How Do Termites Get Inside the Home?

Mud tubes are fascinating yet ominous at the same time. Subterranean termites often use these pencil-like structures to travel from their nest to your home. You can find these thin tubes on your ceiling, corners of your wall, and running along the floor.

This structure takes a lot of time and energy to construct. The worker termites use a mixture of fecal matter, soil, and saliva to build the tubing maze. Mud tubes help to protect them from predators and humans. They want to ensure they can make it from the nest to the feeding site without danger.

If you see any of these mud tubes in or around your home, you should knock them down. While this will detour them, it’s not going to stop them altogether. These structures are menacing, as they indicate an infestation. Now, you will need a pest control professional to determine if the infestation is active or inactive.

Additionally, these tubes can be elaborate and extensive, but you need to find out if they’re currently being used. They often look like a large grid of intricate structures once you remove the exterior sheltering them. The problem is that they eat the wood from the inside out, so you don’t always see the termite damage until they have destroyed the area.

Understanding the Three Most Common Species

In America, we deal with three types of termites: drywood, subterranean, and dampwood. Where they come from and how they live all depends on the species we’re talking about, as they’re all different.

They differ dramatically because each variety has various food demands and shelter needs. Let’s examine the three types, their housing preferences, and their feeding habits.

Subterranean Termites

The subterranean species prefers soil that’s nice and damp. Before these pests get inside, they’re abundant around the exterior of your home. Do you have mulch in your flower beds directly beside your house?

Having mulch so close is like rolling out the welcome mat for this variety of termites. Do you have a wood pile outside? They love areas with lots of moisture, so the decaying wood in these piles is quite alluring.

Sadly, if you bring in wood contaminated with termites, you’ve just brought them into their new feeding zone. Even if you don’t have mulch or woodpiles around your yard, they can live in the ground. They love to congregate in some areas where the earth is exceptionally moist.

Something as simple as having a sprinkler system that keeps your lawn irrigated and moist can attract them. If you live on a wooded lot with old tree stumps and branches lying about, you may have subterranean termites lurking. There are termites around you, but will your home and yard be alluring enough to draw them to it?

Dampwood Termites

The dampwood varieties are a species that loves damp soil and lots of moisture. Does your lawn have any water elements that could attract them? Do you know that lovely big rain barrel with water and plenty of wood around it? It can effortlessly draw them to your home.

It’s madness to think of how easily these insects can get into your space. One of the easiest ways to attract this variety is leaking gutters or faucets. Any gutter leaking almost always produces some mold or fungus, so this attracts a bug that loves damaged wood and decay.

Any opening that leads from the outside to the inside is a threat. They will use these entrances to get into your home.

Drywood Termites

Unlike the subterranean, which prefers a moist environment, drywood termites prefer things to be nice and dry. Just because this is their preference doesn’t mean they won’t make do with what they have, as they can be brought in. Since they like dry wood, these insects are often a considerable problem in furniture warehouses and places that sell seasoned firewood to the public.

Lumber yards also have a challenging time with them. Additionally, they will find cracks in the trees to build their nests in warmer climates. They’re pretty clever and can see the minor void in your home’s exterior structure to gain entry. The problem with these termites is their ability to fly off the radar.

Since they burrow so deep into wooden structures in and around the home, most people don’t know they have an issue until an inspection or support beams become weak and buckle. They’re very sneaky, so they’re a huge problem to the unsuspecting homeowner.

How to Make Your Home Less Attractive to Damaging Termites?

In the Garden State, the most battled termite is the eastern subterranean variety. It’s not uncommon to see them after a significant rain swarming around the exterior of your home. Many folks confuse flying ants with termites, which is understandable due to their similarities.

However, if you compare the two side-by-side, you will see there’s no reason to mistake them. Termites don’t like the light of day, and their appearance is almost albino. They’re translucent in color, and it’s because they never see the light. The mud tubes they make help to protect them from predators and illumination.

While they all fall under this category of insects, they are certainly diverse. How do you know if your home has the perfect breeding ground for damage causing termites? Here are a few things they look for:

• Lots of wooden aspects (beams, floors, siding)
• High moisture levels
• Ability to be safe from predators

Even though they prefer a home with a lot of wooden aspects, they will still need to settle for the support beams of your home. They’re often seen in basements and crawlspaces because the amount of moisture in these areas is significant. Additionally, basements are dark, so it provides them with some ability to hide from danger.

Termites are tough to remove. They only need essential elements to survive food, water, and shelter. So, you must be one step ahead. If you notice piles of discarded wings, sawdust dropping in windowsills and on the ground, or floors buckling, call for help.

Keeping the Termites in Their Place Not Yours

If you notice anything out of the ordinary that causes you alarm, it’s always best to have a professional inspect your home. You could have a termite infestation, and you always want to catch these issues as soon as possible.

This is not the kind of issue that you can handle yourself, as you’re just wasting time and money. It would help if you had a technician who is well-trained in how to eradicate these resilient pests. If something is eating the wooden structures in your home, any delays can cost you thousands of dollars in damages.

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