Signs of termites in a house
- Frass: tiny six-sided wood pellets from drywood termites, kicked out of small holes
- Hollow-sounding or sagging wood that sounds papery when tapped with a screwdriver handle
- Swarmers: winged termites near windows and lights, usually in spring, and piles of shed wings
- Mud tubes: pencil-width tunnels of soil on foundation walls, piers or sill plates
- Bubbling or buckling paint, warped doors and windows that suddenly stick, and soft spots in baseboards
What happens after treatment
Treated soil and bait stations work over weeks, not hours, and mud tubes may stay visible even when termites are gone. The provider should tell you what to watch for, when the next inspection will be, and what the written guarantee does and does not cover.
Leave any active mud tubes untouched until the inspection, and take photos of them in place.
Prevent termites around the house
- Keep mulch, soil and plants a few inches below siding and out of contact with wood
- Store firewood, lumber and cardboard off the ground and away from the foundation
- Seal cracks around pipes and utility penetrations
- Fix leaking gutters, hose bibs, AC condensate lines and irrigation spray against the wall
- Schedule an inspection every year, and after any flood or major plumbing leak
Termite treatment methods compared
| Method | How it works | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture and wood-to-soil fixes | Removing wood contact, repairing leaks and improving drainage | Every case, because it removes what termites need |
| Structural fumigation (tenting) | A gas fills the whole structure for a set time while the home is vacated | Widespread drywood termites in several areas of the house |
| Bait stations | Stations in the ground hold a slow-acting bait that workers carry back to the colony | Subterranean termites when soil treatment is hard, or alongside it |
| Liquid termiticide (soil trench and rod) | A treated zone in the soil around the foundation stops termites from reaching the structure | Subterranean termites around slab and crawl space foundations |
| Spot and localized wood treatment | Foam, dust or injected product placed into the infested wood | Small drywood infestations in accessible wood |
Subterranean, drywood and Formosan termites
Subterranean termites nest in the ground and need moisture, so they build mud tubes to reach wood above the soil. They are the main wood-destroying insect across much of the country. Drywood termites enter through attic vents, eaves and cracks and live entirely inside dry wood, leaving frass. Formosan termites are an aggressive subterranean species found in Gulf and southeastern states, with very large colonies.
If a provider identifies the termite and shows you the places where it is feeding, the first job has been done properly. Any treatment decided ahead of the identification amounts to a guess.
What a termite inspection should cover
The inspector checks the foundation perimeter, crawl space or garage slab edges, attic framing, window and door frames, decks, fence posts that touch the house, and any wood in contact with soil. Tools are a flashlight, a moisture meter and a probe.
In a home sale, the lender may ask for a wood-destroying insect report. That report records what was seen and what was not accessible. It is not a guarantee about the future.
Questions to ask before you agree to any termite control
- What species or problem did you find, and what did you see that proves it?
- Which products, baits or devices will you use, and where will they go?
- What will you write down for me: scope, exclusions, follow-up and product list?
- What will you seal, remove or fix, and what stays my job?
- Who is on site, and can you show the state licence or applicator ID for the work?
How a termite control visit works, step by step
Pest visits that are done properly run in a fixed order, no matter which insect or animal is involved. Keep that order in mind when you talk to different companies, because a visit that leaves out the opening steps is the one to question.
- Inspection: the technician walks the outside first (foundation, vents, utility lines, eaves, fence lines, mulch) and then the inside (kitchen, bathrooms, garage, attic or crawl space).
- Identification: the species is named from the insect, droppings, damage or trail, because the right product and method depend on it.
- Plan: the provider explains what will be done, which products or devices will be used, and what you need to do before and after.
- Treatment or exclusion: the work is done in the places the inspection found, not by spraying every room.
- Follow-up: you get a date for the next check and a clear answer on what to report if activity returns.
What makes termite control different in Lincoln
Lincoln is the capital of Nebraska and home to the University of Nebraska, with older neighborhoods, rentals and many mature trees. Cold winters send mice and overwintering insects indoors from fall.
Warm, humid summers support mosquitoes, ants and wasps, and wet spells raise mosquito numbers. Student and rental housing turns over often, which raises the risk of bed bugs and cockroaches spreading. Put the same question to every provider you speak with: how do these local conditions alter the approach at your address? A technique that suits one climate or style of housing may do little in another.
Termite control across Lincoln and nearby cities
Pest Control Lincoln NE covers Lincoln, Nebraska and the surrounding area. Calls and requests also reach providers serving Waverly, Hickman, Bennet, Roca and Raymond. Coverage is confirmed address by address, so say your ZIP code when you call.
To get going, press Call Now at the top of any page and tell the person who answers what you found. That puts you through to an independent provider nearby, and the provider verifies your address, looks the property over and writes up the scope.