1. Mud Tubes on Walls
Thin, pencil-width tunnels of dried mud running up a wall, along skirting or across a foundation are the clearest sign of all. Termites build these tubes to travel between the soil and your wood while staying hidden and moist.
2. Hollow-Sounding Wood
Tap door frames, skirting boards and wooden panels with a knuckle or screwdriver handle. Infested wood sounds papery or hollow, because the termites have eaten the inside and left only a thin shell.
3. Discarded Wings
After swarming — often around the start of the humid season — flying termites shed their wings near windows, lights and doors. Small piles of identical, translucent wings are a strong sign a colony is nearby or moving in.
4. Frass — Tiny Droppings
Small piles of pellet-like droppings, resembling coarse sand or ground pepper beneath wooden furniture or frames, indicate drywood termites pushing waste out of their galleries.
5. Blistered or Bubbling Paint
Paint that bubbles, blisters or looks uneven on wooden surfaces — and sometimes on walls — can mean termites are feeding just beneath the surface, letting moisture collect behind the paint.
6. Doors and Windows That Suddenly Stick
If a wooden door or window that used to close smoothly starts jamming, termite damage and the moisture they bring may have warped the frame.
7. Damaged Skirting and Clicking Sounds
Skirting boards that crumble when touched, and faint clicking sounds from quiet walls at night (soldier termites signalling), complete the list of signs worth taking seriously.
What not to do
Do not break open mud tubes or spray shop-bought insecticide into infested wood before an inspection. Disturbing the colony usually just moves it deeper or spreads it to new areas — and it destroys the evidence a professional needs to plan the treatment.
What Happens Next
A professional inspection confirms whether the signs are active termites, old damage, or something else entirely. Treatment then depends on your situation: post-construction chemical barrier treatment for an existing building, wood treatment for affected items, or pre-construction soil treatment if you are building new.
