Termite damage will vary from home to home based on several factors, but it’s important to realize that termites will begin destroying your house as soon as they get inside, and they won’t stop until you’ve taken action to get rid of them. Across the U.S., termites cause over $5 billion in structural damage every year. When you discover that a single termite colony can be home to over one million termites, it becomes easier to understand how much damage can occur in a relatively short amount of time.

While not always the case, termites most often swarm in the spring. Swarms often happen on warm days after it rains. They can sometimes also occur in late winter on an unusually warm day.

Termites are active year-round, but they do enjoy warm temperatures and are most active when the temperature stays above 70 degrees. Unfortunately, there is never a time when termites are not active. Since they live underground, they will dig down deeper if it gets too cold. If they’re already in your house, they will remain active at all times due to the climate-controlled environment.

Termites can go undetected for long periods because the signs they leave behind are often subtle or hidden. However, if you know what to look for and where to look for it, you may be able to determine if termites are in your home. A good place to start is outside of your house. Look for sites where wood comes into direct contact with the soil, such as fence posts. Dig down into the dirt and look for grooves along the outside of the wood. If you see any, it’s a sign of termite activity.Other signs of termites include small holes in wood, small piles of a sawdust-like material called frass near wooden structures, a hollow sound when you knock on wood, and mud tubes along the outside or inside of your foundation walls. Seeing a termite swarm or the discarded wings from a termite swarm is also a sure sign of a nearby termite colony.