You didn’t plan on reading about termites today. But now that you’re here, something must’ve caught your eye—something that didn’t look right.
Maybe it was a window that started sticking.
Maybe it was a bit of paint bubbling near the floor.
Maybe it was nothing obvious—just a hunch that something’s changed.
If you’re in Tweed Heads or Banora Point, you’re right to pay attention. This region gives termites everything they need to move in quietly—moisture from rain, warm air, timber-rich homes, and garden beds that back right onto the house.
And here’s the thing: they don’t make noise. They don’t smell. You won’t see them walking across the floor. But they’ll hollow out a doorframe from the inside, and you won’t know until it splinters.
This isn’t about panic.
It’s about knowing what to look for—before the damage shows up on your bank statement.
Why Termites Keep Showing Up in Good Homes
They don’t target messy houses or old homes. They go wherever the conditions suit them. And here? They’ve got options.
After summer rain, moisture settles under homes with stumped floors.
Bushland sits right behind the back fences.
Retaining walls, garden sleepers, and old tree stumps all sit within metres of kitchens and bedrooms.
That’s all it takes. They tunnel underground, find a crack in the foundation, and start chewing. Quietly. Constantly. Around the clock.
You don’t need to live in fear. But you do need to stop thinking “it looks fine, so it’s probably fine.” Because by the time it doesn’t look fine, it’s rarely a quick fix.
Termite or Water Damage? Here's How to Tell the Difference
Not every bubble in the paint means termites.
Not every warped doorframe is a disaster.
But if you brush things off too quickly, you could miss the signs when they do matter.
Here’s how to work it out.
1. Bubbling or Peeling Paint
- Water damage usually affects a broader area. You’ll often find damp patches, a musty smell, or signs of a leak nearby—roof, pipe, or wall.
- Termites create similar bubbles, but usually in isolated patches—especially around skirting boards, doorframes, or cornices. There’s no moisture smell. It just looks… suspicious.
2. Sticking Doors or Windows
- Moisture swells timber. It’s gradual and usually happens across seasons.
- Termites eat from the inside out. The door might feel slightly off one week, and nearly jammed the next.
3. Grit or Dust Near Entry Points
- Dirt gets blown in. It’s loose and random.
- Frass (termite droppings) looks like tiny pellets or coffee grounds. It gathers in neat little piles beneath timber.
If you’re unsure, tap the timber with something solid. Water-damaged wood feels soft. Termite-damaged wood sounds hollow.
You’re not meant to know this stuff off the top of your head. But now that you do, you’re already ahead of most people.
Subtle Signs Most Homeowners Miss Until It’s Too Late
Termites don’t leave a calling card. Most people only realise something’s wrong after the damage becomes obvious—and expensive.
But there are signs. You just need to know what to look for:
1. Stuck Doors and Windows
You don’t think much of it at first. “Maybe it’s the weather.” But if that frame’s warping with no heat or rain to blame, it’s worth a closer look.
2. Fine Dust or Tiny Pellets
Termite droppings—called frass—build up slowly. They look like ground pepper or sawdust. Most people vacuum it without noticing.
3. A Slight Change in Sound
Tap on a timber architrave or skirting board. If it sounds hollow or papery, termites might be feeding behind the paint.
4. Faint Clicking at Night
It’s rare, but real. Termites sometimes make noise inside walls. If you hear light tapping or clicking when the house is quiet, don’t ignore it.
5. Paint That Doesn’t Sit Right
It might look like a blister or a ripple under the surface. No visible leak, no moisture smell, no logical reason. That’s your cue to dig deeper.
You don’t need to inspect every inch of your house every weekend. But knowing these signs means you’re less likely to be caught off guard—and more likely to stop the problem before it gets ugly.
What You Can Check Yourself Tonight (No Tools Needed)
You don’t need a moisture meter or a pest license to spot red flags. You just need a bit of quiet, a good torch, and the patience to check the corners most people ignore.
Here’s where to start:
1. Tap on Skirting Boards and Door Frames
Use the back of a knife or a screwdriver handle. Tap lightly. Solid timber sounds deep and dull. Termite-damaged wood sounds hollow, thin, or papery, like flicking a cardboard box.
2. Look Under Windowsills
Grab a torch. Check for fine, sandy dust or tiny brown pellets. That’s frass—termite droppings. It collects in neat little piles under timber and rarely spreads far.
3. Run Your Hand Along Painted Timber
You’re feeling for slight ripples or soft spots—especially around the base of walls, architraves, and where door frames meet the floor. If the paint feels loose or the timber has give, that’s a flag.
4. Inspect Garden Beds and Timber That Touches the House
Look where fences, mulch, or retaining walls meet the home. Shine a light between timber slats, sleepers, or fence posts. Spot any mud trails, small holes, or softened wood? Don’t brush it off.
5. Check for Discarded Wings at Doorways
During swarming season, termites drop their wings after mating. If you find a small pile near sliding doors, windows, or outside lights, it’s not random.
Do this once a season, or after heavy rain. It won’t catch everything, but it will catch enough to stop the worst of it.
When It’s Serious – These Signs Mean You Need to Act Now
Some things you don’t wait on. If you see any of these, it’s not “worth monitoring”—it’s worth calling in a proper inspection immediately.
1. Mud Tubes Along Walls or Foundations
These pencil-thin tunnels let termites travel safely between their nest and your house. You’ll often find them along concrete edges, brickwork, or the inside of cupboards. Break one open—if it’s active, you’ll see movement.
