Did you know that termites cost Americans over five billion dollars in repair and prevention costs each year? A single homeowner can spend thousands of dollars fixing the damage done by these pests.

Termites

Do you know how to protect your home from termites and how to identify their presence before they’ve damaged your home? Termite damage can be irreversible. Learn to protect your Hudson Valley home before termites arrive and learn to spot these dangerous pests sooner.

An Intro To Termite Appearance And Activity

Termites are small insects that feed on wood. They live in a caste system divided into worker, soldier, and swarmer termites. Workers find food, soldiers protect the colony, and swarmers reproduce. In Kingston, you’re most likely dealing with subterranean termites. These termites live in underground nests and build mud tunnels between the soil and the wood where they feed.

Unfortunately, this means that you aren’t likely to ever see the termites themselves. Worker and soldier termites are too fragile to come out into the open, so they spend all their time underground or inside the wood.

Tips For Protecting Your Home From Termites

Before termites get into your home, there are some preventative measures you can take to try to keep them away.

Start by checking the exterior of your home to see if there are places where soil and wood connect. You want to avoid direct contact between the soil and the wooden exterior of your home. Add gravel or find ways to reduce the moisture in the soil.
Next, check for debris in your yard that might be attracting termites. Keep firewood away from your house and don’t leave cardboard boxes, old branches, construction materials or other debris in the yard.
Finally, you need to reduce the moisture in and around your home. Be aware of leaks and repair water damage as soon as possible to avoid inviting termites into your home.

Start by checking the exterior of your home to see if there are places where soil and wood connect. You want to avoid direct contact between the soil and the wooden exterior of your home. Add gravel or find ways to reduce the moisture in the soil.

Next, check for debris in your yard that might be attracting termites. Keep firewood away from your house and don’t leave cardboard boxes, old branches, construction materials, or other debris in the yard.

Finally, you need to reduce the moisture in and around your home. Be aware of leaks and repair water damage as soon as possible to avoid inviting termites into your home.

Identifying Termites In Your Home

It’s important to take preventative steps, but it’s also important to know how to identify termites in case they get into your house anyway. As mentioned previously, you aren’t likely to see termites themselves.

However, there are some signs you can look for.

Mud tubes. Subterranean termites create mud tubes to travel safely from their nest to your walls. Routinely check the exterior of your home for these thin tunnels.
Clicking sounds. Sometimes you might hear soft clicking sounds that seem to be coming from the walls. These might be coming from termites or other pests, so it’s important to have a professional come by to check it out.
Flying termites. If you see flying termites or discarded wings, these could be swarmer termites looking for a new place to nest.
Tight-fitting doors and windows. When termites have already begun causing damage, the first sign might be difficulty opening or closing windows and doors.
Sagging walls. Once the damage is severe, you may notice that the ceiling appears to droop, or the walls sag outward. If you notice damage to your walls, you should call for help as soon as possible.

Effective Termite Elimination

What do you do if you see signs of an infestation? Termites are a serious pest that can cause a lot of headaches and property damage. Instead of ignoring the problem or trying to solve it yourself, call Pestmaster® Services to learn more about your pest control options.

We have experience in identifying termites. We can help you find out whether you have a termite problem, and if so, how extensive the damage is. Don’t wait until termite damage is irreversible. Call Pestmaster® Services today for help finding out whether or not you have termites.