7 Signs of Termites in Your Walls, Drywall, Ceilings, Floors

Termites are a destructive lot when they infest your home. These tiny insects can eat away at the wooden components of your home, including floors and ceilings. They do not spare drywall either, as it contains cellulose.

Spotting drywall signs of termites can save thousands of dollars in repair costs. Here are the signs of termite infestation to look out for.

Discarded Termite Wings

Discarded wings are the first sign of a possible termite infestation. Swarmers are common in early spring and summer. The young termites leave their nest to find new territories during this time. These wings fall off soon after their flight, usually within the first 24 hours.

If you notice termite wings inside your house, it could indicate an impending infestation or that some termites already live in your walls, ceiling, or floor.

Termite Dust

Termite dust at the base of your walls indicates that termites are gnawing at the wooden components of your house. The fine crumbly dust at the base of your walls is the waste termites produce as they eat through your home. Termite dust or frass looks like sawdust.

You may also notice termite droppings alongside frass. The droppings are small-oval-shaped pellets in the color of the wood. They may be dark brown or look like sawdust, depending on the color of what they eat.

Blistering Paint

Peeling or blistering paint is one of the common drywall signs of termites in your walls. These insects are naturally susceptible to the elements. Therefore, they stay buried in walls, wood, or underground.

However, they still carry moisture into their galleries. This moisture causes blistering or peeling paint if they live directly beneath the wall surface.

Even without the introduction of moisture, when termites eat away at the materials holding the paint, it starts peeling off or bubbling.

Discoloration on the Ceiling

Termite infestation on the ceiling is a disaster as your roof could collapse as the critters progressively east away at the supporting beams. The signs are similar to water damage, with the ceiling appearing slightly discolored, thanks to dry rot.

Along with the discoloration, your ceiling starts to bubble, and the paint peels. You’ll also notice irregular cracks in the ceiling wood, with pulpy edges.

The discoloration could also indicate the paths termites follow as they eat away at your house. They may form small mud tubes or tunnels along the ceiling.

Squeaky Floors

Termites hardly spare any part of the house. They will eat away at the floor, the ceilings, and the walls. When your floorboards start sagging and creaking, it might be due to the weakness caused by a termite infestation.

The floor tiles could also loosen due to termites eating away the wooden joists of your floor. If not handled soon, a squeaky or sagging floor may collapse under the weight of furniture, appliances, or foot traffic.

Small Pin Holes

When termites bore into your floor, walls, or ceilings, they leave small holes. Termites make entry holes when they first arrive in new territory. The entry holes are then covered with a plaster-like substance.

They also make exit holes where swarm termites leave the nest to look for a new territory before mating season. 

Hollow Walls

Pinholes are often one of the drywall signs of termites in your house. If you notice them, you’ll need to tap the wall and listen. If you hear a hollow sound, chances are the termites have eaten away at your drywall.

You can hear this hollowness in all the places the termites have passed. That gives you an idea of how much the walls have suffered termite damage.

 

What To Do When There’s a Termite Infestation

Never ignore termite infestation. Termites are problematic to get rid of once they establish their colonies in your walls or house. Even a single survivor can nullify any extermination efforts you have made.

That said, here are several ways to prevent and control an infestation:

• Fumigate your home
• Apply insecticides to the infested areas
• Use termite baits to capture them
• Fill any cracks or crevices along your foundation, doors, and windows to eliminate potential entry points
• Conduct regular inspections to check the integrity of your house and possible infestations by termites and other pests

Termite infestations are hard to deal with alone. Call a pest control expert who’ll use extensive extermination techniques to rid your home of these insects.

 

Final Thoughts

If you notice any drywall signs of termites infestation, take the necessary steps to eliminate them before they cost your home or thousands of dollars in repair. Your best bet is a pest control expert. 

Contact us today for a free evaluation so we can get started on dealing with any termite infestation in your home.