The impossible claim

Termites cost US homeowners up to $5 billion a year — and these three signs tell you they’re in your walls before the damage is done.

The verified facts

Three signs extension entomologists check first — in order:

  • Mud tubes — pencil-thick shelter tunnels of soil and saliva climbing foundation walls. Subterranean termites build them to travel between soil and wood while keeping moisture in. Break one open: moist and dark inside = active colony; dry and abandoned = old trail
  • Piles of discarded wings — on window sills, door frames, or spider webs. Reproductive swarmers fly out to mate, land, then deliberately snap off all four wings and start a new colony
  • Hollow-sounding wood — tap baseboards and joists. Termites eat wood from the inside out, leaving the paint and surface intact; solid wood knocks, eaten wood echoes

Swarmer vs flying ant: broad waist + four equal-length wings + straight beaded antennae = termite. Pinched waist + two wing pairs of unequal length + elbowed antennae = ant.

Termites cost US homeowners up to $5 billion per year — and most infestations go unnoticed for years because the damage happens inside the wood.

Watch

🎬 See the Short on YouTube — How Do I Know If I Have Termites in My House?

Sources

  • Oklahoma State University Extension. Termites: How to Reduce the Risk of Building Infestation.
  • North Carolina State Extension. Termites — Biology and Management (NC State Extension publications).
  • Purdue University Extension Entomology. Termites (Purdue entomology resources).
  • Mississippi State University Extension. Termite Control — Frequently Asked Questions.

Part of Impossible Creatures — every fact verified, every creature real. Watch the Shorts at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/nM3U_84MA5k.