Iowa General and Household Pest Management Category 7A Practice Exam 2025 – Comprehensive All-in-One Guide to Exam Success!

Swarmers or mud tubes are significant indicators of termite activity in a structure. Swarmers, which are the winged reproductive termites that leave their colony to establish new colonies, can often be found during specific seasons, typically in the spring. Their presence suggests that a nearby colony is well-established, and potential infestations may be close to your structure.

Mud tubes are another critical sign that termites are present. These tubes are made of soil, wood, and saliva, and they provide protection for termites as they travel between their colony and the food source, which is often wood within the structure. Finding these tubes indicates that termites are actively tunneling and foraging for food, signaling a potential infestation that needs to be addressed.

While chewed wood or furniture, dust or debris accumulation, and visible droppings can all suggest pest issues, they are less specific indicators of termite activity compared to swarmers or mud tubes. Chewed wood may indicate other wood-destroying insects, while dust accumulation and visible droppings might not directly tie back to termite presence as firmly as the distinctive signs of swarmers or mud tubes do.