Tiny holes in the wall or discarded insect wings can be cause for concern. It might mean your home is infested with termites. Knowing the signs of termites in drywall will help you catch a termite infestation early on before these wood-eating pests cause too much damage.
Termites have ravenous appetites, and they turn houses into their favorite buffet spot. Sometimes they eat so much that it makes a house structurally unsound. You don’t want your home to be rendered uninhabitable by these wood-eating intruders. So it’s time to brush up on the signs of termites in drywall to help you determine if termites are infiltrating your house.
Signs of Termites Behind Drywall
Termites come creeping into your home to obtain the cellulose in wood, which they eat to survive. The following signs of termites in walls may be a clue that these silent destroyers are wreaking havoc on your home.
Holes or Cracks in the Drywall
Small holes: Look for any holes in the wall that shouldn’t be there. Termite pinholes in the drywall are a good indicator that termites are living in your walls.
Because termites are so small, the holes they make are also very small and easily overlooked. In most cases, you’ll have to inspect the wall closely to see the tiny pinholes. Termite holes are little more than pinpricks peeking through the surface of the drywall. But drywall isn’t the only place where termites dig. Check your baseboards for pinholes as well.
Here’s how to check if the tiny holes in your wall are caused by termites:
- Mark the spot. You can use a sharpie to make a dot, place a sticky note on the wall, or stick a push pin in the drywall next to the spot.
- Monitor the pinhole. Look to see if the hole is patched with mud over the next few days. If there is a termite infestation in your home, it will be covered with mud when you return.
Termites don’t like their living spaces or tunnels to be exposed to air, so if they accidentally chew a hole through the drywall, they usually repair it quickly.
Larger holes or cracks: Other types of termite wall damage, including large holes or cracks, are more noticeable and can also be a sign of these wood-eating pests. Big holes are a very bad sign; it means that the termites have wreaked a considerable amount of damage on your home. Cracks are caused by shifts in the home’s foundation. Foundation shifts can occur due to extensive termite damage.
Hollow Sounds
Tap the wall with a screwdriver or hammer and listen to the sound it makes. You can also tap the wall with your knuckles if you don’t have a tool on hand. If the wall sounds hollow when tapped, it might have been hollowed out by termites.
Blistering Paint
Termites bring moisture into your walls. The moisture content can blister the walls or floors where termite workers are lurking. Keep an eye out for any kind of warping in the wall’s paint job, such as:
- Blistering
- Bubbles
- Chips
- Flaking
- Peeling
Don’t ignore wall discoloration if you suspect you have a termite problem. Yellowing drywall or wall stains are other signs of a termite infestation that homeowners should keep an eye out for.
Mud Tubes
To protect themselves from being dried out by the sun, termites build tunnels made out of soil, saliva, and frass (feces). Termites require a lot of moisture to survive, so mud tubes allow them to access water or food sources without exposing themselves to sunlight, which can cause them to dehydrate.
Sometimes dubbed shelter tubes, these tunneling passageways aren’t very big and can be hard to spot. Here are tips on how to spot mud tubes indoors:
- Look for dark lines on the drywall or crawling over baseboards.
- Notice any muddy tubes about the width of a pencil.
Break open these mud tubes and see if any termites come out. Termites don’t tolerate exposure to air, so they soon fill in any gaps in the shelter tubes. If you don’t spot any termites, come back a few days later and see if the termite tube has been repaired. Tubes that are repaired while you’re away mean that you’ve stumbled upon an active termite colony.
Termites are also common in ceiling drywall, since even the ceiling isn’t the limit for termites. They are good climbers, so don’t forget to check for mud tubes or other signs of termites on your ceiling.
Crumbling Baseboards
Imagine this: You are vacuuming one day and hit the baseboard only to be shocked when it crumbles apart. If this happens, you didn’t accidentally hit the baseboard too hard. It’s more likely that you have a termite problem.
