Do you know that window sills are one of the first things that termites and termite swarms can attack?
Spotting the signs of termites on the window sills at the earliest, and taking the right action, will save your home from massive and expensive termite damages.
This guide reveals the seven signs of termites on window sills that you can easily ignore.
These are the warning signs of termite infestation waiting to bring your home down.
Plus, you’ll also find out the five steps to get rid of termites on window sills and window frames.
Keep reading.
These Are The 7 Signs Of Termites On Window Sills
- Broken termite wings on the window sills
- Tiny holes on the window sills
- The window sills sound hollow when you tap on it
- Termite poop on the window sills and on the floor
- Mud veins or visible mud tubes on the window sills
- Chewing sounds from the window sills
- Both dead and active termites crawling on the window sills
All of these signs are the evidences of termites in the window sills. And these signs can easily skip your prying eyes, which can be disastrous for your home.
Let’s dive into each of these signs and find out what they look like and why they appear.
Scattered Wings of Termites On The Window Sills
Termite wings inside your home, and window sills, should alert you. These broken wings are a sign of termite infestation that might be in it’s infancy.
So, where do these wings come from?
Long story short, these wings are of alates or reproductive termites, which are also known as swarmers.
These reproductives leave their current colonies in swarms (most of the time in the spring) to find a new home to start a new colony.
Once they find a new home, they mate. After mating, alates lose their wings and they bore themselves into the wooden structure to lay eggs and establish a new colony.
That’s how termite infestation in a home begins.
As termite swarms enter homes from open doors and windows, so you’ll find scattered termite wings on the window sills and on the floor.
All species of termites swarm. Many people believe that it’s only the drywood termites enter homes in swarms. But it’s false.
Subterranean termites, formosan termites, and damp wood termites swarm too.
All species of termites develop wings and swarm to find a new place to infest. The formation of wings is a standard part of termites’ lifecycle.
Tiny Holes On The Window Sills
Small holes on the window sills is a sign that termites have bored into the window sills.
And if they have, then you will also see tiny holes on your home’s structural lumber and on your furniture too.
Termites create these holes to get inside the wooden structure.
Couple it with the sightings of broken wings, then it’s a sure shot sign that termites have started to establish their colony.
Inside these holes are termites that are chewing the wood from inside and multiplying fast.
But these holes and broken wings on the window sills and in your home can also mean a different thing too.
It can also be a sign of termite infestation that’s already there inside your home.
The alates or the reproductives had just come out of their present colonies inside your home and swarmed.
But that doesn’t means that termites have quit your home. Termites never go on their own unless you get rid of them or they’ve decimated the entire structure.
What it actually means is that the termite colony in your home is too small to accommodate a growing population of termites.
The excess of termites just moved out from their current colony and looking for a new place to destroy.
They can also move into a new wooden piece inside your home that they haven’t infested yet.
Termite swarms are one of the ways how termites spread from one home to another.
So, if you’re living in a neighborhood that has homes with termite infestation, you can get termites from your neighbor too.
However, there’s a catch.
The tiny holes and sawdust on the windowsill can also signify the presence of carpenter ants in the windowsill.
The Window Sills Sound Hollow When You Tap On It
Hollow sounds from the window sills when you tap on it is another affirmation of termite presence in your home.
You hear the hollow sound because termites have started to eat window sills from the inside.
On tapping, the window sill might also get a dent, especially when the damage from the inside is severe.
So, holes on the window sills and the hollow sound are telling you that termites have started to inflicting damage.
Couple the hollow sound with bumps on the window sills, then chances of termites in window sills are quite high.
High moisture causes the bumps on wood. And moisture in wood makes the wood more attractive to termites to infest.
To confirm the presence of termites, poke the bump with a pin. If powdery stuff comes out of the swollen part of the wood, then there are termites in the window sills.
Termite Poop On The Window Sills And On The Floor
Termite poop, which is also known as termite dust, termite frass, or termite droppings, on or underneath the window sills is also a convincing sign of termites in the window sills.
The frass is also visible on the floor and carpet when termites invade homes from the underground.
Termite droppings looks like tiny particles of black pepper.
And it’s one of the most tell tale signs of termite infestation in your home that is the most easy to ignore.
Why?
Because on noticing it, people think that it’s normal dirt.
And to make it more confusing, termite dust or termite frass don’t look like fine saw dust.
Saw dust underneath wooden structures is a sign of wood boring beetles or carpenter ants.
Powderpost beetle is one of the wood boring beetles that discharge saw dust from the wooden structures that they infest.
The reason that termite dust or frass look like black pepper and not like fine wooden saw dust is because it’s termite feces. It contains the digested wood that termites consume.
If you see termite dust underneath any wooden structure like window sills, structural wood like joists and beams inside your home, you must immediately start to look for other signs of termite infestation.
Mud Tubes or Visible Mud Tunnels on the Window Sills
Subterranean termites, termites that attack homes from underground, build mud tubes to reach their food source.
Subterranean termites can be present in your yard before they start building mud tubes from underground to invade your home.
These mud tubes rise from the ground, go through the walls, and reach your window sills.
The mud tubes or tunnels on concrete and wood are also ways of commuting for termites from one place to another.
Subterranean termites make these mud tubes with their saliva and feces. (Remember, drywood termites eject there feces out from the holes.)
Subterranean termites make and use mud tunnels to enter your homes and get to their food source.
To confirm, check your window from outside of your home.
