Signs of termites in the floor, and what each one means
A timber floor hides its damage from above. What you notice is usually a soft spot, a hollow note or a gap where there was none.
How do termites get into a floor?
Termites reach a floor from below or from the wall. Over a subfloor, they come up through piers, stumps or a gap in the slab edge. On a slab, they can enter through a control joint or a plumbing penetration. Either way, the timber above is a large, quiet food source.
Which signs show up in a floor?
The damage starts underneath, so by the time you see it the feeding has often gone on for some time. These are the common clues:
- Boards that feel springy or soft when you walk on them, in one patch.
- A hollow note when you tap a board or the skirting with a knuckle.
- Buckled or lifting flooring with no sign of a spill or leak.
- Mud at the slab edge, around a pipe or along a skirting board.
- Fine pellets or dust in a corner or a door track.
- Gaps opening between boards, or a skirting that has pulled away.
One clue is a prompt to look closer. Several in the same room is a reason to book an inspector.
Termites or something else?
Floors move and wear for plenty of reasons. This table shows how the usual suspects differ.
| Cause | What it usually looks like | What separates it |
|---|---|---|
| Moisture and swelling | Cupped or buckled boards | Follows a leak, a wet subfloor or poor ventilation |
| Normal seasonal movement | Small gaps that open and close | Changes with the weather, with no softness |
| Wood rot | Soft, crumbling timber, often dark | Linked to constant dampness, usually no mud |
| Borers | Round exit holes, fine powder | Holes on the surface, not galleries |
| Termite activity | Hollow or springy boards, with mud or pellets | The surface is intact while the wood below is not |
Rot and termites often turn up together, because damp timber suits both. See what termite damage looks like for how the wood itself differs.
Do not lift the boards to check
You may be tempted to pull a board or a section of skirting to see what is below. Resist it. Opening the floor exposes the galleries and sends the colony deeper into the structure. A torch from the access hatch, with your feet on a safe surface, is as far as you should go.
What not to do
- Do not poke, drill or cut into the timber to see how far it goes. That opens the galleries.
- Do not spray anything. No surface spray, no bug bomb, no home remedy.
- Do not break a mud tube to see what is behind it.
- Do not patch and repaint. Cosmetic repair hides live evidence.
A disturbed colony abandons the route and comes back somewhere concealed, so the feeding carries on where nobody is looking. Why spraying termites yourself makes it worse covers the rest of the cost.
What to do instead
Photograph what you found, note the place and the date, and book a timber pest inspection carried out to AS 4349.3. Tell the inspector exactly what you saw and where. What a termite inspection covers explains what they can and cannot see.
Frequently asked questions
Can termites eat a floor without me noticing?
Yes. Termites feed inside the timber and leave a thin outer layer, so a floor can be badly damaged before it shows anything. Springiness or a hollow note is often the first clue.
Do termites damage concrete slab floors?
They do not eat concrete. They travel through cracks and joints in a slab to reach timber above, such as skirting, door frames and floor coverings.
Should I lift a floorboard to look underneath?
No. Lifting boards disturbs the colony and the evidence. Photograph what you see and book an inspection, which should include the subfloor.
Sources
What this page explains is based on these official sources. If you check one and it does not match what you read here, send it to us and the article gets corrected.
- Department of Health, Victoria. Pest control — termites
- Queensland Building and Construction Commission. Protect against termites — termite management systems and inspections
- Standards Australia. Australian Standards (AS 3660 termite management, AS 4349.3 timber pest inspection)