In Singapore, wood are commonly used in our living household hence it might subject to finding a termite infestation at untreated or low quality wood. Termites are known to be very destructive and being able to identify termite infestation early can save you from costly damages to your home furniture and wood products.
1. Mud Trail
The most obvious and early signs of termite infestation is the visible mud trails or tubes along walls and trees. They feed on any organic fiber from plants and wood matter called cellulose. This includes your wooden furniture, drywall, carton boxes and paper although wood makes up most of the diet. It is best not to touch or break the trail to avoid reoccurrence as treatment required to be done by a professional to eradicate the colony successfully. Even at the highest floor, termite infestation can still occurs in walls which is not visible and possible to detect.
2. Termite Mound
Termite mounds are indicators of a termite infested ground (commonly found in parks and turf areas) consisting large network of colonies & sub colonies. Thus this is a red flag and you should professional advice for termite prevention method if found inside your property vicinity.
3. Damaged Wood
Damaged wood are one of the common signs of termite infestation to your home furniture. It is important to get your furniture and timbers checked regularly for signs of termites. This can become a potential risk causing roof or ceilings to fall apart overtime.
4. Winged Termites, Alates
They are commonly found swarming around a fluorescent lights along HDB corridors and lamp post. These termites can be the queen of a new colony as they considered as “winged reproductive”. When conditions are met, Alates are produced and began to swarm to start a colony after it has successfully mated. The wings will shed off and that is a sign of a new colony begins.