You hear a faint rustling in the wall, find a pile of what looks like coffee grounds near a baseboard, or notice a window frame that seems... off. Your gut twists. Is it termites? The thought alone is enough to spike your blood pressure. You search for answers, but generic lists leave you unsure. Let's cut through the noise. Identifying a termite infestation isn't about spotting the bug itself—it's about recognizing the subtle, often-missed evidence they leave behind. By the time you see a swarm, the colony has been feasting on your equity for years.
What’s Inside: Your Quick Guide to Termite Signs
- The 7 Visible Signs You Can’t Afford to Ignore
- What a Termite Infestation Sounds and Smells Like
- How to Perform a Critical 10-Minute Home Check
- Termite vs. Carpenter Ant: The Crucial Difference
- Found Something? Your Immediate Action Plan
The 7 Visible Signs of a Termite Infestation (With Real-World Details)
Forget cartoonish images of bugs munching audibly. Termite evidence is forensic. Look for these seven clues.
1. Mud Tubes: The Subterranean Highway
These are the smoking gun for subterranean termites, the most destructive kind. They build pencil-thin (sometimes up to ¼ inch wide) tunnels of soil, saliva, and feces to travel between their underground colony and your wood. They need these tubes to stay moist and protected from air.
Where to look: Crawlspace foundations, basement walls, floor joists, and along concrete slabs. Check where the soil meets your house. I once found them hidden behind a shrub that was touching the siding—a classic blind spot.
2. Termite Droppings (Frass): The Silent Alarm
Drywood termites, common in warmer climates, don't use mud tubes. They live inside the wood they eat. To keep their galleries clean, they kick out their hexagonal, pellet-shaped droppings through tiny "kick-out holes" in the wood's surface.
What it looks like: A small pile of granular material that resembles coarse coffee grounds, sand, or pepper. The pellets are often uniform in size and have six distinct sides you can see under magnification.
Where to find it: On windowsills, under attic beams, along baseboards, or on the floor directly below a wooden item like a furniture leg or door frame. The pile's location is a direct arrow pointing to the infestation spot above it.
3. Hollow-Sounding or Damaged Wood
This is the consequence of their feeding. Termites eat wood from the inside out, following the grain. They leave a thin veneer of wood or paint on the surface.
How to test: Take a screwdriver or a key and gently tap or press on suspect wood—window frames, door jambs, baseboards, skirting boards. Healthy wood makes a solid *thud* and resists pressure. Termite-damaged wood sounds hollow, a distinct papery or empty *thump*, and the tool may easily pierce through the surface layer into a hollow, honeycombed interior.
4. Blistered or Bubbling Paint/Wallpaper
This happens when moisture from the termites' activity (or from the mud tubes behind the wall) gets trapped under the surface. It can look identical to a water leak.
The tell-tale difference? There's usually no clear plumbing source above it. If a bubble on your ceiling is directly under a bathroom, it's likely a leak. If it's in the middle of a wall with no pipes, termites become a prime suspect.
5. Discarded Wings (Swarmers)
This is a seasonal sign, usually in spring or after a rain. Reproductive termites, called swarmers or alates, grow wings, leave their colony to start a new one, and then shed those wings.
What to look for: Small, translucent, all-equal-length wings piled up on windowsills, near doors, in spider webs, or on the floor. They look like tiny fish scales. Finding 20-30 wings in one spot is a major red flag that a colony is nearby and mature enough to reproduce.
6. Tight-Fitting Doors or Sticky Windows
As termites tunnel through wooden door and window frames, they leave behind moisture and fecal material. This can cause the wood to warp slightly, making doors hard to open or close and windows difficult to slide. People often blame humidity, but if it's persistent and localized to one or two doors/windows, investigate further.
7. Visible Maze-Like Patterns in Wood
If a piece of wood is broken open—say, an old stump in your yard or a damaged piece of flooring—you might see the galleries inside. They look like a labyrinth of tunnels packed with soil (subterranean) or clean and smooth (drywood), following the wood's growth rings.
The Sounds and Smells of an Infestation
Sometimes you hear or smell them before you see them.
Sound: In a quiet house at night, press your ear against a wall near suspect wood. You might hear a soft, consistent rustling or clicking sound. Soldier termites also bang their heads against the wood to signal danger—a faint, rhythmic ticking. It's subtle.
Smell: Some people describe a musty, mildew-like odor from the moisture they introduce. In severe cases, you might catch a scent reminiscent of moldy leaves or vinegar. It's not a reliable primary indicator, but a supporting clue.
