Termites are definitely the most unwelcome of all “guests” in your home. They start invading your space quietly, practically undetected until one day you start hearing them in your walls, under your hardwood flooring and practically anywhere you go inside your house, and that’s when you know it’s time to call the exterminator, so the damage they have caused doesn’t get any worse, or any more expensive.

But before you get all hyped up about termites, you have to keep in mind that just because you found them invading your walls, it doesn’t mean that’s the only place they can hide. Termites can hide practically anywhere in California homes, starting with your outside foundation and spreading almost everywhere around the house. This is why periodic termite inspections should be at the top of any California homeowners To-Do list at least once or twice each year. Here we tell you where to get started on your semi-annual hunt for termites, and which are the best places to start looking for those house munching pests.

How bad can termite damage be?

One of the most worrisome estimates is that termites cause more than 5 billion dollars in damages to homes across the country each year, which come to an average of $3,000 per affected household just to repair the damaged wood. This is why it’s so important to detect these pests early on. So, where can you find termites inside your California home? Let’s take a look.

Where exactly do termites hide?

Because of California’s benign weather, termites can hide almost anywhere in your home, but they seem to favor certain spots, starting with the wood siding of the house and its external foundation. Some other locations that termites seem to favor are those that are made out of wood or include it in their construction, including kitchen cabinets, hardwood floors, the attic, your garden shed, the garage, crawlspaces, and even your home’s staircase. Termites are so insidious that they can build their colonies underground in your garden and spread out to your home, garage and shed, eating the wood on your tools and anything else that may be within reach.

But termites don’t only build colonies underground. These pests will build their nests anywhere it is dark and damp. This means that if you don’t carefully inspect your home regularly, one day you might go up to the attic to find your wedding photos and find yourself looking at an extremely unwanted termite colony eating away at your home.

When should you call the exterminator?

Because of their habits, termites will possibly have invaded your home before you start seeing signs of their presence. This could pose a problem in that once you find termites accidentally, the damage is probably already done and you are going to be footing a large bill to fix it. Finding just a few termites chewing wood in your shed doesn’t mean your entire home is free from them and you should call your trusted exterminator right away to get rid of the infestation. As a matter of fact, finding just one termite during your periodic inspection is reason enough to call the exterminator because it might just be a sign of the start of the infestation and protecting your home at that point can save you thousands of dollars in repairs by preventing the damage an entire colony can cause.

Termites are relentless and even when your home isn’t made out of wood, it doesn’t mean there isn’t enough wooden objects for them to feed on, and nobody needs the headache of having to replace any furniture or decorative elements they have ruined, so inspect your home regularly and rest easy knowing you are taking the right step to protect it from pests.

Dealing with termites is no walk in the park. If you believe you have termites in or around your home,  Request a free termite inspection online, call us at 888-945-2847 or visit our contact page. All of our termite inspections are no obligation and 100% free!