Every year, termites silently eat through hundreds of thousands of American homes, and most homeowners don’t know it’s happening until the damage is already done.
According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), these pests cause an estimated $6.8 billion in property damage annually, a staggering figure made worse by the fact that standard homeowners insurance policies almost universally exclude termite damage from coverage. As peak termite season arrives, NPMA is urging homeowners to act now before termites turn a preventable problem into a costly one.
According to a survey conducted online by The Harris Poll on behalf of NPMA, only 58% of U.S. homeowners are aware of the damage termites can cause to buildings and structures. Even more striking, fewer than half of homeowners (45%) believe that termite prevention is more cost-effective than repairing termite damage — a misconception that could leave millions of properties vulnerable to infestations that are entirely preventable.
“Termites have been around for more than 120 million years, and their colony structure is extraordinarily efficient,” said Jim Fredericks, senior vice president of public affairs for NPMA. “By the time a homeowner notices something is wrong, a colony may have been quietly feeding inside their walls for years. That’s exactly what makes this data so alarming, and why we can’t stress enough how important it is to get a professional inspection every single year.”
Signs of a Termite Infestation
The survey found that only 36% of homeowners are familiar with the common signs of a termite infestation. NPMA urges homeowners to watch for the following warning signs:
- Shelter tubes: Pencil-width tunnels of soil running along a home’s foundation are a telltale sign of subterranean termites traveling between their colony and a food source.
- Swarmers: Winged termites that emerge in spring are often mistaken for flying ants. Their appearance signals that a mature colony is nearby and actively looking to expand.
- Discarded wings: Piles of shed wings near windowsills, doors, or light fixtures indicate that swarmers have already entered the home and shed their wings after finding a nesting site.
- Hollow-sounding or damaged wood: Termites consume wood from the inside out, leaving a thin veneer on the surface. Wood that sounds hollow when tapped or appears blistered or warped warrants immediate professional attention.
- Frass: Small, pellet-shaped droppings left behind by drywood termites as they tunnel through wood are a key indicator of an active infestation.
For more information on termites, how to identify an infestation, and to find a licensed pest control professional in your area, visit www.PestWorld.org. Homeowners can also explore NPMA’s educational resources that demonstrate the destructive nature of termites firsthand, including Tiny Termite House, a built-to-scale home revealing how quickly termites can compromise a structure’s integrity, and Will They Eat It?, a video series that puts termites’ voracious appetite to the test.
About the National Pest Management Association
The National Pest Management Association (NPMA), a non-profit organization with more than 4,000 members, was established in 1933 to support the pest management industry’s commitment to the protection of public health, food and property from the diseases and dangers of pests. For more information, visit PestWorld.org.
