Is That Termite Damage?

Whether you own or rent your home, one of your greatest fears may be whether or not your home is vulnerable to termite damage. After all, homeowners in the United States spend billions of dollars repairing termite damage every year. Therefore, every spot and speckle on your foundation or walls may seem suspect. But, before you reach for the phone and call your trusted pest control company, you can first determine if the call is warranted by gauging if what you see is actually termite damage. (If you still aren’t sure, then your pest control representative can help you find out with a careful preliminary inspection.)

Signs of Termite Infestation

Termites are detritivores, meaning they eat detritus (i.e., dead plants, leaves, and trees—like the lumber in your home). Even if your home isn’t built mostly of wood, termite damage can spread to any wooden structures within, including cabinets, furniture, baseboards, and more. While the insects are small and naturally evasive, their presence leaves behind noticeable evidence, such as:

Shelter tubes

To protect themselves of weather and predators, termites often form shelter tubes (as seen in the image above) along walls and foundations, or near pipes and metal capping. The tubes vary in size, location, color, and pattern, and are much smaller than the above image suggests, making them sometimes difficult to see if you aren’t specifically looking for them.

Sagging floors

As termites burrow into the wooden structures of your home, such as the floors, they leave the wood hollow and weak. If you notice that your floors are sagging or that the wood on your walls seems to no longer fit properly, then it may be due to termite damage.

Termite frass

Frass is the collective term for the tiny wood shavings and droppings that termites leave behind. From a distance, it may seem like simple sawdust, but if you haven’t been cutting wood in the area lately, then it can be an easy giveaway that you should call your exterminator soon.

If you have termites, then call us!

If you notice signs of termite damage or worry that you might be hosting the pests without realizing it, then call Carmel Valley Pest Control in Carmel Valley, CA, today at (858) 350-8838, (760) 736-8838, or (888) 989-8838.