Top Signs of Termites: Search for These Warning Signs

When you watch enough home improvement shows, you learn to live in fear of the dreaded termite. But by watching for the warning signs of termite infestation, you can catch them before they cause too much damage in your home. From mud tubes to blistering walls, termite evidence can be elusive, but this guide will help you know what signs to keep in your sights.

Angi Tip

Termite infestations can be difficult to detect, so keep an eye out for changes in your wood features, such as floors bubbling or deck sagging. Don't hesitate to take pest control action to prevent the infestation from growing.

Kaitlyn Pacheco

Content Editor, Angi

Signs of a Termite Infestation

Photo: C5Media / Adobe Stock

No matter which sign tips you off to an infestation, it’s best to handle termites as soon as possible. If you think you might have a termite infestation, check for these warning signs of termites.

1. Discolored or drooping drywall

2. Peeling paint

3. Buckling floorboards

4. Loose floor tiles

5. Hollowed, crumbling, or damaged wood

6. Presence of termite droppings (resembling sawdust or wood shavings)

7. Mud tubes or tunnels on walls, floors, or ceilings

8. Swollen or sagging floors or ceilings

9. Buckling floorboards

10. Holes in drywall

11. Unexplained cracks in walls or ceilings

12. Discarded wings near windows or doors

13. Visible termites (often mistaken for ants)

14. Termite swarms

15. Peeling or bubbling paint that resembles water damage

16. Hollow sounds when knocking on wood

Termite Tunnels

Subterranean termites will create tunnels of mud or even their own saliva and feces. You might notice these tunnels in foam insulation or around your home, starting toward the ground and moving up. 

Termite Swarms

Although they tend to stay underground when they aren’t searching for food, you still may see swarms of subterranean termites. These swarmers have two sets of large, pale wings. The swarmers in a colony are responsible for reproduction.

Termite Wings

After reproducing, the swarmers shed their wings. As such, you may notice discarded, pale wings that are about ¼ to ½ inch long around bright areas, like doors and windows.

Termite Mazes

Once they find a good food source, drywood termites make that spot home. As such, they leave tunnels in maze-like patterns in the wood surfaces of your home. You may notice patterns of tunnels in wood walls, floors, or furniture if you have a drywood termite infestation.

Termite Droppings

Since they eat and nest in the same area, drywood termites also defecate in this location. That means you’ll find termite feces around the site of the infestation. Drywood termite droppings look like tiny little pellets. You may find termite feces around floors, baseboards, window sills, furniture, or walls and ceilings.

Sagging Walls, Floors, or Ceilings

If drywood termites are eating away at the wood in your walls, floors, or ceilings, it can cause these surfaces to shift and sag. You may notice squeaky floorboards or bubbling water damage in walls when drywood termites are eating away at these surfaces.

Hollow Wood

Dampwood termites prefer moist wood. So if you have these termites in your home, it could also indicate there’s a leak or water damage in your floors, cabinets, or other wood sources. Dampwood termites nest inside their wood sources. They don’t tunnel, but they usually feed on wood across the wood grain and can leave the wood sounding hollow when you knock on it.

Soft Wood

Because they thrive in damp or rotting wood, dampwood termites may be nesting in wood that is soft or squishy to the touch. Again, this may not only be a sign of termites, but could also mean you have water damage.

Early Warning Signs of Termites

Here are the common early warning signs of termites to look out for.

Termites Around Your Property

If you notice rotting stumps or other decaying wood on your property, it's important to inspect them closely for termites. A mass of small, white ant-like insects could be termites, and if they're in close proximity to your home, there's a possibility they may have infiltrated your walls and other wooden structures.

Damage to Your Home’s Exterior

Carvings that resemble the marks made by knives and rough troughs could indicate early stages of termite damage. It's worth noting that galleries made by carpenter ants, another type of wood-destroying pest, will have a smooth texture.

Noises Inside the Walls

If your home is infested with termites, it's possible to hear noises coming from the affected area. This sound is like a faint clicking noise, which results from soldier termites banging their heads against the walls to signal danger.

Stuck Doors and Windows

Termites often begin by targeting easily accessible areas like windows or door frames. As the insects eat through the wood, they lose their support, and you may notice that opening or closing the windows and doors becomes more difficult.

What Kind of Termites Do You Have?

There are actually three types of termites: drywood, subterranean, and dampwood termites. Each of these three types of termites can cause damage to your home, and have slightly different warning signs. 

Signs of Subterranean Termites

As their name suggests, subterranean termites nest underground. They typically only come to the surface for feeding. Some clear signs of subterranean termites include:

• Tunnels

• Swarms

• Wings 

Signs of Drywood Termites

Drywood termites are most likely found in homes located in warm climates, like the southern U.S. These termites nest in dry wood sources, and signs of these pests include:

• Mazes

• Termite droppings

• Sagging walls, floors or ceilings 

Signs of Dampwood Termites

Photo: forestpath / Adobe Stock

Opposite to drywood termites, dampwood termites prefer wet or rotting wood. Although larger than other common types of termites, they have smaller colonies. Dampwood termites can usually remain undetected for long periods of time until a termite inspection, and are mostly found in the Western U.S. Some signs of dampwood termites include:

• Hollow wood

• Soft wood

• Swarms 

How to Know If You Have a Termite Infestation 

The best way to know if you have a termite infestation, aside from seeing the insects, is to examine your home for the key signs of termite activity. These indicators include discarded wings, mud tubes, wood damage, and frass, a sawdust-like substance that termites leave behind as they tunnel through wood. 

Alsio, if you tap on wood and it sounds hollow, that may indicate termite damage, as they eat wood from the inside out. If you notice any of these signs, it's best to contact a professional termite inspector to assess the situation as soon as possible.

What Should You Do if You Have Termites?

The first thing you should do when you see signs of termites is to contact a termite control company near you for a professional termite inspection. Professionals will be able to identify the type of termites and can get a better idea of the size of the infestation. You may need multiple treatment sessions to fully eradicate a colony of termites. You can expect to spend about $230 to $970 per treatment on the cost of termite extermination. 

Depending on the type of termite infestation, you may need different types of termite treatments. For instance, physical barriers or soil treatments will help prevent subterranean termites but won’t be effective for drywood or dampwood termites. If you have dampwood termites, it’s critical to remove any wet or rotting wood and repair water damage. Without the moisture, the termites won’t survive.