06 Oct Can you hear termites?
Can you hear termites?
Can you hear termites?
It is not easy to spot termites when they enter your home. They can crawl stealthily and build thousands of colonies in your home without being detected. That is because they go through the ground and make their way to your home from the outside.
Fortunately, there are some signs you can look out for if you’ve begun to suspect the presence of termites around you. These signs are important because the earlier you spot the presence of termites, the earlier you can stop them from spreading in your home.
One of the signs of termite presence in your home is when you hear a rustling sound on the wall. The rustling sound is so faint that you can barely hear it but once you put your ears on the wall, you should be able to notice something. Other signs can include hollowed wood, mud tube formation, and fallen wings near your window sills.
What sound do termites produce in the wall?
If you can hear a soft clicking noise during the night, it’s probably termites. The sound made by termites is produced when they chew on wooden materials and when they are in motion. If the infestation has just started, you can expect the sound to be very weak. Termite technicians would use a stethoscope to hear the sound. However, if you have a severe termite infestation, it can sound like someone is tapping their finger on the drywall..
Clicking, tapping, and headbanging
The loudest sound that termites produce comes from head banging. They bang their heads on the walls whenever they feel threatened. As soon as they bang their heads or shake their bodies against the sides of their tunnels, they produce a vibration that warns others of the threat.
Head-banging is supposed to alert the other termites in the colony of the disturbance in their homes and provoke evacuation. Note that all termites are deaf so they can only detect the vibration through their bodies.
On the other hand, you may also hear a faint clicking or tapping sound. The tapping sound could be attributed to the presence of termites but also other pests. To precisely diagnose the problem, you can contact our termite inspection team to check on the type of infestation.
Buzzing
Other than head-banging, termites can also buzz as they grow in number. They can make spontaneous humming and buzzing noises as they tunnel their way to the woods. But when you hear this sound, it means that the infestation is already severe. Other insects like wasps, bees, and mosquitoes can also buzz. It is important that you make the right diagnosis in your home to ensure that proper treatment is given.
Buzzing and faint vibration can also result from non-stop chewing on the wood. Since the chewing sound is very faint, you need to use a stethoscope to amplify its sound.
Swarming
Termites swarm in spring, which is their mating season. The noise can be perceived as a light buzzing made by the insects flapping their tiny wings. The winged termites or “alates” are the reproductive termites that only appear during the spring season to mate and lay more eggs. These termites are bigger than other kinds of termites in the colony and it is their only task to lay eggs.
Once they mate and are ready to lay eggs, they shed their wings and settle in a new place. These termites are more attracted to dim lights in the evening, so if you want to trap them you may use a buzz trap.
As soon as the winged termites swarm, they will be electrocuted. Note, however, that this is only a temporary solution. Killing a swarm of termites will not completely eradicate the whole colony of termites lurking inside your home.
Hollow sound on the wall
Try to knock on your drywall and check how it sounds. An empty wood would produce a deeper and louder sound when you knock on it – that means the wall is almost hollow. A hollow wood is a sign of termite infestation usually caused by drywood termites.
Drywood termites are fast wood eaters. They can chew on the wood and create hollow tunnels inside in just a matter of months after they first set foot in your home. If some parts of your home have been infested with termites, it is possible that some other wooden structures in your home also have termites in them.
Drywalls will have weaker exterior as it hollows out. So, try to press on the surface and see whether your fingers go through. If your finger goes through, try to check other parts of the wall that could have been hollowed out by the termites.
Conclusion
Spotting termites can be challenging especially if you do not have the tools and equipment to do it right. That is because termites are stealthy pests. They can go through our home from the ground and make their way inside by eating the interiors of the wooden structures in your home. Moreover, they like working in hidden places like crawl spaces, underground wood foundations, and attics.
They could get through the walls anytime as the colony grows. But when this happens, that also means some of the termite-prone areas in your home have already been eaten away. To fully eradicate termites in your home, hiring a professional termite technician would be a smart idea.
Ongoing prevention is your best bet when it comes to completely eradicate termites in your home. Since homeowner insurance plans do not usually cover termite damage, our goal is to help you leverage an economical termite solution. If you’re concerned about termites in your home, schedule an appointment to get a free termite inspection from The Local Guys.
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