When it comes to household pests, few varieties are more destructive than termites. These persistent insects infest wood and eat through paper at an alarming rate and can seriously damage your home before you even realize they’re there. To avoid this outcome, keep your eyes open for the signs of their presence.

Signs of Termites in Your Home

1. Direct Spotting

The clearest sign of an infestation is seeing the bugs. Termites can be anywhere from 0.25–1 inch long, and their color varies between white, brown, red, and black. Swarming termites have wings when they appear in the spring and can be distinguished from ants by the lack of a pinched waist.

2. Mud Tubes

When termites need to cross an exposed surface, they build mud tubes to give themselves cover. These narrow lines of dried, compact dirt can stretch across walls or floors and are a sure sign of an active termite colony.

3. Damaged Wood

As termites eat through wood, they leave it riddled with tunnels, which weaken its structure. If there is any exposed wood in your home, you might notice it start to split or flake away, exposing these tunnels inside.

4. Bubbling Paint or Wallpaper

As termites become active in your walls, they can cause the surface coating to pull away from the material underneath. This causes visible bubbling in the affected areas, resulting in the paint or paper peeling away to reveal termite tunnels underneath.

5. Droppings

Termite droppings look like small piles of grainy or sandy material and are usually similar to wood in color. They can often be found at the ends of termite tunnels or anywhere those tunnels break the surface of the wall.

If you have an active termite infestation in your home, it’s vital to call an exterminator before the damage grows any more severe. Moore Pest Control in Hughes Springs, TX, offers a full range of pest control services to area residents, including both insect and wildlife management. To schedule an inspection, call (903) 639-2884 today, or visit them online to learn more about their services.