The best ways to avoid having to deal with termite damage are learning how to spot the early signs of an infestation and getting preventative treatment and maintenance for your house.

To help New Jersey homeowners keep hungry termite colonies away,

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and

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Jerry

has created a guide to everything you need to know about termites—and termite prevention—in New Jersey.

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How to tell if you have a termite infestation

Termite infestations are difficult to detect because termites hideaway in the walls, floors, and attic of your home and rarely come into contact with humans. In New Jersey, termites prefer to enter homes through small cracks or gaps in the foundation that are typically inaccessible to homeowners.

The good news is that there are signs of termite activity that you can watch for, including:

Discarded wings: Once swarming termites find a mate and a place to start a new colony, they shed their wings. The wings—which look like small fish scales—can accumulate in piles near your foundation or on your windowsills.

Mud tubes: Subterranean termites build mud tubes along cracks in your foundation using dirt, wood, and their saliva. They use the tubes to connect their underground nest to their food source inside your home.

Hollow-sounding wood: Termites eat wood from the inside out, causing hollow spaces in the wood around your home. If you knock on a door, wall, or other wooden object and it sounds unusually hollow, it may be from termite damage.

Hard-to-open windows or doors: Termites leave moisture behind as they munch their way through wooden doors or window frames. This can cause the wood to swell and warp like it would on a very humid day and make opening your windows and doors difficult.

Termites may also leave behind droppings, bubbling or peeling paint, visibly crumbling wood, and tiny holes in drywall.

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Are termites a problem in New Jersey?

According to the

Termite Infestation Probability Zones

(TIP Zones) map—created by the US Forest Service to measure the likelihood of infestations across the country—New Jersey is in TIP Zone #2 (moderate to heavy). For New Jersey homeowners, this means that a termite infestation is a possibility.

While many termites in the United States only thrive in warm southern states, subterranean termites are the only type of termite that lives in New Jersey. Drywood termites are not common in the state but can establish colonies outside of their typical range if they are accidentally transported by humans.

Subterranean termites

Subterranean termites are the most common and most destructive type of termite in the country because they are especially hard to notice when they’ve infested your home.

As their name suggests, subterranean termites live in colonies underground. Since they create mud tubes to get to the wood inside your house, it is unlikely that you will catch a glimpse of these elusive insects unless they are swarming.

In New Jersey, subterranean termites swarm on warm days throughout the spring, especially when there has been recent rainfall.

Drywood termites

Though their range typically doesn’t extend to New Jersey, drywood termites can establish colonies outside their normal region if they are transported there in wooden items like wine crates, lumber, and furniture.

The most common sign of a drywood termite infestation is the droppings they leave behind near the tiny holes they use to get inside the wood in your home. These droppings—called frass—look like small piles of sawdust or salt and pepper.

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What to do if you have termites

Because a termite infestation in your home can cause serious and expensive damage to its structure, you should always consult with a termite control expert as soon as you notice the signs of termite activity.

Once an expert inspects your home and finds out the extent of the infestation, they’ll recommend the best treatment to rid your home of termites and keep them from returning. Professional treatment options can include bait stations, liquid termiticide, or fumigation if the infestation is widespread.

To reduce the risk of a termite infestation in New Jersey, it’s also important for you to do preventative maintenance around your house and yard to prevent moisture build-up around your foundation. Some easy ways to reduce moisture include:

Regularly cleaning your gutters

Repairing leaky pipes and faucets inside and outside your house

Using a dehumidifier

Installing weather stripping around doors and windows

Removing debris like logs and fallen trees from your yard

How to save money on homeowners insurance

Sadly, most homeowners insurance policies don’t cover termite damage. To avoid the cost of repairing your home after an infestation, it is important to regularly check for signs of termites and stay up to date on termite prevention.

Having

the right homeowners insurance policy

is still essential to prepare for other costly home disasters. Fortunately, getting the right insurance coverage at a price you can afford is simple when you use the

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How to bundle home and auto insurance to save money

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FAQs

How common are termite infestations in New Jersey?

New Jersey is not among the highest-risk states for termite infestations, but termite damage is still a possibility.

You should always stay alert for signs of termites in your house and call a termite control expert as soon as you suspect you have an infestation.

How often should you treat for termites in New Jersey?

If you are using bait stations to treat or prevent a termite infestation, they will need to be inspected and maintained by a professional every one to three months.

Liquid termiticide lasts much longer. Just one application around your foundation can keep your home protected from termites for five to ten years.

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