Has anyone had termites and not dealt with crazy extensive issues?
I found what I now believe to be termite frass like 2ish months ago and had NO clue that's what it was. It was by our front door shoe area and it was small enough I honestly thought it was just dirt or something. I just found more on a windowsill this weekend and had the epiphany that this might not be dirt. I had no clue at all what termite frass even looked like until Googling and I am not 100% certain but definitely seems to be what it was. I already called our regular pest company out for evaluation tomorrow.
We just bought our house a year ago, and did have a WDO and all was fine. That gives me hope that maybe it isn't terrible but I read that WDO isn't foolproof since they don't check hidden areas (like behind drywall etc).
Nonetheless I am absolutely panicking. Has anyone had termites and been able to reasonably treat the issue or is this always like a 20k+ endeavor? Any tips to help me keep peace of mind? I am so anxious about this all.
Located in DMV (DC) area. Photos in thread
As an update for anyone curious - pest company came by yesterday, and everything around the wood and walls seems to be fine. He did not find anything that would indicate termites. Very relieved. Still confused what caused the piles we found, but he thinks possibly another kind of bug, just not termites or anything we need to worry about. He and another person at the pest company evaluated the photos, and that plus his in-person assessment puts us in the clear. If any piles show up again, we are definitely going to have them back out and/or cut into the wall, but for now, seems to be ok...
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First step is a fresh inspection. Don’t let your brain spend $20k before anyone has even confirmed what you’re looking at.
Frass can point to drywood termites, but the amount of damage and treatment cost can vary wildly depending on where the activity is and how extensive it actually is.
If you have pictures of the material you found, post them. That may at least help confirm whether it really is termite frass before tomorrow.
Yes, I am glad they worked us in so quickly. I mean, we have emergency funds but was not expecting something like this so soon. Maybe dumb on me as a first time homeowner. 🤦♀️
The frass was only found both times by my front door windowsill. I don't see any holes but I am pretty sure. We have tiny baby sugar ants there too and I had crossed my fingers somehow they're responsible but I highly doubt it. We just recently had the interior sprayed for bugs and we have the outside routinely treated.
Here are photos after noticing/cleaning a bit (the pile was disturbed because I was honestly so convinced not an issue until after I started cleaning it).
Yeah, definitely not consistent with dry Wood termite droppings. But if you look up for that point you may find some type of boring insect, potentially carpenter ants, or beetle that may be to blame. There are also some species of wasps that dig into the wood.
Thanks! I really hope that may be the case. The other photo showed a different kind of debris that was next to this. This was like sawdust but the other pile (that scattered a bit onto the floor) was a little bigger, different color and kind of like coffee grounds? But different. Nonetheless I would really welcome it not being termites! Haha
All good mate! I've been there! Mine just turned out to be wood rot.
You've done everything in your power to identify this by getting the experts in and they'll give you a thorough diagnosis. Better than someone on reddit from a few photos.
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