How To Tell If It's Drywood Termites Tearing Up Your Anaheim Home

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Beneath your feet, an army may be at work slowly destroying your home. These silent soldiers are chewing through your home's wood structures, and you may be facing astronomical repairs costing thousands of dollars.

If you feel termites are slowly destroying your home, you need the best pest control in Anaheim, A-1 Bonded Termite. We specialize in termite elimination so you can relax knowing your home's structural integrity is safe.

Oh No! Signs You May Have Drywood Termites In Anaheim

Termites are silent destroyers; they can be chewing through the wood in your house without any visible indications — unless you know the signs. The following are indications you have a termite problem:

  • Warped Doors: The moisture drywood termites produce as they eat wood within the door or window framing warps wood over time. 
  • Blistering Paint: The tunnels created by the termites near the wall surface causes a blistered appearance. 
  • Crunching Sounds: You may hear a crunching sound as you walk over wood flooring as the termite tunnels beneath your feet collapse.
  • White Ants: Drywood termites look similar to ants and are often mistaken for white ants; however, no ant species is all white.
  • Termite Swarmers: A dense group of bugs moving through the evening sky or gathering under an outdoor light in the early spring or late fall is a sign of active termites.

If you have any of these signs, you need to take quick action to get rid of termites in your Anaheim home.

How To Identify Drywood Termite Droppings 

Drywood termites, carpenter ants, and dampwood termites can wreak havoc on a house as they tunnel through the wood structures. Although they share a love for cellulose, the output from all three is distinctly different. 

Drywood termites produce elongated, hexagonal fecal pellets comprised of six sides. The ends of the drywood termite feces are round like a pill, and the surface has six ridges running the length of the tube. 

The dampwood termite's output consists of elongated structures with rounded ends, but they do not have the six ridges. Unlike the droppings of the termites, the feces of carpenter ants resemble sawdust.

The Difference Between Drywood And Dampwood Termites 

Both dampwood and drywood termites tunnel through wood; however, you can tell the differences by the following: 

  • Wood Choice: Drywood termites infest nondecayed, sound dry wood. Dampwood termites invade wood that is decaying due to high moisture contents. 
  • Wood Location: As long as it is dry, drywood termites will bore through furniture, doors, windows, and wood flooring. Wood attractive to dampwood termites is unusually in contact with the ground or near a leaky pipe. 
  • Fecal Output: As discussed earlier, the fecal pellets of the two termite species are similar in structure, but the fecal droppings of the drywood termite have six ridges. 

Although both termites infest wood, dampwood termites are considered the least likely to cause damage to your home because they tend to thrive in high-moisture areas such as forests.

Total Termite Control For Homes In Anaheim

These little, creamy white, six-legged drywood termites chew through beams, subfloors, and walls, causing a yearly estimated $5 billion in damage to property throughout the United States. Sadly, homeowner policies do not cover termite damage leaving the owner with an expensive repair bill. 

If you see signs of termites, the time to act is now. Quick action and termite control will save you tens of thousands in future repair bills. Our pest control experts at A-1 Bonded Termite use environmentally safe and effective treatments to stop drywood termites. Contact us today, and let us solve your termite problem.