Whether they have knowingly infested your commercial facility or not, termites are the silent destroyer. No matter where termites have infested, they can cause serious damage if they go undetected for long periods of time. But it is the very nature of termites that allows them to go undetected. They live in colonies under the ground that are located a short distance from the structure itself. The foraging members of this colony build protective tunnels so they can travel to your facility but not dry out, as they need moisture to survive. Once they arrive at your place of business, they burrow a hole into the structure and begin their quiet munching of the wood inside.
So what kind of damage can termites cause? A lot! These insects have a voracious appetite and are known to eat 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Although termites may be small and only the size of a grain of rice, over time they can cause significant damage. They eat the wood in your structure from the inside out, using mud to patch up holes whenever they break through the surface of the wood. They can cause wood to become unstructurally sound, cause it to bend and bow and look rotten. If termite damage goes undetected for long enough, the entire structure may need replacing.
Signs of Termite Damage
In order to protect your business from termite damage, it is wise to keep an eye out for the few signs they may leave behind. These signs can include:
- Shed termite wings from termite swarms that occur near or on your property. Termite swarmers are the winged reproductives that fly out of their colony, usually in the spring, to find an appropriate mate. They leave their wings behind when they are done mating and finding these wings is a very obvious sign that termites may be present nearby.
- Thin mud tubes along drywall and along foundation walls. These are the tunnels built by termites that allow them to travel safely to and from their colony to your home.
- Wood that appears water damaged or appears to droop or sag. This may be especially obvious around doors and windows or along the roof line.
If you suspect termites, or just want to stay ahead of the game when it comes to termite damage, the best thing to do is call in a professional termite inspector. Termite inspections alongside of a termite control program are the only way to finally get peace of mind that your business is not going to suffer the hefty costs of infestations and damages.