Termites?

[KSkarcz1993]

Hello! Are these termites? This was below a bedroom window. Temperature outside was in the 30s and the carpet was damp in the same spots as the debris...Thank you!

 

[MapNerd]

Hard to tell from just what I see in the picture. They certainly look like mud tubes which is a decent termite signal, especially if the area is moist. What does it feel like? Is it dry and flake, wet and muddy? Any eggs or anything? Are the walls soft? Do you know where the moisture is coming from? That’s the first thing to address. Termites won’t stay if there is no source of water and the moisture might do you in long before termites do!

 

[KSkarcz1993]

Thank you so much. Terrifying! The carpet was damp, which is how I noticed them. The wall did not feel soft, and I didn’t see any dripping. This is a very old 5th wheel. I’ve enlarged the photo. Thank you!

 

[KSkarcz1993]

The moisture is because it had snowed. This is in Julian California. I didn’t want to touch them.

 

["EZ"]

Could be carpenter ants too.

 

[MapNerd]

your carpet probably should probably not be wet because it snowed. You’ve likely got a leak somewhere and need to start working to discover where it’s coming from and how to seal it off. Then you need to remove coverings such as carpet or wall panels from any locations that experienced moisture. If you’re lucky, you’ll have caught it early enough and there won’t be any mold, or the mold will be very minimal.

Assuming there is no mold, you need to properly dry out the affected area for several days. If there is mold, you need to treat and/or replace depending on the severity of the case.

once you’ve solved for the presence of moisture, whatever it is will likely not stick around. Especially if you remove wall coverings, wallboards and carpets. They don’t like being out in the open and with no place else to go, they’ll go elsewhere. This will also allow you to properly inspect for damage if it is indeed termites.

Moisture and mold are the biggest RV killers. I’d be as expedient as possible with getting in there to find out more if i were in your shoes.

 

[KSkarcz1993]

Thank you so much. I’ll research this.

 

[Kevin D Pem]

It looks like wood chips to me.

Subterranean run in mud tubes. Look for tubes running up from the ground underneath. Typically you will find a nice round hole above the floor where sawdust will fall out.

Flying termites will come in in torn screens that cover vents mostly at eves or acess to an attic, still looks more like sawdust.

Flying looks similar to Flying ants with a different body structure. And Subterranean you will not be lucky enough to find unless you break a tube.

Carpenter ants, Beatles and other borer are also on the books in Jillian.

 

[KSkarcz1993]

I appreciate all the insight. We need to determine if this is salvageable or not. Are there inspections services, such as those available for home inspection? All the feedback is invaluable and will allow us to address this quickly. Thank you!

 

[KSkarcz1993]

I did do a google search on termites before I found this forum and didn’t find much at all so this so great. We were looking into getting a new geoprobe because we are not handy at all but then decided to take this off an older gentleman’s hands. Now I’m wondering if that was a very bad decision.