While other pests can pose health risks and even property damage risks, there’s nothing quite as destructive as a termite infestation. Causing millions of dollars in damage to California homes and businesses every year, termites are notorious for how quickly they can ruin property.
To make matters worse, termite damage isn’t always easily identifiable or obvious. So, that naturally brings about a few questions: What does termite damage look like? How much termite damage is too much? What does termite damage repair look like, and how much does it cost?
Advanced IPM has provided residential and commercial termite control in California for decades—and we’ve got the answers you’re looking for.
Types of Termites in California
There are three main kinds of California termites that terrorize homes and businesses alike. These types of termites are:
- Subterranean—These termites nest in the ground and make their way into structures via mud tubes. They have the biggest colonies that number in the tens of thousands.
- Drywood—With smaller colonies of up to a few thousand, drywood termites nest within wood and don’t need physical contact with the ground to get into your home.
- Dampwood—As their name implies, dampwood termites nest in moist, wet, damp, or decaying wood. They are the largest termites found in California.
Each termite poses a slightly different threat level and has different behavioral characteristics, but they are all destructive and require professional pest control to eliminate.
Termite Damage
What Does Termite Damage Look Like?
Termites inflict damage to homes by eating wood, which is their primary food choice thanks to its high concentration of cellulose. As a result, direct termite damage is easy to spot, evident in the chew marks from thousands of termites gorging themselves on your property.
Unfortunately, not all termite damage is obvious. Termites don’t eat just the exterior of wood but the interior as well. You should keep an eye on a few signs of this kind of termite wood destruction:
- Hollowed wood—Hollow wood makes a different, more resonant sound when tapped. Compare the sound of suspected wood damage to other parts of your property constructed from the same material.
- Blisters or bulges in wood—Wood that is partially hollowed out can bulge or warp due to changes in temperature. These blisters are a telltale sign that something is wrong.
- Uneven or bubbling paint—When termites eat wood, the paint that covers it can bubble, crack, or shift due to changes underneath.
Occasionally, the only way to determine a termite infestation is by what termites leave behind. Some evidence of a termite infestation that isn’t directly damage-related include:
- Mud tubes—Mud tubes are how subterranean termites go from the ground into your property and are usually found on its exterior.
- Frass—These small piles of feces resemble sawdust and are usually found near termite nests.
- Wings—After swarming, many species of termites lose their wings, which you can find distributed around windowsills and doors.
Of course, if you’re unsure whether you have termite damage, give your local pest control company a call for a termite inspection.
Termite Damage Repair
Termite damage comes in one of two kinds: aesthetic and structural. Aesthetic damage only or mostly affects how your home looks. Examples of aesthetic damage include warped furniture or chewed-through door frames.
However, termites can also present structural damage to your home. After enough time, termites can irreparably destroy support beams and floors, which can even pose the risk of a collapsing ceiling or unsupportive floor.
Damage repair for termites can be as simple as replacing a few beams or adding support structure to significant engineering work if your property is in danger of collapse.
Termite Damage Repair Cost in California
The cost of termite damage repair varies depending on the extent of the infestation along with the type of method used to eradicate the pests and repair your home. The initial cost for termite control could range anywhere from a few hundred to a few thousand dollars. If there is structural damage to your home, the floor cost is a few thousand dollars and can balloon quickly if there are extensive repairs to be made.
Worst of all for homeowners, most standard homeowners insurance does not cover termite damage. That means that you’ll likely be on the hook for the full cost of elimination and repair.
Advanced Termite Protection Plan
Assistance from a pest control company like Advanced IPM is a must to avoid termite damage before it happens. However, not all pest control companies offer the same level of protection. Our Advanced Termite Protection Plan is designed to provide peace of mind and preventive pest control for your property.
The Advanced Termite Protection (ATP) plan is a three-year pest control plan and warranty
