Primary entity: Termite infestation · Parent: Wood-destroying organisms
Published · Updated
Termites almost never show themselves. They tell you they are there through side-effects — a smear of soil on a wall, a wing on a windowsill, a floor that feels a half-inch softer than it did last spring. Reading those side-effects correctly is the whole job.
Understanding the timeline explains why some signs appear months before others.
Year 0 — Swarm and pairing
A reproductive pair drops wings and burrows into soil or moist wood within 24 hours of a spring swarm.
Why it matters: This is why shed wings near a window are the earliest possible indoor signal.
Years 1–2 — Silent expansion
The pair produces a few hundred workers. Damage is confined to a single joist or sill; no exterior symptoms.
Years 2–4 — Mud tubes and moisture
Workers begin building shelter tubes to bridge concrete and reach wood above grade. Blistered paint appears where galleries meet drywall.
Years 4+ — Structural symptoms
Floors sag, doors stick, and the first swarmers leave the mature colony — often the moment homeowners finally call an inspector.
These show up before any structural change is visible. One is enough to justify an inspection.
| Attribute | Subterranean | Drywood |
|---|---|---|
| Contact with soil | Required | Not required |
| Mud tubes | Yes — diagnostic sign | Never |
| Frass pellets | Rare (used as tube material) | Yes — six-sided |
| Swarm season | Spring, daytime | Late summer/fall, dusk |
| Typical entry point | Sill plate, plumbing penetrations | Attic vents, eaves, exposed rafters |
| Treatment | Soil termiticide or in-ground baits | Localized foam, heat, or fumigation |
Sawdust piles under wood trim mean termites.
Sawdust with visible fibers is carpenter-ant frass — termites produce compact six-sided pellets, not fibrous shavings.
Both insects push waste out of galleries, but only ants cut wood mechanically.
Winged insects inside always mean termites.
Flying ants also swarm indoors. Termite wings are equal length and colorless; ant wings are unequal and often smoky.
Painted or sealed wood cannot be attacked.
Paint prevents surface entry, but any crack, screw hole, or unsealed end grain is a normal entry point.
How many of the signs above did you find?
If: One early sign, no structural changes
Schedule an inspection within two weeks. Photograph what you found so the inspector can compare on arrival.
Ask specifically about moisture readings at foundation contact points.
If: Two or more signs, or any advanced sign
Treat as an active colony. Do not disturb mud tubes or wood — you will destroy the evidence the inspector needs.
Get a same-week inspection and request written species identification before any bid.
If: Swarmers indoors right now
A mature colony is inside the structure. Capture 5–10 swarmers in a plastic bag for species ID.
Call for emergency inspection — the swarm proves the colony is at least 3–5 years old.
Retail termiticides reach only what you can see. A subterranean colony extends 20–40 feet from the visible activity and the queen sits at the far end. Killing surface workers slows nothing — the colony replaces them in weeks. Professional termite treatment works because it either treats the soil the colony must cross or uses baits the workers carry back to the queen. If you want to size the likely cost before scheduling, run the treatment estimator.
Once mud tubes or blistered paint are visible, the colony is typically 3+ years old. Structural weakening is measurable within another 12–24 months if untreated.
Yes. They prove a colony was active within the last year and used that exact route — new tubes almost always reappear within a few feet.
The pellets themselves are not toxic, but the wood dust can trigger asthma. More importantly, a fresh pile means an active colony is directly above it.
Yes for the first 12–18 months. This is why annual professional inspections use moisture meters and thermal imaging, which detect galleries months before surface evidence.
No — termite wings are all the same length and their waist is thick and straight; flying ants have a pinched waist and wings of two different lengths.
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