Some estimates place the annual damage to homes at over $500,000. Others say it is well over a million dollars. Most of the worst termite damage is located in the Southeast portion of the United States as well as arid savannah regions in places like Africa and Australia.

It doesn't matter where you're located, termite damage can be utterly devastating for the homeowner. It is true that the worst damage can take years to cause problems, but still, that damage can cause a home to become unsafe to live in.

One woman tells us that she had no idea about the amount of damage a termite can do. She never even thought about it until she felt a floorboard that was loose. She went outside and saw a swarm of bugs around the foundation of her house, and she began to do some research.

A pest control company was called in and she found out that she did, indeed, have a termite infestation. What surprised the most was when the termite inspector showed her the amount of damage that a termite could do as she looked into the hole the inspector had cut into her wall. She was amazed and shocked.

Not only will termite damage cause a structure to be unstable, it can - and, if left untreated - even cause the structure to collapse around you. It's frightening when you think about it.

Those worker termites get inside your home and start burrowing through the studs, the door frames, and the drywall of your home.

They gnaw through the material your home is made of and make trails through the wood that can weaken the wood itself causing problems with the integrity of the wood.

The amount of damage a termite can do is multiplied by the fact that there is more than one termite working on the wood. They work together to get food for the colony and thus cause a huge amount of damage to your structure.

That is why it is so important to pay attention to what is going on around your home and always check for signs of termite damage. Many people don't do this. They just sit around hoping that their home is safe.

Repairing a home that has termite damage is no easy proposition. There are times when just a few beams in the ceiling need to be replaced. Then there are other times when whole walls need to be reconstructed. In extreme situations, the structure must be condemned and torn down.

The first step towards saving your home is to educate yourself. Do a lot of research and know what to look for when you are looking for evidence of termites in your home. Search the internet, read this article over and over again. Do whatever you have to do, but make sure you know that termites can do a huge amount of damage and cause you to lose your home.