How to Inspect Your Home for Termites?

Many homes in Australia are susceptible to a termite invasion that can often cause costly damage to your home. Termites love wood. It’s their favorite food, and your home is a massive meal for these unwanted visitors. Therefore, knowing if your house is being chewed to pieces by termites is essential in the prevention of catastrophic damage. Luckily termites aren’t the most clandestine of insects and leave tell-tale signs they have decided to make your home theirs. In this post, we take a look at said tell-tale signs so you can eliminate them before the damage is done.

Look Out for the Swarm

If you see a bunch of small, winged insects flying in unison to the base of your home, it might be time to call in the professionals. Termites relocate by flying from one location to the other where they take up residence and make a nest.

Wings Wings Wings

Termites can fly, and that’s how they migrate from one nest to another. Walk around your house, particularly the outside, and check the base of your home for wings. When termites take up residence, they shed their wings and usually leave them in a pile on the ground.

It’s also worth checking the ceiling for any signs of termite invasion. You might have to go into the utility hole with a flashlight and look out for any wings that the termites might have left behind.

Listen to the Walls

You may find this hard to believe, but you can hear termites chewing through your walls. Put your ear to the wall and if you hear clicking sounds that may very well be the sound of worker termites having a feed. If you do hear this sound tap the wall and this should distress the termites. The distressed termites will scurry away, and you should be able to hear to them.

Tap the Timber

That’s right, tap on your timber. If you tap on the timbre around your home and hear a hollow sound or the wood feels soft and decayed, it’s more than likely that you have a termite problem. Tap everywhere, inside and out, high and low. As soon as you find out the issue, it is best to deal with it right away before it’s too late.

Dropping Bombs

Keep a watchful eye for termite droppings around your home. The droppings can be identified as small black and powdery and are usually deposited out the front of a nest.  They can be hard to spot so extra diligence, and attention to detail is required when inspecting your home. Take your time with it and do a thorough inspection.

Call the Professionals

If you have the slightest inkling that your home is under attack by termites, you should call in the experts to do a thorough termite inspection. For a small fee, a professional pest controller will come to your home and determine whether you need to take further action. A small fee now may save you a fortune in the long term.

The battle between home and termites is an everlasting one. Perform regular termite inspections on your home to ensure you stay two steps ahead of the game, so your home doesn’t become termite food.