How do you know if your home needs a termite inspection? In Orange County, it’s actually wise to schedule a twice-yearly termite inspection — one in the late spring and one in the late fall — as termites tend to swarm (and thus are most likely to create a new hive in your home) in the rainy seasons. If you’re in the vast majority of people who isn’t willing to engage in that little bit of preventative maintenance, you should at least know what the other signs are that it might be time to schedule a termite inspection.
A termite colony generally starts in the woods, having hollowed out a massive tree or built a termite mound out of the partially-digest wood and their own saliva and feces. That colony will send out swarms of breeder termites, and if those breeders find a nice, comfy nook or cranny of your home, you could millions of termites eating away at your home’s structure in just a few short months.
There are three basic breeds of termite: soldiers, which look like grubs with huge pincers; workers, which look like squirming grains of rice with heads, and breeders, which look like ants. Breeders begin their life cycle with long wings, which they shed once they’ve found a place to live. In fact, finding a set of wings that look like very small dragonfly wings on your floor in a great reason to call out your favorite termite control Orange County business for a visit.
Of course, there is also a queen, but you’ll almost never see her. She’s about 4 inches long, and at her most active can pump out nearly six thousand eggs every day — about one every fifteen seconds, all day long. Needless to say, if your termite control methods don’t find and eliminate this one, you’re wasting your time.
Unexpected bubbling in the paint on the inside or outside of your house is another sure reason to call the termite inspector. This is the result of worker termites chewing through the surface of the wood, not liking the paint, and patching the hole with their own saliva and feces.