If you see mud tunnels rising from the ground on your wall towards the window, then, well, bad news. Termites are in there.
And these termites can attack your home’s furniture, stairs, wooden photo frames, and even the books in your bookshelf.
Chewing Sounds From The Window Sills
You can easily ignore this sign because the chewing sound can be very faint and you might not hear it especially during the day.
But at night when there’s complete silence in your home, you can hear the chewing sounds of termites.
The chewing sound from the window sills, or from any wooden piece or structure, is the sound of termites eating the wood from inside.
There can be other wood boring insects like carpenter ants or powder post beetles inside the wooden piece.
Both Dead And Active termites On The Window Sills And Inside Your Home
There’s no sure sign of termite presence in your home than the sightings of dead and alive termites in your home.
Remember, termites swarm inside your home to invade your home? Many termites in the swarms can’t mate and they die.
So, there will be dead winged termites on the window sills and near the window frames.
On the other hand, termites that are alive crawl on the window sills and the floor looking for a wooden structure or piece to drill into.
And termites also evict the dead termites in their colonies. So, you’ll also notice dead adult termites on the floor just underneath the window sills.
it’s a clear sign that the termites population in the window sills have grown, and they might have spread into the walls.
So, if you see either dead or alive termites on window sills or anywhere else in your home, then be sure that your home is under termite invasion.
What To Do If You’ve Termite Infestation On Your Window Sills
The best thing is to call or contact a pest control company as soon as possible.
But there are specific measures that you can take right now to stop termites from inflicting more damage on your window sills and from spreading inside your home.
These steps don’t replace expert pest control measures, but they certainly help you control the termites for a while.
Spray A Termite Killer Foam In The Window Sill
Remember you noticed tiny holes and dents on the window sill?
Poke those places with a pin, and spray a termite killer foam. This will at least ensure that it kills significant number of termites inside the window sills.
You can also drill holes, a couple of inches apart, and spray the termite foam in these holes.
Caulk Up The Cracks And Joints On The Window
The second step is to seal the cracks on your window, and in other areas of your home, with a strong sealant.
Silicone-based sealants are best for this purpose. These sealants are waterproof, strong, last long, and, the best part, termites can’t chew through it.
Sealing the cracks will prevent the moisture from entering into the window sills and window frames.
Termites thrive on dampness, and cutting moisture will go a long way to stop the termites from spreading more.
Remove Any Wood That Is Lying Around Your Home
Wood is a termite magnet. And damp pieces of wood lying outside your home, especially near the home’s perimeter will surely attract termites.
The best way to stop more termites from coming inside your home is to remove these pieces of wood that are lying around outside.
If you’ve got a firewood pile in your yard, store firewood in a right way to avoid termites.
Termites, especially subterranean termites infest wood that you keep outdoors.
And if you keep it too close to your home’s foundation and perimeter, they’ll quickly move onto the window sills.
And from the window sills, it’s only a matter of time they start to spread inside the walls, ceiling, floor, and even in the structural lumber of your home.
After removing the wood, pour some kerosene or borax on the wood to kill any hidden termites.
Clean The Gutters
You need to do this especially when you’ve got trees in your yard touching the roof of your home.
Termites live in trees too. And from there, they can easily move onto the gutters clogged with organic debris like leaves and twigs.
From there, it’s only a matter of time that termites will sneak inside your home.
Chop off any branches that are too close to the roof. That’ll prevent not just termites, but also other bugs like ants from entering your home.
Install Window Shields And Bug Zapper Near The Windows
Many flying bugs, including flying termites, invade homes during the spring and summer months by flying through open windows.
Not to mention, open windows and the cracks on the window sills and window frames are entry points for many tiny bugs that gather on the window sills.
Most of these bugs are attracted to light. The winged ants and winged termites also follow the light source from your home and invade your home.
So, it’s vital that you install window shields with fine mesh on the windows. The mesh prevents the flies and bugs from entering your home through open windows.
Bug zappers are great tools when it comes to massively reducing the chances of flies invading your house.
These zappers emit light. That light attracts the flying bugs (including flying termites) and the zapper electrocutes them.
Additionally, you can also use bug-repelling light bulbs on the doorways, patio deck, and in the outdoor areas of your home to prevent flies from entering your house.
Call Up A Pest Control Specialist
Termites are tough pests to kill. And DIY methods, unfortunately, don’t rescue your home from an entire termite infestation.
There might be a reprieve of termite activity inside your home after using the DIY methods.
But that doesn’t last long.
To get rid of termites, it’s essential that you hire a pest control professional to access the damage and to recommend the right extermination methods.
Summary
Broken wings, dead and alive termites, termite poop, mud tubes, hollow sound on taping the window sill, tiny holes on window sills and window frame, and chewing sounds from the window sills are the seven signs of termites infestation in window sills.
Remember, termites on window sills can be an initial sign of termite infestation.
If you notice similar signs of termites in the joists and beams of your home, then termites have spread in other areas of your home too.
Sadly, DIY ways don’t work when it comes to eliminating termite infestation spread deep and wide in your home.
However, there are some stop gap measures mentioned in the post that you can use to stop the spread of termites from the window sills.
You’ll have to hire a termite exterminator to get rid of termites. In case of a severe termite infestation, the termite exterminator can use fumigation to get rid of termites.
Dr. Thomas Orbert is a PhD in Entomology with extensive research experience in ectoparasites and microbials. He has also worked in the spaces of ecology conservation and has multiple years of experience in field research and scientific publishing.