Termites can hollow out baseboards, leaving behind little more than the paint holding the baseboard together. Baseboards that crumble at slight pressure are usually a good indicator that you are dealing with termites.
Sagging Drywall or Floors
As termites chew away the wooden structure of your home, it damages the structural integrity of the wall. As a result, drywall may sag or droop.
Look out for buckling or warped floorboards as well. Termites require moist environments, and the moisture from a termite infestation can cause the flooring to warp. Loose tiles are also a sign of a termite infestation.
Windows and Doors Are Jammed
Damage to a house’s structure can cause a house to shift. When this happens, windows stop closing properly, and doors might get stuck or be difficult to push open.
Discarded Wings
Swarmer termites are the reproductive termites in a colony. They have a black or brown coloration, and they’re the only type of termite with wings.
When two reproductives mate, they lose their wings and start a new colony. Discarded wings by doorways or windowsills might be an early sign of termites in your drywall, so if you find any, you should get a termite inspection right away.
You might also find dead winged termites around entryways. In some cases, homeowners might even see live swarmers flying around their home.
Clicking Sounds
Termites sometimes create clicking sounds. Oddly enough, termites create these noises by banging their heads against the wall. The reason for this head-banging is to warn other termites of danger.
You might hear these noises emitting from within the walls while termites bustle about. These clicking noises can be faint, so it takes a keen ear to detect them.
Termite Droppings
Termite droppings, called frass, are a powdery substance. You might mistake them for black pepper or sawdust, but termites don’t leave behind sawdust. They eat the wood, so there aren’t any traces of wood shavings left over.
You’ll often find frass on the floor or on the baseboards at the bottom of the wall. Termite droppings can also be found on windowsills.
How to Get Rid of Termites in the Wall
For homeowners who already have a termite crisis on their hands, it is helpful to know what treatment options are available.
Remember, while DIY termite treatment is possible, it is usually less effective. It is recommended that you hire a professional termite control company to deal with your termite problem instead.
Professional Termite Treatment Options
If a termite professional finds termites in your walls, they will likely recommend one, or a combination, of these treatment options.
Heat Treatment
When drywood termites come to party at your house, it’s time to turn up the heat. During a termite heat treatment, all the wood in a house is heated to a temperature of 120-140 degrees Fahrenheit. The infested wood must stay at this temperature for at least 30 minutes to get rid of the termites.
While this procedure is a hassle, it saves homeowners the trouble of having to resort to chemical treatments, which can be toxic and unsafe for the environment.
Heating the wood in your home to the right temperature can be a challenge. Another concern with heat treatment is that it can cause damage to heat-sensitive objects or components of the house, such as plastic items or delicate cable wires.
Termiticide
Termiticide is the name given to an insecticide that is specifically created to kill termites. Termiticides contain termite-killing chemicals such as fipronil or chlorfenapyr.
Here are the areas where termiticides might be applied:
- The foundation: Termiticides can be used to create a chemical barrier around your home to keep the wood-eating pests out.
- The soil: Certain types of termites, such as subterranean termites, nest underground. Treating the soil can act as a preventive measure to keep termites out of your drywall and home.
- Cracks, crevices, or potential entry points
- Termite nesting areas or problem areas
Usually, treating termites in the drywall will require drilling so that termiticides can be sprayed onto the infestation or the colony’s nest. Termiticides come in granular, foam, or liquid forms.
Termite Baiting Systems
Just as you can set out poisoned bait to kill rodents, you can also use baiting stations designed for termites. Termite bait contains cellulose to attract termites, but the cellulose is laced with insect growth regulators (IGRs).
- Termite baiting stations are placed around your house, about 10 feet apart.
- After discovering the bait, termites carry it back to the nest.
- The bait becomes the termites’ food supply. It will kill any termites that eat the poison.
- Since workers bring back the poison as food, the baiting method should affect the entire termite colony.
The limitation of termite bait is that it only affects termites who ingest the bait. That means every member of the colony has to eat it for the treatment to work. Otherwise, the termite population will persist and continue to live on.
