Termite nests: what they look like, where they hide and what to do
The nest is where the colony lives and the house is where it feeds. Most of the time you will not see the nest, and you do not need to.
Where a termite nest actually is
Most people picture a nest as a mound. In much of Australia that picture is only sometimes right. Many of the termites that damage houses keep their nest out of sight, in the ground, in a stump or inside a living tree.
So the honest answer to "where is the nest?" is often "somewhere you cannot see, and probably not in the house". The house is where the colony feeds. The nest is where it lives.
The main kinds of nest, and what each one tells you
Nests fall into a few broad types. Which one you are looking at says something about the colony, but never enough to name the species.
| Type of nest | Where you might see it | What it does and does not tell you |
|---|---|---|
| Carton nest on a tree or post | A dark, lumpy, papery mass on a trunk, branch or fence post | A visible, active colony. Often a lower-risk group, but the group is confirmed by an inspector, not by the look of the nest |
| Mound | A raised earth structure in the ground | A colony in the open. It says little about how close the feeding is to your house |
| Nest in a hollow tree or stump | Nothing outside. Hollow sound, mud on the bark, or nothing at all | A colony inside the foraging range of the building, and the hardest kind to spot |
| Nest below ground or under a slab | Usually nothing until mud appears at an edge or a pier | A route into the subfloor or wall frame that no one has seen yet |
| Nest inside the timber itself | Blistered paint, hollow-sounding wood, frass | Common with drywood termites, where the colony lives in the wood it eats |
Finding the nest is not the goal
This is where people lose money and time. You do not need to find the nest to deal with a termite problem. A licensed technician treats the colony's access to the house, and the colony itself where that is practical.
Hunting for the nest usually means digging, prying and poking. That is the wrong instinct, for reasons covered below. A nest you never locate is not a failure. A disturbed colony is.
Why you leave a nest alone
Break into a nest, knock down a mud tube or spray the workings, and the colony reacts. It abandons that route and reopens a new one somewhere hidden. The damage carries on where nobody is looking.
Disturbance also destroys two things you need. It wipes out the evidence the inspector reads. And it breaks the transfer mechanism that non-repellent products and baits depend on, because those work by letting workers carry the active ingredient back to the colony.
Only a licensed technician applies a product registered by the APVMA. A supermarket spray is not that, and using one is how a findable problem turns into a hidden one.
A nest near the house is a reason to inspect, not to panic
A nest in the garden does not mean the house is infested. It does mean a colony is within reach of it. That is worth an inspection to AS 4349.3, and worth asking what the report covers and what it cannot see.
If a nest is on a tree or a fence, look from a distance and leave it. Note where it is and how large it looks, then tell the inspector. That is more useful to them than a photo, and it does not put the colony at risk of being disturbed.
If you are also seeing moisture problems around the house, that is a separate issue that helps termites along. Leaks and drainage are the territory of our sister site, Plumbing Explained.
What to tell the inspector about a nest
You can help without touching anything. Before the inspector arrives, write down what you have seen and where. Keep it to plain facts.
- Where the nest or mud is: which tree, stump, fence post or wall edge.
- When you first noticed it, and whether it looks bigger now.
- Any hollow-sounding timber, blistered paint or mud on the slab edge.
- Anything nearby that keeps the ground wet, such as a dripping tap or a blocked downpipe.
That list is worth more than a guess at the species. It tells the inspector where to start and what to check first.
Why a nest you cannot see still matters
A colony can forage a long way from its nest along tunnels underground. So a clean garden and a spotless slab edge are not proof that no colony is near. They are simply the absence of evidence you happened to look at.
That is the reason regular inspection beats nest hunting. An inspector checks the places a colony uses to reach timber, and does it without breaking the workings. If you want the routine, see how often to inspect.
What does a termite nest look like on a house?
Usually you will not see the nest at all. It is most often in the ground, in a stump or inside a living tree, and the house is only where the colony feeds.
When a nest is visible, it is a dark, lumpy, papery carton mass on a trunk, branch or fence post, or a raised earth mound in the ground. Neither tells you how close the feeding is to your home.
On the house itself, look for the signs rather than a nest: mud at the slab edge or a pier, blistered paint and hollow-sounding timber. Drywood termites live inside the wood they eat. Leave anything you find untouched, note where it is and tell a licensed inspector.
Frequently asked questions
Do all termites build a mound?
No. Some build mounds or carton nests you can see, but many of the termites that damage houses nest below ground, in stumps or inside trees, with nothing visible on the surface. A house can be under attack from a colony you will never see.
Should I destroy a termite nest I find in the garden?
No. Breaking into a nest or spraying it can make the colony abandon the route and re-enter somewhere hidden. Leave it, note where it is and how big it looks, and tell a licensed inspector.
Does a nest in the garden mean my house has termites?
Not by itself. It means a colony is within reach of the building, which is a good reason to book an inspection to AS 4349.3. The inspection, not the nest, tells you whether the house is affected.
Can I tell which species built a nest from how it looks?
No. The look of a nest can hint at a group, but the species is confirmed from soldiers under magnification by a licensed inspector. A wrong guess can change the treatment.
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)
- Australian Building Codes Board. National Construction Code
Keep reading
- Soil termites: the colony in the ground
- Termites in trees and stumps
- Why spraying termites yourself makes it worse
- Black termites: three different insects share that description
- Schedorhinotermes: identification and why it matters
- Termiticide: what the product actually is
- Termite mounds in Australia: what they are and what they mean for your house
- Termite alates: the swarm and the shed wings
- Subterranean termite treatment: what the work involves and what to ask