6 Routes Termites Can Take to Enter Your Home

09 Dec 6 Routes Termites Can Take to Enter Your Home

Subterranean termites are always on the lookout for food sources to feed their growing colonies. And termites never stop eating — even during winter when other pests are inactive. This means that in California, where termites are abundant, you need to be vigilant all year round.

Subterranean termites can access your home in various ways, all without your knowledge.

1. Through Wooden Structures Attached to Your Home

Subterranean termites will target wooden structures in contact with the soil. This is because this termite species lives underground. As such, they will attack patios, decks, wooden steps, trellises, and fence posts adjacent to or in contact with your home.

If a wooden structure touches your home, termites can enter it from the ground and then access your home without ever showing themselves.

2. Behind Siding That Extends Below the Soil

Siding that extends below the soil provides invading termites with cover. Even if your siding is vinyl or any other non-woody material, subterranean termites will still use it as cover while they seek entry into your home. As they search, they will simply build a network of exploratory mud tubes from the mud they bring up from the ground.

3. Along Tree Roots Above and Below Ground

Nearby trees can provide termites with convenient highways. For instance, tree roots that extend toward your home’s foundation give subterranean termites a clear path to your home. Underground, subterranean termites can travel along tree roots until those roots reach your foundation. If those roots have caused even the tiniest crack, that will be enough for termites.

Above ground, termites can still use tree roots to get closer to a house. In this case, they’ll build mud tunnels along the above-ground roots and travel through those until they reach a nearby structure. The invading termites can then seek a suitable access point.   

4. Along Utility Lines

Termites like to travel in straight lines if possible. This is why you often find termite mud tubes following sidewalk and driveway edges. Utility lines provide a straight route into your home. This means that subterranean termites will travel along gas and electric lines and air conditioning pipes to enter your home. If the openings around these lines are unsealed, termites will enter your home.

5. From Nearby Plants to Wooden Window and Doorframes

Termites will also use woody plants as bridges to enter a home. If the branches of large shrubs or bushes touch the exterior of a building, termites can come up through the soil and use the plants as cover. They can then build a mud tunnel up to the nearest window or doorframe. Once inside the window or doorframe, subterranean termites can enter your home and cause extensive damage.

6. Through Structural Faults Below the Soil

Because subterranean termites live underground, they can attack your home from below without your knowledge. For instance, one small crack in your home’s concrete slab will provide termites with easy access to your home. Once inside, they can work their way upwards until they encounter wood.

Termites can invade your home in many ways. Typically, if no source of moisture is nearby, the termite invaders won’t build a separate colony in your home. But if a leaking pipe in your home provides a termite colony with the moisture it needs, the workers from that colony could then build a satellite colony inside your home. Then you’ll have a much bigger problem.

If you’d like to ensure that your home is safe from subterranean termites, then you need a professional pest control service. Call Eary Termite and Pest Services today, and we’ll perform a thorough termite inspection of your home. If we discover termites, we can then set about eradicating the infestation.