Termites pose a serious threat to your house. These destructive pests can tear down your home’s structures and whittle your furniture away in no time. Routine termite inspections are necessary to discover termites before they can do too much property damage. However, how much time it takes for this to happen?

The answer depends on some factors like the kind of termites that have invaded your home, the size of the colony, and the location of the colony. But termites will eat through a substantial amount of wood in only a few months. If these pests are eating through the right type of wood, a structural issue can be expected in under one year.  So, before this happens, you should contact a trusted company like Stride Pest Control to handle a termite infestation for you. This company has experts who can also help you prevent future infestations. 

How Termites Form Their Colony

Termites can be quite destructive because they create big colonies quickly. Also, every colony member has a certain job to perform, which makes colony-making easier and quicker. 

Termite colonies can be composed of a few thousand termites or even several millions of them, depending on the species. Every colony has a queen, workers, and soldiers, and nymphs. The queen is responsible for reproducing, the workers eat the wood, and the soldiers protect the colony. The workers represent the biggest class that eat sthrough your home’s wooden structures round-the-clock. The bigger the termite colony, the quicker they can spread damage. 

What Do Termites Eat?

Termites are wood eaters. The majority of people know this. However, did you know that they also eat other materials that contain cellulose? These include drywall, plaster, and insulation. Some termites even consume soft metals.

Various kinds of species also consume various things. Termites can have gut bacteria that break down various materials. Dampwood termites eat decaying wood such as fallen branches and stumps while drywood termites consume the wood in the structure of your house. 

Signs of Termite Damage

You will know termites have invaded your home through the damage they do. When you notice signs of termite damage, contact a pest control company immediately to schedule a professional inspection and service. Common signs of termite damage include wood or paint swelling, floor damage a hollow sound when you tap the wood, droppings found around doors and window frames, mud tubes, and termite wings. 

Addressing a termite infestation early prevents it from escalating into a major issue. This can result in more extensive home damage that is hard and costly to repair.