What are the Different Types of Wood Destroying Pests and How You Can Detect Them?

They might look like tiny and harmless winged organisms but they are one of the biggest threats to your beloved home. The worst part is that they eat away your house so silently and slowly that you will have no idea what you are into until one of your timber structure collapses or you find dozens of holes in them. These are wood destroying insects (WDIs). Here are the different types of WDIs that breed in homes and cause much damage:

Termites: Termites are the most common pests found in homes and yet they are the most difficult to detect. The termite colony consists of three types of insects out of which only one eats way wood. Termites most often harbor in and around the foundational timber structure of your home that supports the building.

One of the most common indicators of a termite attack on your home is the appearance of mud tubes along the walls of your rooms. Termites can be subterranean or drywood. The former live in the soil and eat away the wood from inside making it difficult for the homeowners to detect their presence. The drywood termites, on the other hand, are commonly seen in the attic or exterior wood. They create holes in the wooden structure and breed in warm climate.

Beetles: These are common in homes with damp wood and bore into the wood just like termites. Wood boring beetles are of different types and some of them include Lyctids, Anobiids and Bostrichid. The best way to get rid of these insects is through fumigation. In this process wood is treated with chemicals containing borate or removal of those pieces of wood that are infested by termites.

Dry rot: These are a result of fungus growing in the wood. Fungus is formed on the wood when it is damp and when the wood dries then the fungus breaks the wood into irregular pieces. This lets moisture reach deep inside the wood where the fungus can breed easily. In order to treat dry rots you need to remove/replace the wood or use sealants to seal the wood.

Carpenter ants: Carpenter ants are attracted to decayed and damped wood. These pests leave behind a substance called frass and this is an indicator that the wood has been attacked by dry rots. You can get rid of these insects by spraying insecticides or fumigate the wood.

Ask an Architect is a leading home inspection company offering expert tips on home architecture and on working with architects. The company offers building inspection and Pest Inspection in Perth, Brisbane and nearby areas. The author of this article recommends Ask an Architect for all kinds of home renovation and home inspections.