You may think that if you don’t have a deck you don’t need to worry about the damage that insects can do. However, it’s not just the deck that’s made of wood; your house also has plenty of wood. If insects start eating through this you can end up with structural damage to your home which could be an expensive issue.
That’s why you need the number of a good pest control service handy; if you think you have an issue you need to call them as soon as possible.
When you think of insects that eat or damage wood you’re first thought will probably be termites. While these are definitely an issue they are not the only insects that eat or damage wood:
Termites
These are the best-known insects and the ones that potentially cause the most damage. What may surprise you is that they look surprisingly similar to the carpenter ant.
One of the biggest clues that you have an issue is when you find small tunnels in the soil around the walls of your home. These are the easiest way for termites to access the wood in your home. You can test if the termite’s tunnels are active by blocking several of them. They will be unblocked or new tunnels will appear if you have termite activity.
Because termites can cause a lot of damage in a short space of time you need to get expert help. Find out more here.
Carpenter Ants
These are similar looking to termites but they don’t actually eat the wood. Instead, they bore through it to create tunnels for themselves to live in. This can cause extensive damage but the rate of damage is usually much slower than the damage caused by termites.
Carpenter Bees
All bees need a place to make a nest. However, the majority of them will build their own nests attached to a suitable structure. Carpenter bees don’t. Instead, they will drill into any exposed wood and create a chamber where they can lay their eggs.
They particularly like untreated wood and their holes are easy to spot, they are usually the size of a permanent marker and circular. They won’t cause much damage to your wood but if you have several nests and they return year after year it can affect the strength of your wood.
Wood Boring Beetles
As their name suggests these beetles like to bore into wood. They can be as small as a flea of as big as 1 – 1 ½ inch. Their preference is to live in trees where they burrow in to create a nest. But, if the wood is imported or used in your house construction these wood-boring beetles can be in your home without you knowing it; or any outbuildings.
It’s worth noting that you can’t treat the wood to get rid of these beetles, replacement is the only option which means you need to shop carefully for the wood.
Again, if you think you have an issue then early pest control is essential.
