Termites swarming....?

Question

I bought a house on 4/25, after having the normal inspections. I only had the brief termite inspection done, because it was cheaper, and found no problems. Now, for the SECOND time since moving in, I have found a swarm of termites...the first, in early May, was near the front door, the inspection company came and treated that area for free. I bombed the house on 5/29 when I left on vacation, because I had seen a roach or two...since that time I have been noticing an unusual amount of what I thought were dead ants near the kitchen sink. Tonight while washing dishes I noticed a whole pile (maybe 3 inches deep) of what is apparently sawdust behind a knickknack thingy on the -you guessed it-kitchen windowsill. There are also probably 20-50 dead bugs that are smaller than the first termites, but still, appear to be termites.

Question: How reasonable would it be to think that this is a new development, as compared to their being here all along? Are sudden swarms that common?

Answer 1

You need to get the house professionally tented for termites. You definitely have termites. And you also seem to have roaches and ants. The tenting will cover all insects and vermin. I lived in a converted barn, it looked nice, but it sure came to life when the lights went out. I had three kinds of roaches and a huge ant nest in the wall, not to mention birds in the attic. I was a renter and my landlord gave me a can of raid. I called "Orkin" and was paying out of my pocket $95 a month to come once a month to spray and treat the inside of the walls when needed. I didn't want to pay for the termite treatment, so I moved. Good Luck!