· by Michael Blair, Nashville's Pest Control
Subterranean termites are present throughout Middle Tennessee and work entirely out of sight. By the time damage is obvious, the colony has usually been active for years, so the early signs are worth knowing.
Mud tubes
Pencil-width tubes of soil running up foundation walls, piers or the inside of a crawl space. Termites build them to keep moisture around themselves while traveling from soil to wood.
Break one open. Live termites inside means an active infestation; an empty dry tube may be old, but it means they were there and the conditions suited them.
Swarmers and discarded wings
Swarms happen in spring, often after warm rain. Winged reproductives leave an established colony to start new ones, and finding them indoors means a colony is in or under the structure.
Piles of identical discarded wings on windowsills are the classic sign. Termite wings are all the same length; flying ant wings are not, and ants have a pinched waist where termites do not.
- Mud tubes on foundation walls or piers
- Swarmers indoors, especially in spring
- Piles of equal-length discarded wings
- Wood that sounds hollow when tapped
- Bubbling or rippled paint on skirting or trim
Damaged wood
Termites eat along the grain and leave a thin surface intact, so damaged timber looks sound until pressed. Tapping gives a hollow sound; a screwdriver goes in easily.
Paint that bubbles or ripples on skirting boards can indicate damage beneath, since the surface is all that is left holding the finish.
Why crawl spaces matter here
Most Nashville houses have one, and it is where termites reach wood. Soil-to-wood contact, stored timber, cellulose debris left after construction and persistent damp all invite them.
An annual inspection is inexpensive relative to what treatment and repair cost, and the crawl space is where it happens.