Where Termite Damage Occurs Most Often in Lewisville Homes

Termites are a serious problem in our North Texas service area. They say everything is bigger in Texas—well, when it comes to the amount of damage termites can do, that is definitely a true statement, especially for the eastern side of Texas from San Antonio all the way up to Dallas. Today, we're going to talk about some of the locations on your Lewisville home that will be the first targets of subterranean termites and what damage you might see.

Exterior Structures

Termites are more likely to attack exterior structures that have untreated, unpainted or unstained wood such as a fence, garden border, shed, or deck. If any of these are attached to your home, they can allow termites a pathway to get in. Look for damage near the ground, where wood touches the soil. This is the most likely place you'll see termite damage. It will look like trenches stacked vertically or horizontally and running along the grain. When termites attack higher spots on an external structure, they often create shelter tubes. These will often look like muddy veins attached to the wood.

The Sole Plate

If you're not familiar with a sole plate, it is the horizontal wood members that are attached to your foundation. These members are the anchor point for the vertical studs in your walls. If water finds a way into your walls, it can work its way down to the sole plate and cause wood rot. When this occurs, it creates a perfect "soft target" for subterranean termites.

Detecting sole plate damage is difficult on the outside of your home but you may be able to see it inside your basement. This damage will look the same as the damage described above. If no visible damage can be seen, you may be able to detect damage by tapping on the wood to see if it sounds hollow.

Does your home have a crawl space under it? This is the ideal location for subterranean termites. It offers darkness, moisture, and access to the wood under your home. If this is where termites are getting in, you're likely to see shelter tubes on your foundation walls or piers. If you have concrete piers, you might have to use a mirror to look down into the piers to see these tubes. This can be a long and difficult process.

Look for trenches in the wood under your home. Tap wood and listen to see if it sounds hollow. And look closely for the presence of shelter tubes.

Entry Points

Sometimes termites don't chew their way in. Sometimes they come in through entry points, just like other pests do. They'll come in through cracks in brick mortar and foundation walls, damaged seals around door and window frames, holes created by rodents, and more. If you see a shelter tube climbing up your foundation wall and stopping at a crack or you see a shelter tube climbing up to the bottom of a window frame, you have a termite infestation.