First, they live just about everywhere, so you can find termites if you know where to look. If there is warmth, moisture, and food, it will make a suitable living environment for termites. Also, it doesn’t take that much to please termites and there is always plenty of wood for them to eat.
Termites are one of the insects that have been ruling this planet since before the dinosaurs. You have to give them credit for keeping all the dead trees on this planet cleaned up.
But, inside your home, termites still perform their instinctual dead-wood-clean-up and cause damage to anything/everything wooden inside your home. If an infestation is caught early, the damage may be fixable with minor wood repair services. However, an untreated termite problem can destroy valuable property quickly. The damaged wood on exteriors can lead to moisture problems.
But if you know where to look, and look carefully, you may avoid a preventable disaster. If you would like our help inspecting for termites or other pests give us a call at (949) 341-4694.
Finding Dampwood Termites
Dampwood termites, as their name suggests, live anywhere there is damp, wet, or rotten wood.
You are likely to find them:
- Under the sinks in your home – It is best to give a check under the sink area a couple of times per year just to make sure there are no visible swarmers-wings.
- Under piles of lumber – If you pile wood for your fireplace and the wood on the bottom has been sitting for a few years – that is an ideal dampwood termite habitat. For instance, the bottommost logs are a likely place to look.
- Basements – Wooden furniture kept in moist basements is a treat for Dampwood termites. Also, make sure to check your wooden furniture in the basement for termite holes.
First, not everywhere in Southern California has problems with dampwood termites. For example, termites have plenty of moist rotten wood outside and have no need to come inside your home. However, if they do enter, they cause a substantial amount of damage. So if you find dampwood termites call for an inspection.
Where Are Drywood Termites?
Drywood Termites live in warm to tropical climates where wooden structures are plentiful, and winters are not severe. They live in a belt across the bottom half of the United States, from the East Coast – Virginia to Florida – to the West Coast where we see termites prevalent in Southern California all the way to the Redwoods in Northern California (and few further North than that.)
Termites Eat Wood
Drywood termites like to eat. They infest and nest inside the wood and do not need direct contact with soil. Unless you live in a concrete house your property is properly-suited for a drywood termite home – with dry wood to be found just about everywhere. Drywood termites enjoy chewing window sills to the door frame, doors, the 2×4’s in your walls, and even your hardwood floors are not safe.
Helpful Tips For Inspection
A flashlight is your best tool to look under and around any dry wood throughout your home. Look for entry holes where drywood termites burrowed.
How To Find Subterranean Termites
In nature, subterranean termites are great for aerating soil, bringing air and nutrients to the roots of plants and trees. An important difference between the drywood and subterranean termites is that subterranean termites nest in the ground and need soil for their nest. This distinct characteristic makes a large difference in spotting an infestation.
Subterranean termites may find a food source within your home and then build a tunnel or “mud tube” back to their home underground. These tubes protect the termites from predators and keep all the worker-termites together, making them a very effective wood-eating insect. When inspecting, mud tubes are easily spotted with the naked eye. Their mud tubes look like light brown roots that protrude or cling to walls, ceilings, beams, or floors that show up suddenly. They are somewhat fragile structures that will scrape off surfaces easily. However, it raises a concern when these tubes lead into walls and between floors. Termite pest control may be necessary.
Contact A-1 Bonded Termite Today
Now that you know that termites are just about everywhere, call us if you have any suspicion that you may have a termite problem.
Whether it is your home, business, or your boat let the termite experts at A-1 do the job. Sometimes a termite infestation can be overwhelming, but it is fixable. Call us today to get the help you need. We inspect, control, and prevent termites from entering your property again!