Termites are wood-eating, moisture-seeking, destructive pests that every homeowner needs to be aware of. Though termites are active year-round, they become even more of a threat to homeowners during the spring and summer seasons. Spring is considered to be “termite swarming season” which is when mature reproductives swarm from the colony in order to find a mate and establish a new colony. When you combine the spring termite swarms with the increase in termite activity levels due to the warm summer weather, the chances of these pests infesting your home greatly increases. During the summer, the termite colonies are in full swing, and will literally eat you out of house and home if you do not take action against them.

To help protect your home from termites this summer, it is essential to understand what kind of damages termites can cause and what signs to look out for, so that in the event of an infestation, you can seek professional help as soon as possible. Common warning signs of a termite infestation include:

• Witnessing termites swarming on your property; after swarming from the colony, reproductive termites quickly lose their wings and, therefore, do not travel terribly far from their point of origin. This means that if you are seeing swarming termites, there is likely a mature nest nearby.
• Discovering mud tubes going across your yard or traveling up your home’s foundation; termites travel back and forth from their nest to their food source these tubes in order to stay out of the elements and out of sight from predators.
• Finding termite droppings collected on the floors in different areas of your home, especially basements; these dropping can sometimes look like small pieces of bird seed.
• Noticing bubbling or splintering along the baseboards or drywall of your home.
• Noticing that doors and windows are no longer opening or closing properly, or that floors and ceilings are sagging.

The unfortunate truth when it comes to termites is that, more often than not, by the time any signs of their presence are discovered, significant damage has already been done and the termites have most likely already created extensive tunnels throughout structural wood of your home. These destructive pests work continuously, feeding on and damaging the wood that they have invaded from the inside out, weakening its structural integrity. If termites are not eliminated, over time they will weaken the overall structural integrity of your home.

If you discover what you think is evidence of termites living on your property or in your home, do not hesitate; it is important to contact a professional termite control expert immediately. Termites are very destructive pests and cause costly repair. In fact, they are responsible for causing billions of dollars worth of damages in the United States each year. You can’t afford to wait to deal with a termite problem! At Thomas Pest Services we can provide the inspection and treatment services needed to quickly and thoroughly eliminate a current termite infestation as well as the year-round services needed to prevent a future infestation. Don't wait another day, give Thomas Pest Service a call today to learn more about our industry-leading termite control solutions!