Termites are silent destroyers that can cause serious damage to your home, often without you even realizing it. One of the most common places they hide is inside your walls. Spotting the signs early is key to preventing costly repairs and serious structural issues.

How you can tell if termites are lurking behind your walls…

Hollow-Sounding Wood

Tap on walls, baseboards, or door frames. If they sound hollow or papery, termites may have eaten the wood from the inside out. This is one of the clearest signs of hidden termite activity.

Faint Clicking or Tapping Sounds

Termites are noisy eaters. If you listen closely, you might hear soft clicking or rustling inside your walls. These sounds come from soldier termites banging their heads or workers chewing through wood.

Bubbling or Peeling Paint

If paint on your walls is bubbling, blistering, or peeling, it could be a sign of moisture buildup caused by termites tunneling underneath. This is often mistaken for water damage, so it’s important to inspect closely.

Visible Mud Tubes

Termites build mud tubes to travel and stay protected from air and light. If you see small, dirt-like tubes along walls, baseboards, or foundation cracks, that’s a strong indicator of subterranean termite activity.

Tiny Pinholes or Cracks in Walls

Drywood termites often enter through tiny holes & leave behind small kick-out holes where they push out waste. If you notice unexplained small holes, you may be dealing with a hidden infestation.

Droppings (Frass)

Drywood termites leave behind pellet-shaped droppings called frass. You might find these near baseboards or windowsills. They resemble sawdust or coffee grounds and are a key sign of termite activity in walls.

Warped or Sticking Doors & Windows

If your doors or windows suddenly become hard to open or misaligned, termites might be eating away the wood inside the frames, causing swelling or warping.

Termites in your walls can be hard to detect, but the signs are there if you know what to look for. From hollow sounds to peeling paint & mud tubes, staying alert can help you catch an infestation early.