2. Hollow-Sounding or Collapsing Timber
If a support beam, doorframe, or floorboard caves in when pressed—or even just feels unusually light—it’s already damaged. That means the infestation’s been going for months.
3. Warped Walls or Sagging Ceilings
Structural timber doesn’t sag unless something’s eaten through its core. It’s not weather. It’s not humidity. It’s something deeper.
4. Visible Nests or Termite Movement
Sometimes, they get bold. You lift a floorboard or shift some insulation and see what looks like white ants or a thick cluster of moving insects. That’s a full-blown colony—and by this point, the damage has already started.
5. Powerpoints Stop Working or Flicker Randomly
Termites chew through electrical cabling in wall cavities. If your powerpoints randomly cuts out or lights flicker in one part of the house, it could be a short caused by an active nest.
If you spot even one of these, don’t second-guess it. The longer termites stay hidden, the worse the damage—and the cost—gets.
What Not to Do (Seriously, Don’t)
Once people suspect termites, they tend to do two things: panic… or poke around. Both make things worse.
Here’s what to avoid:
1. Don’t Spray the Area with Insect Killer
It feels logical. You see something suspicious—maybe movement or damage—and your instinct says, “Kill it.”
But surface sprays won’t wipe out a colony. They’ll scatter it. Termites will retreat deeper into walls or soil, build new tunnels, and keep feeding. Quietly. Just further in.
2. Don’t Rip Off Panels or Break Things Open
If you think you’ve found a nest or signs of damage, resist the urge to break it apart to “get a better look.” Termites are sensitive to disruption. The moment you expose them, they’ll shift to safer areas—out of view, and harder to detect.
Let the inspection happen before you go full CSI.
3. Don’t Assume a Barrier Means You’re Safe Forever
Chemical barriers, bait systems, or treated timbers work—until they don’t. Soil movement, renovation work, plumbing leaks… all it takes is one gap. Annual inspections exist for a reason.
This is not about doing nothing. It’s about doing the right thing, at the right time, with the right knowledge.
That’s how you keep control.
What a Proper Termite Inspection Looks Like
This part trips people up. They picture someone drilling into walls, turning the house upside down, or charging $300 just to say, “Yep, you’ve got termites.”
That’s not how it works. Here’s what actually happens.
1. You Book a Local Inspection
At TSD Pest Control, we show up on time. No sales pitch. No upsell. Just a licensed tech doing the job properly.
2. We Check All the Right Places—Even the Ones You’d Never Think Of
- Subfloors
- Roof cavities
- Doorframes and window sills
- Fencing and garden edges
- Moisture-prone zones (like under sinks, behind bathrooms, near hot water units)
We look for moisture, mud tubes, frass, hollow timber, structural warping, and even electrical interference—signs most people miss completely.
3. The Whole Thing Takes Around 45 to 60 Minutes
You don’t need to prep anything. You don’t need to be home the entire time. You don’t need to guess anymore.
4. You Get a Clear Report—No Jargon, No Games
We won’t throw Latin names at you. We’ll tell you what we found, what it means, and what your options are.
You’ll leave with answers, not more questions.
Long-Term Prevention That Actually Works
You don’t need to live in fear of termites.
You just need to understand what invites them, and make sure your home stops rolling out the welcome mat.
Here’s what actually works long-term:
1. Book a Termite Inspection Once a Year (Even If Nothing Looks Wrong)
It’s simple, fast, and costs less than a new doorframe.
Most termite damage goes unnoticed until it’s expensive. Annual checks catch issues while they’re fixable, not financial disasters.
2. Keep Gardens and Timber Away from the House
Termites move through soil and love to nest.
- Don’t let mulch touch your foundation.
- Keep garden beds 30cm away from external walls.
- Move firewood, sleepers, and timber furniture off the ground and away from the house.
3. Manage Moisture—Inside and Out
Fix leaks early.
Clean gutters before storm season.
Don’t let downpipes pool water near the base of your home. Damp soil is free real estate for termites.
4. Seal Cracks, Gaps, and Unused Conduits
Little things—like an open weep hole or an unsealed pipe entry—are entry points.
You won’t stop every possible gap. But sealing off the obvious ones stops the easy wins.
5. Don’t Assume New Builds Are Immune
Builders might install a termite barrier, but they don’t always explain how long it lasts or how to maintain it. If you didn’t request full documentation, book a check anyway.
6. Use Professionals Who Know the Area
Tweed Heads and Banora Point have specific risks. You want someone who’s treated a hundred homes like yours, not a franchise that googled your postcode.
The goal isn’t perfection. It’s awareness.
When you know what to look for—and what to avoid—you stay one step ahead.
And that’s exactly where termites hate you to be.
Worried? Don’t Wait. A Quick Inspection Could Save You Thousands
You don’t need to panic. But you shouldn’t ignore it either.
If you’ve noticed one or two signs we’ve covered—or even if you’re just not sure—it’s worth checking now, not six months from now. Termites don’t stop to think. They chew. Quietly. Constantly.
And the earlier you catch them, the simpler (and cheaper) it is to fix.
At TSD Pest Control, we inspect, report, and help you make the right call—no pressure. Just straight answers from a local team that knows exactly what to look for in Tweed homes.
If you’ve got a hunch something’s off, back yourself.
Book the inspection. Get clarity. Keep control.
Book your termite inspection with TSD Pest Control and stay ahead of the damage—before it happens.
