What to do if you think your frisco home has termites

Let's examine each item further to help you in your identification efforts.

There are thousands of termite species worldwide, but the ones that infest most homes in Frisco are subterranean termites and their Formosan cousins. Because these termites require significant moisture, they create nests in the soil near damp wood. The sun and heat quickly dehydrate subterranean termites. To remedy this problem, these termites build mud tubes for protection as they travel from their colony to the food source. Mud tubes on basement and crawl space walls indicate subterranean or Formosan termites are present.

When subterranean and Formosan worker termites eat wood, they chew along the grain. As a result, the wood sounds hollow when tapped with a blunt object. Because these are high-moisture termites and since they infest damp, often fungus-ridden wood, discoloration appears where they hollow out the timber. Usually, damaged portions appear darker than the rest of the wood. As the destruction continues and more moisture saturates the wood, it rots and crumbles when prodded.

If left untreated, subterranean and Formosan worker termites work their way into wall voids, where they eat the timber and chew through drywall paper for the cellulose content; however, they do not eat through to the outside but leave a thin paper layer. Moisture from the termites causes the delicate paper barrier and wallpaper to blister.

Subterranean and Formosan worker termites typically begin their invasion underneath the house, where they consume support beams and trusses. After a few years of a termite infestation, the support beams weaken and cause window and door frames to warp. Thus, improperly closing windows and doors indicate termites are present.

We've alluded to subterranean and Formosan worker termites, but what do these insects look like? Termites are insects that have six legs, two straight antennae, and a three-part segmented body (head, thorax, and abdomen). These termites have a caste system with a queen, king, soldiers, workers, and swarmers. Unless they are flying, the termites you will likely see are the workers since they are the ones that travel between the nest and food sources. Subterranean worker termites have 1/8-inch long creamy-white to dark brown or black bodies; their Formosan cousins have 1/2-inch long, narrow bodies of the same color.

Swarmer termites are the reproductive, flying members of a termite caste. The queen produces this group only after the nest matures, usually two to four years after she begins the colony. Swarmers leave the nest in the spring to begin satellite nests. If you notice insects flying around outdoor lights, windows, and doors at dusk in the spring, you may have termites on the property. 

When a future king and queen swarming termite senses a rotting tree stump or moist wood in the crawl space, they will land, discard their wings, burrow into the soil, and mate. Discarded wings in window sills and around doorways are another termite indication.

If you see any of these signs of termites in your home, immediately contact Adams Exterminating.