Signs You Might Have Termites

Mud tubes

Subterranean termites (the most common type in the U.S.) build pencil-width mud tubes along foundation walls, piers, or crawlspace surfaces to travel between the soil and your home while staying protected from open air. Finding these is one of the clearest signs of an active or past infestation.

Discarded wings

Termite swarmers (the reproductive members that start new colonies) shed their wings after swarming, often near windowsills, doors, or light sources indoors. A small pile of uniform, translucent wings is a strong signal, even if you never saw the insects themselves.

Wood that sounds hollow or looks damaged

Tap suspect wood with a screwdriver handle — a hollow or papery sound (versus a solid thud) can indicate termites have been feeding from the inside out. Damaged wood may also look layered or have a honeycomb-like internal pattern once opened.

Tight-fitting doors and windows

As termites feed on wood framing, moisture from their activity can cause wood to warp, making doors and windows suddenly harder to open or close. This has other causes too (humidity, settling), so treat it as one signal among several, not proof on its own.

Frass (termite droppings)

Drywood termites push tiny, wood-colored pellets out of small holes as they tunnel — small piles of what looks like coarse sawdust near baseboards or window frames is worth investigating.

What to do if you spot any of these

Termite identification and treatment is genuinely a call-a-professional situation — a licensed pest control company can confirm the species (treatment differs by type), assess the extent of damage, and treat appropriately. DIY treatments often address the visible symptom without reaching the colony itself.