Fumigation
For a severe drywood termite infestation, you might need to fumigate your home. Fumigation treatment, also called termite tenting, involves erecting a tent around your home and then pumping fumigant gas inside. Fumigant gas penetrates every last crack and crevice and will kill all the termites inside your home.
This treatment is an intensive (though very effective) process that requires inhabitants to stay away for three to five days. Fumigation is usually recommended as a last resort.
DIY Termite Treatment Options
Boric Acid
Also known as borax or sodium borate, boric acid is a poisonous substance that dehydrates and kills termites. It comes in a powder form that can be sprinkled around trouble spots. Usually, boric acid has to be applied several times before it is fully effective.
Boric acid is dangerous, so be mindful of where it is applied to your property and make sure to keep children and pets away from the area.
Orange Oil or Neem Oil
Both orange oil and neem oil work effectively as termite repellents. Orange oil contains D-limonene, an ingredient that kills termites by disintegrating their exoskeletons. Neem oil also kills termites and prevents them from molting and laying eggs.
To make a termite killer solution with these essential oils, mix these ingredients together:
- 10 drops of neem oil or orange oil
- A few drops of liquid dish soap
- 2 cups water
Stir these ingredients together and then pour them into a spray bottle. Spray the orange or neem oil mixture onto trouble spots where termites might be traveling to get to your home.
Vinegar
Another way to get rid of termites naturally is vinegar, a harsh, acidic substance that kills termites that come into contact with it. It can be sprayed in trouble spots or directly onto a termite nest.
To make a homemade vinegar solution, you only need to combine two ingredients:
- 1/2 cup white vinegar
- Juice from two lemons
Caulk
Termites can get into your home through even the smallest of gaps. (A crack the thickness of a business card is wide enough for some termite species.) To seal off these entry points, caulk any cracks or crevices. Holes can also be filled in with spray foam.
Note: Caulking is not a termite treatment, but it is often used alongside termite treatments to prevent termites and other insects from entering your home in the future.
How to Prevent Termites
Try these ideas to cultivate an environment that keeps termites away from your home:
- Store firewood off the ground and at least 20-30 feet away from your house.
- Remove fallen tree branches or any other tempting source of wood in your yard.
- Select outdoor furniture made from treated wood.
- Don’t use wood mulch; try rubber mulch or gravel instead.
- Apply a termite pre-treatment to new home construction lots.
- Repair leaky faucets or pipes.
- Don’t overwater the lawn.
- Schedule routine termite inspections. This helps you detect infestations early on.
- Introduce beneficial nematodes to your yard. These parasitic roundworms prey on termites and prevent them from reaching your house.
- Spread diatomaceous earth around your property to ward off termite intruders. Diatomaceous earth, a white powder made from fossilized organisms, slices through termites’ outer skin, eventually killing them.
FAQ About Signs of Termites in Drywall
Do Termites Bite?
Termites are not aggressive towards people and rarely bite. Soldier termites, which defend the colony, primarily attack other insects. Even if a termite does bite, the bite is so small that it will not cause much damage or leave a mark.
Is it Safe to Sleep in a Room with Termites?
Sleeping in a room with a termite infestation behind the walls is usually safe. However, while termites don’t carry diseases, they can cause or exacerbate health issues such as asthma attacks, allergies, or other respiratory illnesses.
Do Termites Go Away On Their Own?
Unfortunately, termites will not go away on their own. So long as there is a food source in your home, termites have a reason to stay, and the termite infestation behind the walls will persist.
Are Termites Bugging You? We Can Help.
Pinholes, mud tubes, and blistering wall paint are all signs that you might be sharing a home with termites. Termites aren’t pleasant neighbors, and they have a bad habit of undermining a building’s structural integrity. Prevent that from happening by getting your home treated for termites.
If you need a professional termite treatment service to get rid of the termite infestation in your house, don’t wait another minute. Go ahead and find a local termite control company today.
Main Image Credit: lisatop / Canva Pro / License
