When you purchase your home, you expect it to be the shelter over your head and the place that keeps you safe from everything on the outside of its walls. In order for a house to keep a family safe and comfortable, however, the house will need to be well-maintained and cared for.

There are many things that go into proper home maintenance. Ensuring your home is termite-free is one of the things you should frequently check to maintain your home. Knowing you’re in need of home termite repair might not always be as easy as you may believe. Termites spend most of their time hidden inside your walls and can cause damage for quite some time without you knowing.

How do you know that your home has been taken over by termites? How will you know that it’s time for professional termite repair?

Continue reading below for the top warning signs that you might need to call the professionals today!

Small Holes in the Drywall

If there are small holes or even cracks in the walls of your home, this could be a sign of termites. Termites can squeeze their way into the walls through these small spaces. Once they enter into the walls, they’ll begin burrowing further into it.

Your walls aren’t the only things to be concerned about, however. Termites can do the same exact thing to any wooden furniture you might have. This is why you must be careful about what furniture you bring into your home.

Check both the walls and the furniture for these signs. You should also check for signs of paint damage as well.

Hollow Wood in the House

Once termites find their way into the walls of your home, they’ll begin to eat the wood, leaving nothing but dust. They’ll start from the inside of the wood and work their way out. This causes the wood to become hollow.

If you believe your home might have a termite problem, try gently knocking on certain areas of its walls and listening for a hollow sound. If your finger or hand can easily press through the drywall, then you know the termites have caused extensive damage.

Wood in and Around the Home Is Buckling

Buckling wood is when the wood begins to lift up. If the wood inside or around your home such as on a porch is buckling, this could be a sign of termites. Walk around the home and then inside the home to check for signs of this.

If the floors and ceilings are swollen or sagging, then this could also mean termites are present. When termites burrow into the wood, it causes the wood to swell. It’s similar to the effect caused by water damage.

If you let it go long enough, the termites in the floors or ceilings could cause structural damage to your home.

Clicking Noises Inside the Walls

When a colony of termites is disturbed or sense danger, the male termites will shake around or bang themselves on the wood as a signal of danger. This noise sounds like a clicking noise coming from inside the walls.

Another noise the termites will make is chewing noises as they borrow through the wood. Listen closely to the walls in your home to determine if there’s a colony of termites in there.

Swarming Termites

When termites are ready to leave the colony to find mates and build their own colony, they’ll begin to swarm around your home. This can happen either during the day or at night depending on the type of termites they are. The most common time to see a swarm of termites is after it rains.

Shortly after the termite’s swarm, they’ll lose their wings. If you see any termite wings inside or around your home, then this is a sign that termites are present. Termite droppings are another sign. Termites will push their dropping outside of their nest.

If you see a black substance that looks like powder near the walls inside your home, then this could be a sign of termite droppings.

Tunnels in Broken Pieces of Wood

Termites will burrow tunnels through the wood in your home. You might not be able to see their tunnels inside the wood in your walls, but they’ll leave broken pieces of wood on the ground around your home.

When there aren’t any visible signs of these tunnels, the professionals can use technology to discover the tunnels hidden behind your walls. You can check your wooden pieces of furniture for these tunnels as well, which might be easier to spot than the tunnels located within the walls.

Mud Tubes Inside and Outside the Home

Termites build mud tubes or tunnels that connect to their nests and protect them from predators and weather elements. You might spot these tunnels on the outside of your home or even on the inside of your home if the infestation is bad.

The termites create these tunnels using their own saliva, dirt, and mud. If you spot these mud tunnels, then you need to contact the professionals for termite repair.

Are You in Need of Home Termite Repair?

If you’ve noticed any of these signs of termites inside your home, then it might be time for home termite repair. To ensure the termites are removed and your home is repaired properly, you’ll want to have professional pest control come in.

Contact us today to see how we can help you get your home back!