Burglars, fires and floods are all threats to your home that you may think about on a regular basis. Unfortunately, there are a few other threats from the pest world that you may not even think about invading your home, but they can cause serious problems for you too. Wood destroying pests, including termites and carpenter ants, are silent destroyers in your home, especially if they go unnoticed for any length of time.

Threats caused by wood destroying pests

Wood destroying pests, like termites and carpenter ants, will burrow into wood and clear it out (in the case of carpenter ants) or eat it (in the case of termites) until it is hollow from the inside out. Hollowed wood can become structurally unstable; it can cause window and door frames to sag and wood to appear water damaged. Damage done by wood destroying insects isn’t typically covered under homeowner’s policies either so it is important to keep on the lookout for signs of wood destroying insects.

Wood destroying insects like termites leave only a few signs behind. These can include:

• Wood that appears to sag or droop.

• Thin mud tunnels along the foundation or drywall.

• Shed termite wings.

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Carpenter ants may end up leaving a few more signs of their activity. These signs can include:

• Piles of wood shavings (also known as ‘frass’) may be noticed around areas where carpenter ants have burrowed into the wood.

• Carpenter ants crawling around your home.

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What can you do to prevent wood destroying pests?

If your home is currently free from wood destroying insects, that’s great news! You never know when they may begin to infest your home so it’s wise to keep an eye on any potential problems. To prevent wood destroying insects from being attracted to your home in the first place, you can try these prevention tips:

• Replace any wood that is already water damaged. Water damaged wood is more attractive to wood destroying insects.

• Make sure that the wood of your home doesn’t touch the ground. If you have a deck, make sure that it has concrete footings so that the wood doesn’t touch the soil.

• Remove mulch or elevate wood piles so that they don’t touch the soil.

• Seal possible entry points to keep pests from entering.

• Keep food stored in airtight containers and never leave food on counter tops.

• Clean up pet food immediately after your pets are done eating.

• Keep garbage stored in a container with a tight fitting lid.

• Reduce moisture in your home to eliminate damp areas that attract pests.

These prevention tips should also be followed up with professional pest control services. With a pest control regime performed by a pest control pro regularly, you won’t have to worry about pests taking over your home or the damage that wood destroying insects can cause.

For more information on wood destroying insects and termite or carpenter ant prevention, please contact the professionals at Thomas Pest Services. We offer effective pest control treatments and preventative solutions to eliminate many different pests, including wood destroying insects that may be bothering you.