Termites can enter your home through your powdery soil or cracks in your foundation.
They can also come from anywhere around your home and garden. Whenever you’re thinking about protecting your home against termites, you can rely on these tips.
So, what causes termites to invade your house?
Let’s start now!
What Causes Termites To Invade Your House?
Contents
Moisture
Moisture is particularly enticing to termites.
Standing water in gutters and downspouts on your roof can wash down onto your plants and rain barrels, as well as your lawn and garden plants.
Termites are attracted not only to moisture, but also to any damp wood around your house.
Make sure your gutters are cleaned and properly maintained so that water does not pour down onto the surrounding area.
Remove any planting that allows water to pool and puddle, as well as any other unnecessary water pooling around the home. In addition, you can ask the manufacturer of any mulch you use to see if you may use it safely.
Meanwhile, examine the roof gutters at roof eaves and valleys for gaps and damage, and repair these as soon as possible.
Mulch
If you use the improper mulch, your soil and plants may attract termites to your home.
Softwood mulches cover the mulch is loved for their attractiveness, but may actually be making termites more attracted to your home.
Subterranean termites may readily attack wood with moisture or high humidity levels.
Termites may be kept at bay by sealing of gaps and holes in foundation walls.
The difficulty is also to identifying termite infestations, as they are small and hard to move and inspect.
Termites In The Neighborhood
You can’t overlook the impact your community has on your health, your happiness, and even your ability to keep pests out of your house.
This is due to the fact that these parts of soil are moist and moldy to house termites, who thrive in wet soil or in moist wood.
Termites may proliferate and colonize your crawl space if you don’t take the appropriate steps to resolve moisture and humidity conditions in the house.
Termites will seek out new areas and you can effectively limit their entry by adding barriers around your home.
Some termites, such as the Formosan termite, a native species, feed on wood that is chemically treated.
Their ability to swarm and migrate is a major potential danger that can create major damage to your home.
Tree Branches Touching the Roof
Termites may not only fly into or land on windows, but also on window sills and other surfaces.
Termites may dwell in the ground for several years as they mature, so remember not every swarm you see flying in or out of the house will be an infestation.
Termites will enter your property via small cracks in the foundation or gaps around utility pipes.
As a result, many homeowners often face difficulties with pests, especially like termites that commonly invade homes and any other property.
Gaps In the Foundation
Termites prefer to build their colonies underground and out of sight.
The environment is always dark, humid and moist which is perfect for termites and other pests.
Termites will channel through any holes or fractures in concrete or brick; therefore it is important to repair any cracks before they become a problem.
Termites will also take advantage of fractures in wood or foundations to access your home.
Check your house on a quarterly basis and fix any visible cracks or gaps you find immediately.
Firewood Piles
There is nothing more devastating to a homeowner than finding a pile of firewood that has been infested by termites.
Termites need cellulose to breed and thrive, and that is one of the reasons why you need to be careful when selecting firewood for your garden.
Furthermore, firewood is a major source of cellulose for termites to feed on.
Moisture and cellulose are the primary requirements of termites to survive. Therefore, anything that gives them a chance to eat wood, clothes or other paper-based products is an invitation for termites.
That is not to say that you cannot use firewood; all you need to do is be careful with it and ensure that you store it safely.
Firewood is also an excellent source for termites to feed on, and they should be handled with care.
Firewood stacks left on the ground without protection can form an excellent breeding ground for termites to multiply.
If you have a firewood pile in your compound, do not store it on the ground. And you can build a shed or stack it high enough from the ground where it will not be accessible to termites.
Openings In the Roof
Termites may get into your house through cracks and crevices in your roof and walls.
Even a little break in your ceiling can be enough to provide termites an escape route into your home and feast on your house’s internal structure.
Your home’s doors, windows, and other points where fire enters your house also attract termites and serve as their entry point to your house.
If there are cracks, caulk the area to provide termite protection.
Termites and other pests will find their way into a house through openings in the roof which happen when shingles are broken or deteriorated.
Signs Of Termite Infestation
Damp Walls
Termites may also infest walls in your home and these signs are not visible or easily identifiable.
And when they do, the termites will damage your house’s structure and its contents as well.
