If you're the owner of a North Carolina home that's more than 5 years old and you do not presently have a "termite bond" in place, you may be risking infestation by subterranean termites and other wood-boring insects. Wood boring insects destroy more structures in the United States than any other disasters combined. There are several categories of wood destroying organisms. They are, subterranean termites, non-subterranean termites, wood boring beetles, carpenter ants, and carpenter bees.
Carpenter bees resemble large bumblebees. In the east, the carpenter bee is black in color and marked with areas of yellow hair, but the dorsal sides of the abdominal segments have no area of hair. Other species of carpenter bees will be black, green, or purplish in color, and are marked with whitish, yellowish, or reddish hair. They build their nest by boring long tunnels into wood and divide these tunnels into cells, where they leave their eggs and food. Their nest is noticeable by the presence of a 5/8 inch perfect hole (as if someone took a drill and made the hole) along with yellowish droppings near the hole.
Carpenter ants are the largest ants in North America. "Frass" is sawdust-type material that the carpenter
ant and other wood boring insects leave behind when making their nests. This sawdust-type material will be mixed with small pieces of ants and other insects and will help in locating the nest.
Wood boring beetles can be very destructive to structures. They often enter wood when the adult female lays eggs in crevices of the wood. The larvae enter the wood and eat the starch content inside the wood. They grow into adult beetles and burrow out of the wood, leaving behind exit holes. The presence of this exit hole and fine "frass" usually indicates that there is or has been a wood boring beetle infestation.
Subterranean termites are the most common termites in the United States. They live underground and come out of the ground to feed on cellulose material (wood and wood by products). The presence of mud tunnels on your foundation and mud inside the galleries (tunnels chewed away inside the wood) indicate that subterranean termites are present in the home. Subterranean termites use their mud tunnels to keep their work areas temperature and humidity controlled.
Contact a licensed exterminator to arrange an inspection of your property to determine what action is needed to protect your home from potentially expensive insect damage. If you need a referral of a qualified inspector call me. I can help.
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