How to Inspect Your Home for Termites

You do not need a license to do a useful termite check. Twice a year, ideally before spring swarm season, walk your home with a flashlight and a screwdriver and look for the evidence termites cannot hide.

Outside First

Circle the foundation looking for mud tubes: pencil-wide dirt tunnels running up concrete or block. Check where wood meets soil, and move mulch a few inches back from the wall while you are at it; mulch piled against siding is an invitation. Look at eaves and fascia for blistered paint and pinholes, and scan tree stumps and landscape timbers near the house.

Inside, Room by Room

Tap baseboards, window frames and door frames with the screwdriver handle. Solid wood thuds; eaten wood sounds hollow or papery, and the probe may sink in. Look under windows and in corners for frass piles that resemble pepper or seeds, and on windowsills for discarded wings after warm evenings. In the garage, check stored cardboard and wood against walls.

The Attic Tells the Truth

If you can do it safely, shine the flashlight along attic framing, especially above bathrooms and kitchens where moisture collects. Frass on insulation below kick-out holes is one of the most common finds in Florida homes.

When to Call a Professional

Call when you find live insects, fresh frass that returns after cleaning, mud tubes, or swarmers indoors. A professional termite inspection adds species identification, moisture checks and access to spaces most homeowners should not crawl, and for home sales it produces the official WDO report your lender needs.