- Drywall damage. Does it appear that your drywall is discolored or drooping? It might be termites. You might also see small, pinpoint holes in your drywall.
- Floor damage. Look for buckling wooden or laminate floorboards. You may also hear excessively squeaky floorboards or see maze-like patterns in them.
- Direct signs: Termites may stay hidden most of the time, but they will leave other reminders that they are in your house. For example, you may see piles of pellets that look like small piles of salt and pepper, or mounds of wings that remind you of fish scales, and mud tubes climbing the foundation walls.
- Other signs: You may also see peeling paint that looks like water damage, or your wood sounds hollow when tapped.
Call in the Professionals to Get Rid of Wood-Chewing Pests
Once you discover signs that your home may have unwanted guests, you must act swiftly. Your first call should be to a dependable pest control company such as Times Up Termite. Our technicians are trained to spot evidence of termites and offer you treatment options for eradicating them. One type of treatment is the eco-friendly, reduced-risk insecticide, Altriset. We will suggest this option for homes with children, pets, or pregnant moms. We may also recommend BASF’s bait monitoring and bait stations to eradicate the wood-chewing bugs. Are you ready to get rid of these damaging invaders? Call us today!
Call 510-568-7200 to speak with our team of experienced, licensed professionals at Times Up Termite, Inc. You can also contact us online to request a free termite inspection in Alameda.