Let’s play a quick quiz!

What’s tiny, stays quiet, hides well, and can eat away at your house from the inside?

Nope, not a horror movie creature, just termites.

But trust me, they can be just as scary.

By the time you spot the damage, it’s often too late. But the positive part is that professional help for Termite Control Service in Ahmedabad, like Pest Care India, can help you to ease this process.

But before all that, it’s crucial to understand the early signs of a termite infestation. Catching these issues early could save you thousands and a world of headaches. If you’ve noticed something funny in your home over the last few days, read on. You may even find the little invaders hiding right under your nose.

termite infestation

1. Wood That Sounds Hollow When You Tap It

Have you ever patted a wall or a piece of furniture and thought: That sounds strange?

That empty, echoing sound might be your first red flag. Termites eat wood from the inside out, so everything can appear fine on the surface, but tap it and you’ll hear the damage.

Tip: Tap suspicious spots with the back of a spoon or a small hammer. If it sounds like a drum, this is not a good sign.

2. Mud Tubes Along Walls or Baseboards

Don’t ignore them if you see little brown lines or tubes climbing your walls. These are mud tubes subterranean termites construct to remain moist as they move between their nest and dinner. It may look like dried dirt, but it’s a termite superhighway.

Common places to check:

  • Foundation walls
  • Under sinks
  • Around windows and doors
  • Garage corners

3. Wings. Yes, Wings!

Finding piles of tiny, translucent wings near windowsills, light fixtures, or doorways.

When termites swarm (usually in spring), they shed their wings once they find a mate.So, if you’re coming across wings, it is the lovebirds who have landed, and perhaps begun a colony, somewhere inside your home.

4. Doors and Windows Feel Stiff or Hard to Open

If wooden doors or windows that used to be able to open easily now appear jammed or misshapen, termites could be the cause.

Why? Because as they eat up the frames, the wood pucks or expands, especially when it’s raining. So if you’re forcing that bathroom door every morning, it might not be what the weather is doing. It might be termites.

5. Clicking Sounds Inside the Walls

Nope, you’re not imagining things. If you hear quiet clicking or tapping sounds from the walls, that could be soldier termites banging their heads as a warning signal. Creepy? Yes. Real? Also yes.

Worker termites are noisy eaters too, so if you put your ear to the wall and hear something munching, it’s time to call pest control.

6. Paint That’s Bubbling or Peeling (But Not Because of Water Damage)

We all assume bubbling paint means moisture, right? But sometimes, termites tunnelling just under the surface cause similar damage. They disturb the paint layer while feeding inside the walls.

So if you notice random patches of peeling paint and there’s no plumbing issue around, it might be something worse.

7. Tiny Holes in Wood or Drywall

Look closely—especially in wooden furniture or baseboards. Are there pin-sized holes that weren’t there before?

Exit holes are frequently produced by termites after they’ve eaten the insides away. These signs are small in size, but they show that a bigger infestation is lurking beneath the layer.

8. Droppings (Frass)

Frass: The droppings of drywood termites. These small pellets resemble sawdust or coffee grounds, and are typically near windows, edges of furniture or beneath wooden shelving.

If you’ve been scrubbing at it because you thought it was dirt, hate to break it to you: That’s termite poop.

9. Sagging Floors or Buckling Wooden Panels

If the floor suddenly feels like it’s sagging in some areas, or the wood panelling, for instance, seems warped, that’s a major red flag. Termites can be harmful to the structural integrity of a house, leading to not just eyesores but potential hazards.

10. Visible Termites

And lastly the obvious yet somehow forgettable, seeing the termites themselves. You may see them in bathrooms or by windows or in the kitchen. They’re small, white-ish and minuscule enough to be mistaken for ants.

But here’s a tip:

Ants have a narrow waist and elbowed antennae. Termites? Straight waist, straight antennae

Don’t Wait for the Wood to Collapse

Spotting even one or two of these signs of termite infestation should be your wake-up call. These pests don’t waste time, and the longer they go unnoticed, the more expensive the repair bill gets.

What next?

Get help from a professional termite control expert, such as Pest Care India. Termites might be tiny, but they don’t play around. Keep an eye (and ear!) out for the signs, and don’t let your home become their all-you-can-eat buffet.