- 1). Examine the extent of the damage. Termites can ruin large wooden structures, but it takes time to complete the damage. A ruined piece of a 2- by 4-inch piece of wood, at 12-inches long, will take a team of termites approximately 120 days -- or 4 months -- to destroy. Observing this kind of damage, at minimum, can mean your infestation has been ongoing for nearly half a year.
- 2). Identify the scope of the colonies. A layperson can estimate the size of a termite colony by examining the fullness of the damage. Considerable wood damage requires the effort of thousands of termites and often takes lots of time. The destruction of a 2- by 4- by 12-inch piece of wood may require 60,000 termites. Extensive damage to any wooden structure -- fence or house, for example -- requires a colony between 100,000 to 200,000 termites. Colonies this large take a minimum of 5 to 8 years to amass.
- 3). Press the wood with your hand or tap it with a hammer. Applying firm pressure to the top post of a wooden fence, for example, may break easily away. The wood surface usually collapses due to a non-existent inner core. A 1- by 4- by 36-inch fence post can take 2 to 4 months for a colony of termites to destroy. An infested fence may take a termite colony 10 years to accomplish this kind of sufficient damage. Old termite damage will begin to show on wooden structures continually exposed to outdoor weather conditions. A sturdy wind can apply enough pressure to flake, crack or break a fence post with no inner core as a result of termite damage.
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -