Termites are some of the most destructive pests a home can have. While they may not be dangerous to humans, they can cause significant damage to our homes. If your house has any wooden parts, from the floor to the ceiling, it’s a potential target for termites. The worst part is that most people don’t detect termites until they have caused significant damage. Can you hear termites in your walls?
The pests hide in the walls and chew on the wood until the house weakens. A weak house can endanger the lives of people living there and may require a lot of money to repair. How can you avert such concerns? The best weapon against termites is early detection.
That means you can treat the termites before they wreak havoc. But how can you detect them if they’re hiding most of the time? Let’s find out.
Worker termites make noise as they feed on wood. They make a soft clicking sound at night, when they’re most active. But sometimes, it might be difficult to hear these clicking noises coming from your wall without using some form of hearing aid.
So how can you hear termites if you don’t have any equipment? Try to disturb them.
Bang on the wall and listen keenly. If you hear rattling sounds, they could be coming from termites. Soldier termites usually bang their heads against the tunnels to create vibration.
This vibration warns members of the colony of impending danger. They can’t hear sounds, so they communicate through vibrations.
This vibration produces rustling sounds that are audible to us. If you don’t hear anything, try knocking on the wall when the house is quiet at night. Create some disturbance and place your ear against the wall to listen.
You’ll hear the sounds coming from the walls, which disappear after a while. That’s a sign of termites. But to be sure it’s a termite infestation, look for more evidence.
Let’s discuss more signs to look for.
Drywood termites usually migrate in the early fall or late summer. When they swam, they shed wings, which you can see on window panes and around your house. Subterranean termites create mud tubes along wooden structures to provide a wet path for their movement. If you see these tubes anywhere in your house, you have an infestation.
You can also detect termites by tapping on wood. You can use your hand, a rod, or any solid object to knock on the wood. As termites feed from inside the wood, they create a hollow space, which you can detect by tapping. Therefore, a hollow sound indicates termites’ activity.
Termites target wooden parts of a house. So if the house is made of concrete, termites can still attack wooden door frames, windows, and other built-in furniture. When termites attack the frames, the wood warps, making it difficult to close the window or door. So investigate any window or door that develops this problem.
Other signs to look for are discolored walls and peeling wallpaper or paint. Termites make the wall soft and prone to water damage. This can also happen to the floorboards, which become weak and squeaky. Another thing: be on the lookout for termites’ droppings and pin-size holes in drywall.
If you see any of the above signs, call for a termite inspection so our pest control experts can begin effective termite treatment to rid your property of these pests.
Termites can make various sounds, such as rattling, rustling, clicking, and buzzing. The loudest noise these pests make is rattling, which comes when soldier termites bang their heads against the tunnels to warn others of invasion. When you hear termite sounds coming from your walls, contact a professional pest control company for immediate action. Delaying can lead to more damage and increase repair costs.
McDonald Pest Control has experienced professionals who can help with termite inspections and treatment. Don’t let termite damage degrade the value of your home. Call us today for professional pest control services today.