Your 10-Minute, Room-by-Room Home Check
Grab a flashlight and a screwdriver. Start outside and work your way in.
- Foundation & Exterior: Circle your home. Look for mud tubes on foundation walls, cracks in the slab, or where decks/porches attach. Check wood siding for blistering. Probe any wood-to-ground contact (the #1 entry point).
- Basement/Crawlspace: The most critical area. Shine your light on floor joists, sill plates (the wood on top of the foundation), and support posts. Look for mud tubes, darkened or blistered wood, and tap everything.
- Attic: Check the sheathing under the roof, rafters, and around chimney frames for frass piles or damaged wood.
- Living Areas: Focus on bathrooms and kitchens (moisture attracts them). Check under sinks, around tubs, and behind appliances. Tap baseboards and window frames throughout the house.
Termite vs. Carpenter Ant: Stop the Confusion
Mistaking carpenter ants for termites is the biggest DIY error. It leads to using the wrong treatment and wasted time.
| Feature | Termite | Carpenter Ant |
|---|---|---|
| Body Shape | Rectangular, no "waist." Thick all the way. | Clearly defined pinched waist. |
| Antennae | Straight, bead-like. | Elbowed (bent). |
| Wings | Four wings of equal length, twice as long as body. | Four wings; back wings are shorter than front. |
| Wood Damage | Eats wood. Galleries are dirty, filled with soil/mud. | Does NOT eat wood. Excavates clean, smooth galleries to nest. Kicks out wood shavings that look like shredded sawdust. |
| Droppings | Six-sided, granular pellets (frass). | Fine, sawdust-like shavings, may contain insect parts. |
If the debris looks like sawdust, think ants. If it looks like coffee grounds or you see mud, think termites.
You Found a Sign. What's the Absolute Next Step?
Panic is useless. A systematic approach is key.
- Do NOT Disturb: Don't spray insecticides, tear open walls, or aggressively poke holes. This can cause the colony to retreat and scatter (a process called "budding"), making professional eradication much harder.
- Document: Take clear, well-lit photos and videos of everything—the mud tubes, frass, damaged wood. Note the locations.
- Verify Activity (Carefully): For mud tubes, break a 1-inch section out of the middle of a tube. Check back in 2-3 days. If it's repaired, it's highly active.
- Call the Pros—Now: This is not a DIY project. Termite treatment requires specialized equipment, chemicals, and knowledge of building science. Contact two or three licensed, insured, and well-reviewed pest control companies. Get full inspections and written quotes. Ask about their treatment plan (liquid soil barrier, bait stations, etc.) and warranty.
I've seen homeowners spend hundreds on store-bought sprays for a carpenter ant problem they thought were termites. I've also seen them ignore "just a little mud" that turned into a $25,000 repair bill. Knowing what a termite infestation really looks like gives you the power to act correctly and decisively.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I have termites if I don't see any insects?
Absolutely. Subterranean termites, the most common and destructive type, often remain hidden within wood or soil. The insects themselves are rarely the first sign. You're more likely to spot evidence of their activity first, like mud tubes on your foundation, piles of frass (droppings), or the damage they've caused. By the time you see swarmers (winged termites), the colony is well-established and has likely been active for years.
What's the difference between termite damage and water damage?
This is a common mix-up. Both can cause wood to darken or blister. The key difference is in the structure. Tap on the wood. Water-damaged wood is often soft and spongy but may retain some internal structure. Termite-damaged wood sounds hollow when tapped and may crumble easily under pressure because they've eaten the internal cellulose, leaving only a thin veneer of wood or paint. Water damage rarely has the maze-like patterns or soil/mud deposits inside the wood that termites leave behind.
I found what looks like termite frass. What should I do immediately?
First, don't disturb it or vacuum it up. The pile's location is a clue to the entry point above. Take clear, close-up photos. Then, gently probe the wood directly above the frass with a screwdriver or knife. If it gives way easily, you've likely found active damage. Your immediate next step is not to spray anything from the store—this can scatter the colony and make professional treatment harder. Instead, contain the area if possible and call two or three licensed pest control companies for inspections. Get detailed written reports and quotes.
How fast can termites cause serious structural damage?
It's slower than panic suggests but faster than complacency allows. A mature colony of 60,000 termites can consume about one foot of a 2x4 piece of wood in roughly six months. The real danger is the lack of detection. They can work undetected for 3-5 years, compromising structural supports like floor joists, headers, and sill plates. The damage isn't linear either; they follow the grain, weakening key load-bearing points. A small, visible sign often represents years of hidden activity. This is why an annual professional inspection is non-negotiable in high-risk areas.