Signs You Have Termite Infestation

A termite infestation can significantly compromise your home’s structure and cause thousands of dollars in damage before you realize what is happening. Keeping an eye out for signs of termites helps you catch these pests earlier – and you’ll hopefully save your home. You should also have a professional termite inspector inspect your home every year or two. Subterranean termites and drywood termites have distinct signs that they are taking over your home.

Signs You Have Termite Infestation

It’s easy enough to spot certain termite signs if you know what to look for. Common signs that are easy to find include:

Termite Droppings (Frass)

Frass – termite droppings – look like small piles of fine sawdust. Look for it on windowsills and the floor near doorways, under windows, in corners, and near or under baseboards. The color is dark brown to black. It could show up as piles or just scattered along the floor. If it’s scattered, it’s easy to miss.

Termite Mud Tubes

Subterranean termites live underground and build mud tubes to shelter and find food. The tunnels are above ground and lead to their underground nests. The tunnels are dry, brown, and cylindrical. The termites make them out of frass, mud, and their saliva. The tubes are pencil-thin.

Look for mud tubes along the outside of your home, even on cement walls where the cement might be cracked. You might also find them in crawlspaces, by door jambs and windowsills, especially on a home that is not all wood.

Swarmers and Discarded Wings

Swarmers are the only termites that fly. They are young male and female termites. If you see a swarm near your home, you need to treat it for termites. The swarmers come out after the last freeze to mate and start a new colony. You may also notice their wings near doors and windows. The wings are often the first sign of termites.

Exterior Wood Damage

Termites feed on the cellulose in the wood. They leave patterns that look like mazes in the wood. You’ll find them in the exterior of a wood house by pressing or tapping on the wood. It will break if the termites have weakened the structure. Look for these signs on outside wooden walls, door jambs, and flooring joists and other wooden supports under the house. If the exterior is painted, the paint may look like it is bubbling.

Hollow Wood

If you notice that the walls of your house sound hollow or you can easily break through wallpaper and other wall coverings, you most likely have termite damage. They eat the wood from the inside out. You might also notice blisters on the wood. To check for this type of termite damage, tap on the walls of your home and listen for it to sound hollow or crumble.

Termite Headbanging

Not only do termites eat wood, but they’ll headbang to signal danger. You’ll hear the noise as quiet clicking inside the walls. Many termites shake their bodies or bang their heads against the wood as a warning sign to the colony or other termites.

Contact Clint Miller Exterminating

If you notice signs of termites, contact Clint Miller Exterminating for solutions, including spraying and tenting. If you need a professional to conduct a termite inspection each year, contact our office to set up a schedule.