Identifying Termite Damage

Visual Signs

Timber affected by subterranean termites often sounds hollow when tapped, and cutting into damaged wood reveals galleries lined with a mud-like coating rather than clean, empty tunnels. Shelter tubes — narrow channels of soil and saliva running across foundations, piers, or external walls — connect the soil to timber and indicate an active or recent subterranean infestation. In Australia, the genus Coptotermes is among the main groups responsible for this kind of building damage, feeding on heartwood in both living trees and structural timber, as described by CSIRO.

Inspection Techniques

Effective inspection focuses on vulnerable areas: timber-to-soil contact points, subfloor spaces, roof voids, and around external door and window frames. Probing suspected timber with a screwdriver is a standard field check — wood with active termite damage typically gives way or crumbles easily, while sound timber resists the probe. Discarded wings near windowsills or light fittings can indicate a recent swarming event nearby. Frass — small, hard faecal pellets pushed out of timber — is a hallmark of drywood termites specifically, such as the West Indian drywood termite, which do not build shelter tubes and instead live entirely within dry wood; this distinction is set out by the NSW Department of Primary Industries and Regional Development.

Seasonal Considerations

Winged reproductive termites, or alates, typically swarm after warm rain in spring and summer in temperate parts of Australia, while colonies in tropical northern regions can remain active for more of the year. Swarming events make termite presence more obvious, but established colonies feed continuously once inside a structure, so timber damage can progress regardless of season. This life cycle is outlined by the Australian Museum.