Termites in walls begin to cause damage when they are actively feeding on wood in the wall, usually close to the ground or in the floor cavity.
The walls are damp when you can see small spots on the wall where the paint is peeling off.
They do not devour the framing structure or support beams of the house but live and feed on the walls which are near the ground or in the floor cavity in houses.
They’ll bore through the wood in the wall, near floor or roof cavities, and may weaken the framework of a house that may eventually collapse.
Small Holes On Wooden Structures
Tiny holes in wooden structures are an indication of termite infestation in wood.
They may be covered with paint or varnish so they are not visible until an entry point is found.
Drywood termites enter and exit their colony through these small holes, attaching their wings to shed sound wood in the process.
These holes are generally seen in kitchen cabinets, woodwork trim and decorative moldings.
Dead Winged Termites and Broken Termite Wings
Mating is not so well defined among termites but it is likely to take place during autumn and spring season and between the winged male and female forms.
Many of them produce winged forms that leave the colony and mate elsewhere.
Furthermore, the successful ones shed their wings and look similar to worker forms when mating takes place The male and female termite form pair up and spend the night outside the nest.
That’s why you’ll see termite wings scattered on window sills, near foundation, and on door and window frames.
It is a strong indication that termites are incubating in your home.
Termites Frass
Termite feces or frass are another one of the signs of termite infestation in the home.
These are brownish pellets that are about 1/16 to 1/8 inch long.
The frass will be thrown out of the colony by worker termites and look like sawdust.
And they won’t lie everywhere; the spots where you’ll see them most are near piles of wood debris, water-damaged logs and stumps.
The frass indicates how many termites are in a colony, and the presence of certain frass types also tells something about the types of termites present.
Drywood termites will dispose their excrement as small pellets.
Drywood termites, unlike subterranean termites, drop their frass in piles rather than dropping it all over the ground area.
Mud Tubes on the Wall
Mud tubes on the walls are a sign of termite infestation in the home.
Mud tubes may be visible on the exterior walls in the areas where they face the outside environment.
Because termites consume books, these can appear to be a sign of termite infestation in the home.
How Termites Invade Your Home?
Termites may infiltrate your house through mud tubes that reach from the exterior of the house to the interior as well.
Subterranean termites, like their aggressive cousins that infest your home, can produce drywood and dampwood galleries.
These termites will build mud tubes above the soil line in order to allow them greater access to food and moisture.
These mud tubes are created from a mixture of saliva and soil as they crawl through tunnels that have been dug in the ground.
Firewood heaps maintained near to the home’s foundation may be a source of infestation for the termites that feed on cellulose.
The firewood heaps can offer them a source of cellulose on which to feast upon.
Swarms are another method in which the termites invade your home.
When termites leave their present colonies and construct new colonies, this gives rise to swarmers and these are what can be observed swarming around the light.
Swarms of any termites, including subterranean termites, are a sign of a possible termite infestation in the home.
How To Prevent Termites From Invading Your Home In the Future
When it comes time to prevent subterranean termites from invading your home in the future, there are some measures that you can take to do so.
Making your property less appealing to the termites is another measure that you can take.
This comprises the tidying up of your garden or the placing of bird baths around the home where water can gather and ants and cockroaches are unable to thrive.
- Removing wood that is in contact to the ground is also something that you can do to help keep termites out of you home
- Removing termite feeding sources such as dead trees and branches is also helpful to preventing a future infestation of subterranean termites
- Repairing any plumbing or water leaks and caulking any holes that are present in the home
- Re-caulking, replacing damaged shingles, and repairing loose seals around windows
If you see termite evidence around your property, it is a good idea to call a pest control company to perform termite control services.
An professional will be able to inspect your property and perform an extermination of the termites on your property.
Also See: How to Get Rid of Termites In Trees Naturally
Conclusion
Termites are a real threat for many homeowners and homeowners whose homes are made of wood should check their home for termite infestation regularly.
If you find any traces of termites in your house, you should contact your local pest management company as soon as possible.
You’ve also learned what causes termites infesting and invading your home and how to prevent a termite infestation from further damaging your house.
There’s also advice on how to prevent subterranean termites from causing further damage to your home.
