Termites are part of life on the Darling Downs. They live in the soil and in dead timber, and a house full of framing, flooring, skirting and architraves looks like a food source to them, not a home. The trouble is that they eat from the inside out and avoid light, so by the time anyone notices, they have often been working for months. Knowing the early signs is the best protection short of a regular inspection.
Seven signs worth checking for
1. Mud tubes
Subterranean termites travel inside pencil-thin tubes of mud and saliva that keep them damp and hidden. Look for them running up stumps, piers, brickwork, slab edges and the inside of garage and subfloor walls. A tube on the outside of a wall usually means the activity is already on the inside too.
2. Timber that sounds hollow or gives way
Tap skirting boards, door frames, window sills and architraves with a screwdriver handle. Sound timber gives a solid knock; eaten timber sounds papery or hollow, and a screwdriver tip can push straight through a surface that looks fine. Floorboards that feel spongy or sag underfoot are a sign too.
3. Bubbling, rippled or stained paint
Termites bring moisture with them. Paint or plasterboard that bubbles, ripples or looks water-damaged when there is no leak nearby is often timber being eaten behind the surface. A patch that is softer than the wall around it is the same story.
4. Doors and windows that have become tight
When termites eat into a frame, the moisture they carry makes the timber swell, and a door or window that used to close easily starts to stick. Weather does that too, so it is a prompt to look closer rather than proof on its own.
5. Flying termites, or piles of wings
On warm, humid evenings, usually after rain in spring and summer, winged termites (alates) swarm to start new colonies. A cloud of them around outdoor lights, or small piles of shed wings on window sills and around doors, means a mature colony is close by, and quite possibly under the house.
6. Frass and tunnelling in exposed timber
Drywood species leave small piles of pellet-like droppings below the timber they are in. Subterranean termites, the common ones here, pack their galleries with mud instead, so timber that shows mud inside a crack or a split is a strong sign.
7. Activity in the garden
Termites in a tree stump, a timber retaining wall, old sleepers, a fence post or a stack of firewood are not in the house yet, but they are within reach of it. Garden beds and mulch piled against brickwork hide the mud tubes they use to cross from soil to wall.
What to do if you find them
- Leave them alone. Do not spray, break open the tubes or pull the timber apart. Disturbed termites abandon that spot and reappear somewhere you cannot see, which makes treatment harder.
- Take a photo of what you found and where, and note anything else you have noticed: swelling doors, a damp patch, swarmers.
- Book an inspection. A licensed technician checks the whole property, works out the species and the extent, and gives you a written report with photos and a treatment recommendation.
- Fix the moisture. Leaking taps, dripping air-conditioner lines, blocked gutters and poor subfloor ventilation all draw termites in. Fixing them is part of any lasting solution.
Why a yearly inspection matters here
Toowoomba has warm, wet summers and plenty of established gardens, older timber homes and tree-lined streets, all of which suit termites. A visual timber pest inspection every 12 months is the standard recommendation for the region, and more often if there has been activity nearby. It takes about an hour, costs far less than repairs, and leaves you with a written record for your own peace of mind and for any future sale.
Razor Pest Control has inspected and treated homes across Toowoomba and the Darling Downs since 2012. A termite inspection starts from $225 and comes with a written report and photos. If we find activity, termite treatment is quoted per property after we have seen it, with the options explained plainly.