Every year, property owners spend more than $2 billion trying to get rid of notorious termites. That is not surprising because queens can lay thousands of eggs a day, which consequently multiply their population by 10x more than any other insects in the world.
But how do you know whether there are termites in your home? Do they make any sound? While these creatures are very small, they do make noise that you can actually hear.
One of the ways to tell whether there are termites in your home is by knowing how they sound. If you grew up watching cartoons, then youโre probably familiar with the image of termites feeding on the wooden parts of your home. Termite usually hides behind walls and slowly eats them until the wooden parts of your home are gone. Sometimes, you donโt spot them until it is too late.
On the other hand, careful listeners and curious pets will hear the noise created by large termite infestations. Today on the blog, we will give you a rundown of the different sounds they make that will tell you some termites are present in your home.
A dry rattle
A dry rattle is a sign that termites are in action. When termites are threatened or disturbed, they communicate with each other by banging their tiny heads on the wall. Head banging is just a way for soldier termites to warn the others that they are under threat. When the walls vibrate, other termites will know danger is coming. Worker termites will also make clicking and rustling sounds with their mouth as they make tunnels through the wood.
When thousands of termites bang their head on the wall, it creates a dry rattling sound enough for you to notice. If your walls are thin and termites are able to penetrate through, you will be surprised just how much damage they have already made from the inside.
If you are not able to solve the problem until the spring mating season, then you will hear swarms of flying termites buzzing. This is a sign that the infestation has become worse than you think.
A papery rustling
Drywood termites will tunnel into the walls or wooden items. To our ears, the noise that thousands of termites produce when they eat away at the wood and their movements will sound like a papery rustling. Some studies suggested that termites can even eat faster when they feel the vibration that comes from rock music.
Take note though that the noises that termites make are faint and rarely heard. You need to use a stethoscope to hear them at work.
The hollow sound heard when the wood is tapped
If you tap on the wood in your home and it produces a hollow sound, then you may have termites. It is the most reliable sound for detecting termites damage via sound but it is only one piece of larger evidence.
Identify the parts of your home that are made of wood. Termites can easily get through the different parts of your home that are made of wood such as your walls, the attic or garage, beams, or hardwood flooring. As termites chew on your hardwood flooring and it becomes weaker and weaker, you may notice a creaking sound whenever you step on certain areas. There are many other wood-eating insects that could infest your home. To know whether termites have been eating up the woods in your home, a professional termite inspection team will have to check it for you. Take your precaution one step further and get the protection of a termite damage guarantee from the company.
Termite Damage vs. Water Damage
Oftentimes it is hard to identify whether the weird sound coming from your wood is caused by termite damage or other factors like water damage. Both termite damage and water damage on wood can cause an almost similar look and sound.
For example, if thereโs a water leak on your ceiling or drywall, it can hollow out the wood because it can get to the surface. So, the surface will show some discoloration and produce a hollow sound when you knock on it.
One way to confirm if it is termite damage is to look at the pattern. If the pattern is going along the grain, then it is most likely caused by termites. Dry rot is another type of damage to the wood that starts from behind or in the middle of the wood until your wood hollows out. All of these damages will spread over time when left untreated but a colony of termites is arguably worse. They can cause destruction to your home when ignored for too long.
Another way to differentiate the damage is the way they smell. Termite infestation will normally leave a foul smell on your walls, ceilings, or attic. Water damage barely leaves a foul odor.
Using Sound to Detect Termite Infestation
If you hear any of this sound, you must take action right away. Termites can damage your home very quickly. With 2 million termites working in the right condition, they can hollow out a wall in your home for the first few months without you noticing it until the damage is too big. Termite infestation can destroy an entire home in a year or two. If you believe there are termites in your home using the sound test, immediately seek a proper solution before everything is too late.
What Services Do We Offer?
We offer a bunch of services and treatments to control pest infestation for the masses all across Australia. Our pest control services can manage:
- Flying insects (wasps, bees, flies, mosquitoes, etc.)
- Crawling insects (termites, spiders, cockroaches, ants, etc.)
- Birds and rodents (rats, mice, birds, etc.)
Our team of experts works towards returning your home back to you just so you can resume your life without any disruption or hassle, which is exactly what makes The Local Guys Pest Control Andrews Farm the absolute best in the game!