Termites are not all that common in the United States. There are only about 20 varied species of termites throughout the country. While it is true that they can cause a lot of damage to homes and other structures, not all are dangerous to you. For example, some types feed on dead wood.
But you should always become suspicious when you see large amounts of mud tubes on your home’s exterior walls, near trees, wood, or piles of debris. They eat anything made of cellulose like drywall, cardboard, and so on.
What Does Termite Wall Damage Look Like?
It is difficult for termites to eat through concrete. Therefore, they will focus on softer materials like wood and drywall. When you discover termite damage in your home’s walls, there are certain signs that you should look out for that indicate a termite infestation.
All termites require moisture to stay alive which means their ideal habitat is wet wood or any other porous material that has some moisture content. This makes the insulation of homes perfect for them because it has some degree of moisture content.
Another sign of termite wall damage is mud tubes. They create them to protect themselves as they crawl around looking for food sources made out of cellulose material like the insulation found inside the walls of most homes today.
What Does Termite Damage Look Like Under Paint?
Termites love moist conditions so they will do whatever it takes to find the moisture they need to survive. When the termite infestation is serious, they seek out cellulose material for food and a place to lay their eggs. This means they are going to chew through furniture or your walls as necessary.
The paint on your walls may look uneven or bubbling when moisture builds up. It could mean one of two things – water damage from an old plumbing system in need of repair; termites swarming after eating human food sources like sugar ants and crumbs left behind at night when you enter into homes (not including natural disasters).
How Do You Check for Termites?
When you suspect a termite infestation in your home’s walls, there are certain types and damage to look for.
Termites can eat their way through insulation and other materials containing cellulose making homes their ideal habitats. When termite damage is in the walls of a home, certain signs indicate infestation. When you suspect activity, knowing how to tell termites are in your walls is crucial. It may save your life or property from damage.
Termites in the walls of a home can become difficult to detect. When there is damage, it is most commonly noticed after they have been active for months or years. Termites are small so they do not cause obvious holes in your walls when they eat through drywall and other materials.
Termite Wall Damage: Signs of Termites in Walls
Familiarize with two types of termites that can invade your wall. Know about them below:
Subterranean Termite Wall Damage
One termite species, called the subterranean termite, has a white to cream-colored body. When termites enter your walls, they need to travel through soil that is moist and warm. As they eat their way through wood structures, you will notice termite mud tubes. These are small passageways made of wet dirt and termite saliva for protection. This is as they crawl along looking for food sources like insulation found in your home’s walls.
Subterranean termites are the most frequent cause of damage in America. They live beneath loose soil, creating their underground tunnels towards food sources like carbohydrates and protein-rich meals (which means they might also go after your things). Colonies can become very large when you do not have periodic inspections done on them. This will help prevent or reduce what is happening underfoot!
Drywood Termite Wall Damage
One termite species, called the drywood termite, is not as common as termites that live underground. They travel through the wood to get to food sources, also including your insulation and other materials found inside the walls of many homes today. This termite is most active during times when it is convenient for them like nighttime or rainstorms.
They do not create mud tubes like subterranean termites because they eat away at wood instead of soil where they find moisture. When termite damage occurs on the exterior of a home, look for these types living between wooden boards and beams in decks or fences outside.
The drywood termite is a beneficial insect that feeds on wood and can live in areas without soil. Their colony size makes them difficult to detect as evidence of activity or an infestation precedes its occurrence by several years.
Do Termites Make Noise in Walls?
When termites make their way through walls, they leave behind a trail of sawdust-like fragments. This does not occur when damage is from drywood termites because they eat wood to get to food sources. Instead, you will notice tunnels made out of mud tubes protecting them. This is as they go about looking for stored food and water in cellulose containing materials found in your home’s structure.
Some people believe they hear termites chirping, rustling, or clicking. These noises are all common signs of an infestation. You may have exposure when your home has a history with these pests!
When you hear a loud noise in your house, it is not only the walls that sound like they are shaking. The termites also make noises with their heads and bodies to warn each other of danger or upset colony members back home! This means homeowners may get vibration from swarms flying around during springtime mating season when they are more active!
How Do You Kill Termites in Drywall?
Getting termites out of your walls can prove difficult when you do not know how to kill them in drywall. One way is by locating them and giving them a treatment that works well with their body structure or protective coverings. The point is termites are insects, which means they need moisture and food sources to survive!
You must look for these places where termites travel into the walls where they are making themselves at home. Look for termite mud tubes made out of saliva-like material. This protects them from predators, insecticide sprays, and other dangers. Inspect wood beams around the exterior of your property to see when there are any termite infestations living inside or outside!
Does Homeowners Insurance Cover Termite Damage?
Some termite damage is not part of regular homeowners insurance policies. This means there are some exclusions on the policy that will mention termites as one cause, which have to do with money and time.
Inspections can take an extensive amount of time when termites make their way into wall cavities and beams. Only damage in the precise area where they made contact counts for insurance money reimbursement or treatment repairs. Other areas may exclude from coverage depending on how to handle your termite damage claim.
This termite damage may also consider an exclusion when seeing them move through your walls. But not into the wall where they are visible. You must have termites in your walls to take action! It will lead to money for termite treatment or removal.
Don’t Want to Use Chemicals? Here’s How to Get Rid of Termites Naturally
Termites like the cellulose found in wood. They eat this food source to survive and live throughout homes or buildings for years before requiring treatment or removal.
But did you know termites also like paper, cardboard, and fabric? They do and will cause further damage when not treated promptly! Termites eat wood because it has the nutrients they need to stay alive! As such, you can build a trap right at home using natural things that attract these insects without harsh chemicals.
How to Prevent Future Infestation?
You can prevent termites from infesting your home by applying the following steps:
– Look for termite activity (swarminess, termite droppings). Inspect wood beams and ground outside where termite nests may exist.
– Look to see when you have termites in your walls. This will require finding out how they act, look like, eat, make noises, hide their bodies or heads with mud tubes, or fly around during mating seasons.
– Fix any water leaks inside or outside of your house because termites need moisture to live!
– Practice proper sanitation inside the home. Termites cannot live without cellulose materials to eat.
When to Call a Professional Exterminator for Termite Treatment
It is important to know when termites are on your walls. This will require special attention that only professionals can offer!
Termites consume cellulose materials for food and shelter. You must get rid of their built-in insulation inside the wall cavities with termite mud tubes. A termite specialist comes equipped with chemicals to kill them in drywall or remove warped wood beams.
This includes termite damage from any place where they make contact with other surfaces. To solve the problem, a termite treatment professional will locate them and find out what termites cause the damage.
The best way to keep your home safe from the dangers of termites is by contacting a certified New York pest control professional. They not only identify any signs that they may exist in your wall. But also provide you with effective solutions for prevention and treatment.