Termites cause over $5 billion in property damage each year. If you have termites in your home, you could potentially face thousands in repairs to your home’s surface and structural elements. 

It’s easy to prevent this from happening. All you have to do is look for signs of termites. If you see evidence of termites, you’ll want to act quickly to remove them and prevent further damage. 

This guide will explain some of the most common signs of a termite infestation.  

Listen for Clicking Sounds 

When termites move about, they tend to bang their heads on the wood. They also shake their bodies to communicate with other termites. These actions can create a clicking sound within the walls of your home. 

Termites are also noisy eaters, so you could hear them munching away. If you hear these sounds, you aren’t hearing one or two. What you’re hearing is the entire colony having a meal. 

Discarded Wings

One of the most obvious signs of a termite infestation is discarded wings. Adult termites use their wings to fly and find a mate or new colony location. Once they find either of these things, they tend to shed their wings. 

What you’re left with are sporadic clusters of wings around your home. The worst thing you can do is sweep them up and ignore them. If you don’t take swift action, the wings will reappear and in greater number as the infestation continues to grow. 

White Ants 

If you have white ants crawling about your home, you don’t have an ant problem; you have a termite infestation. These two insects look very similar in size and body shape. Some differences to look out for are wings, differently shaped antenna, and thicker bodies. 

Hollowed Out Wood 

Another easy to see sign of termite activity is hollowed out wood or tunnels. Termites eat wood from the inside out. You end up with wood beams that look solid on the outside and hollow on the inside. 

You can test your wood by knocking on it. If it sounds hollow or papery, then you have a termite infestation on your hands. Another way you can tell is by looking for tunnels. 

Tunnels aren’t visible until you see a broken piece of wood. Then you’ll see the evidence of termites moving about the wood in your home. 

You’ll need to contact a pest control expert for more information about your pest control options and a professional termite inspection. 

Look Out for These Signs of Termites

By keeping an eye out for these signs of termites, you can catch an infestation early. This will minimize the potential damage to your home. If you think you see signs of a termite infestation, the best thing you can do is call a professional in to assist. 

They will confirm your infestation and then provide you with a possible treatment plan. You’ll then want to create an ongoing prevention plan to reduce the risk of a future infestation. 

Browse our other home maintenance and repair articles to keep your house in tip-top condition.