Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Drywood Termite Signs


Drywood termites are the easiest termite to see signs from. They are also the least damaging termite of all termites, generally. Their colonies are a lot smaller than other colonies like subterranean termite colonies. So, let’s hope that you can spot the signs and eradicate these termites from your real estate before they do some serious damage.

Drywood termite signs are very unique in comparison to other termite signs. The first thing that you will look for is their fecal pellets. These pellets are sometimes called frass. Termites, once inside wood, will push out this frass through little “kick out holes.” The frass will look like extremely cut up wood, like sawdust. Some even consider it to look like coffee grounds. If you pick them up, then you will notice a gritty texture between your fingers when you rub them together.

The color of the frass is not related to the age or the wood that has been consumed. Frass is a common way to discover Drywood termite signs. These pellets will usually accumulate on the floor near the infested structure. If you notice blistering or warping of the wood, then that is a sign that the damage has been occurring quite frequently. Drywood termites will tunnel right under the surface of the wood so that will alter the shape that the wood takes. You can detect their damage by probing the wood with the back of a screwdriver and seeing if any holes are made easily. Also, you can do the tap trick and see if the wood sounds hollow or not.

1 comment:

James said...

Nice and interesting articles.. God bless you.