For many people, their home is their largest financial asset. It is a place of safety, comfort, and memories. However, a silent threat could be undermining the structural integrity of that investment right under your nose. Termites, often dubbed “silent destroyers,” are notorious for chewing through wood, flooring, and wallpaper without being detected until significant damage has already occurred.
The National Pest Management Association estimates that termites cause over $5 billion in property damage every year in the United States alone. What makes this figure even more alarming is that standard homeowners insurance policies rarely cover termite damage. The financial burden falls entirely on the homeowner.
Because these pests operate covertly—often hiding within walls or underground—spotting them requires a keen eye. You cannot wait for a beam to collapse to know you have a problem. Early detection is the only way to save your wallet and your home’s structure. While a professional inspection is the only way to be 100% sure, there are specific red flags you can look for during your regular home maintenance.
Here are five telltale signs that termites might be making a meal out of your house.
1. Mud Tubes on Exterior Walls
One of the most common indicators of a subterranean termite infestation is the presence of mud tubes. Subterranean termites, the most destructive species found in the U.S., require high moisture levels to survive. They cannot expose themselves to open air for long periods without drying out and dying.
To safely travel between their underground colony and their food source (your house), they construct pencil-sized tunnels made of soil, wood particles, and their own debris. You will typically find these irregular, brown lines running up your home’s foundation, along exterior concrete walls, or even inside basements and crawl spaces.
If you spot a mud tube, you can perform a quick test to see if the infestation is active. Break off a small section of the tube. If termites are present, you might see the creamy-white worker termites scrambling to seal the breach. Even if you don’t see bugs immediately, check back in a few days. If the tube has been repaired, you have an active colony working on your property. However, even old, dry tubes indicate that termites know where your home is and may still be inside, having found a different route.
2. Discarded Wings on Windowsills
Termites operate within a caste system, and one specific caste is responsible for reproduction and starting new colonies. These are known as swarmers, or alates. When a termite colony reaches a certain maturity and size, it produces these winged reproductive members.
Usually occurring in the spring, often after a rain event, these swarmers fly out from the colony to find mates. Once they land and pair off, they twist their wings off because they will never need to fly again. They then crawl into the soil or wood to start a new nest.
If you find piles of discarded wings on your windowsills, near heating vents, or trapped in spider webs around your garage, it is a major warning sign. It suggests a colony is either very close by or already established inside your walls.
It is easy to confuse flying termites with flying ants, but there are distinct differences:
- Wings: Termite wings are all the same length. Ant wings are unequal in length (front wings are longer).
- Antennae: Termite antennae are straight. Ant antennae are elbowed.
- Waist: Termites have a thick, broad waist. Ants have a pinched, narrow waist.
3. Hollow-Sounding Timber
Termites are cryptic eaters. They generally consume wood from the inside out, leaving a thin veneer of timber or paint on the surface. This protective outer layer keeps the humidity inside the galleries high, which is essential for their survival. To the naked eye, a piece of wood might look perfectly normal, but the structural integrity beneath the surface could be completely gone.
This feeding behavior leads to one of the most distinctive signs of infestation: hollow-sounding wood. If you tap on your baseboards, door frames, or support beams and hear a hollow thud or a papery sound, it is likely that the interior has been eaten away.
In advanced stages of infestation, you might accidentally push a vacuum cleaner through a baseboard or put a finger through a door frame. If you notice wood that looks crushed or indented, probe it gently with a screwdriver. If the wood gives way easily or crumbles, you likely have a pest problem.
4. Frass (Termite Droppings)
While subterranean termites use their feces to build mud tubes, drywood termites have different habits. Drywood termites live entirely inside the wood they are eating and do not need contact with the soil. Because they live inside their food source, they need to keep their galleries clean to avoid overcrowding.
To maintain a clean home, drywood termites kick their fecal pellets out of the colony through small “kick-out” holes. These droppings are called frass.
Frass is often mistaken for sawdust or coffee grounds. You might find small mounds of it accumulating on the floor underneath furniture, near baseboards, or on windowsills. The pellets are tiny, hard, and usually oval-shaped with six concave sides. The color of the frass varies depending on the type of wood the termites are eating, ranging from light beige to almost black.
If you clean up a pile of what looks like sawdust, only to find it has returned a few days later, you are likely dealing with drywood termites pushing waste out of their tunnels.
5. Tight-Fitting Doors and Hard-to-Open Windows
When windows get stuck or doors stop latching correctly, most homeowners blame the weather. While high humidity can cause wood to expand, this issue can also signal a termite infestation.
As termites consume timber, they produce moisture. This creates a humid environment within the wood, causing it to swell and warp. Subterranean termites specifically bring moisture up from the ground into the wood structure.
If you notice that your windows are suddenly difficult to open or your doors are jamming against their frames—especially in areas that shouldn’t be affected by seasonal humidity—it warrants a closer look. This warping is often accompanied by peeling paint or what looks like water damage on drywall. If you haven’t had a leak, but your walls look water-damaged, termites could be the culprit behind the bubbling paint or buckling wood.
Why You Should Not Disturb the Termites
If you discover any of these signs, your first instinct might be to grab a can of bug spray or tear down the damaged wood. You must resist this urge.
Disturbing a termite colony often makes the treatment process more difficult. If you spray them or break open their tunnels, the termites will retreat further into the structure to escape the threat. They may abandon that specific area and start eating in a new location that is harder to access.
Furthermore, killing a few surface termites does nothing to stop the colony. The queen, who can live for decades and produce thousands of eggs daily, is safely hidden away. To eliminate the problem, the entire colony needs to be treated.
Protect Your Home Investment
Termites are persistent and destructive, but they are not invincible. The key to minimizing damage is vigilance. By keeping an eye out for mud tubes, discarded wings, hollow wood, frass, and warped fittings, you can catch an infestation before it becomes a structural nightmare.
If you spot any of these five signs, contact a licensed pest control professional immediately. They can perform a thorough inspection, identify the species, and recommend a treatment plan tailored to your home. Regular inspections—at least once a year—are the best insurance policy against these silent destroyers.