What Do Termite Droppings Look Like?

Insect poop is one of the hottest topics in pest control. When folks find what they believe to be insect feces, most want to know right away what they might be dealing with. In this blog post, we’re going to talk about termite droppings, as these can be some of the most tell-tale signs that homeowners should look out for with these wood-destroying insects.

Let’s get into it.

What Do Drywood Termite Droppings Look Like?

Drywood termite droppings look like small piles of pellets, similar in shape and size to pepper flakes or grainy sawdust. They’re very hard and dry.

When drywood termites find a suitable location for their nest, they’ll bore into the wood and seal their entrance hole behind them. The dry wood supplies all of the materials they need to survive, including food and water, so they never have to leave the nest until they run out of wood or space.

One of the ways that they conserve as much space as possible is by removing their poop. They bore tiny “kick out” holes in the wood, wall, ceiling, or other areas, and then push their poop out of these small holes. This results in a pile of flakes or pellets on the ground underneath the hole, and they can sometimes get quite large.

Drywood Termite Frass Shape

Drywood termite pellets are oval. They measure less than .04 inches long, and they have 6 pinched or concave sides with rounded ends. These shapes can be very difficult to see with the naked eye, but a magnifying glass will likely provide enough magnification to identify termite droppings.

Drywood Termite Frass Color

Drywood termite frass color varies from black to brown to light beige. The reason for this variability in color is that the color of drywood termites’ fecal pellets is a direct result of the wood the termites are eating. Darker wood will result in darker drywood termite pellets while lighter wood will result in lighter pellets.

Where Can You Find Drywood Termite Poop?

Drywood termite droppings are usually found along baseboards, under wooden window sills, along wooden floorboards, on carpeting, under wooden porches, and in other similar areas. A quick look up from the pile will likely reveal the tiny holes that drywood termites use to kick their poop out of, and this is never far from the actual nest.

What Does Subterranean Termite Frass Look Like?

Subterranean termites use their droppings to create mud tubes for traveling to and from their nest. This makes it almost impossible to identify termite droppings from subterranean termites.

Unlike drywood termites, subterranean termites live underground where the moisture content is high and they can survive. This actually keeps them a creamy white color, so they’re often described as white ants. But, they still need to consume wood, so they use their frass and mix it with dirt and saliva to create mud tubes. They use these tubes to reach wood structures, allowing them to travel safely within instead of becoming lunch for a predator.

Subterranean Termite Frass Shape

Subterranean termite droppings look like mud. It’s highly unlikely that a typical human will ever see the shape of subterranean termite poop because they use it to create mud tunnels from their termite nest to the food source.

Subterranean Termite Poop Color

Subterranean termites’ poop typically looks gray or brown in color, mainly because it’s mixed with dirt and saliva. Once turned into a tube, it will dry out to a weathered gray color.

Where Can You Find Subterranean Termites’ Poop?

Subterranean termite tunnels are made from poop and often found stretching from the ground to a wooden structure. They can be found in crawl spaces, basements, under porches, and a variety of other areas connecting subterranean termite infestations to their food source.

What Do Dampwood Termites’ Droppings Look Like?

Dampwood termite droppings look like small oval pellets, similar to drywood termites. However, they rarely pile up anywhere they can be seen.

Dampwood termites live in wet wood. Once they find their wood source, they’ll bore into the wood and then plug the hole behind them with their pellets. Unlike drywood termites, dampwood termites do not have kick-out holes. They do this to keep the moisture and humidity from escaping the wet wood in order to protect their infestation.

Dampwood Termite Frass Shape

In general, dampwood termite pellets look very similar to drywood termite droppings. They’re small, oval, granular pellets. However, since they plug their entrance holes with their frass, humans rarely get to see dampwood pellets before the wood damage is done.

Dampwood Termite Droppings Color

Like drywood termites, dampwood termite droppings are dependent on the wood source they’ve been eating. Dark wood will result in darker pellets while lighter wood will result in lighter pellets.

Are Termite Droppings a Sign of a Termite Infestation?

In most cases, termite droppings are a telltale sign of a drywood termite infestation. However, many times when a homeowner stumbles upon some frass, they don’t find termites or termite activity. This leads them to believe that the termite colony moved on, but that might not necessarily be the case.

Kick-out holes are only used for getting rid of termite poop. Termites will not use these holes as entrance or exit holes. Also, since these termite pellets don’t fade much as they age, it can be hard to tell new issues from old termite droppings. They could be from an old infestation, but maybe not.

Other Signs of a Termite Infestation

Termite frass isn’t the only sign of a termite infestation. The following are some other common signs that homeowners should look out for when suspecting termite damage.

• Discarded wings: Piles of termite wings occur after a swarm, when swarmer termites emerge from the nest, find a mate, break off their wings, and leave the nest. These flying termites only occur once a nest is a few years old, so a pile of termite wings is a significant sign of an infestation
• Wood that sounds hollow: When you tap a piece of wood and it sounds hollow, there’s a good chance that wood-destroying insects like termites, wood-boring beetles, and carpenter ants have been eating that wood. This can be framing lumber, hardwood floors, furniture, or any other wood items.
• Soft-feeling wood: Wood that feels soft or squishy when touched or pushed is a sign of termite damage or damage from other wood-destroying insects. These insects wreak havoc on wood structures, turning their interiors into pulp.

Are Termite Droppings Dangerous?

In general, termite droppings are not dangerous. Termites eat cellulose, a natural substance, and then poop it out. They don’t carry diseases. However, if someone were to touch the termite droppings, they could have allergic reactions.

The real danger in termite droppings is the amount of wood they had to eat to make the pile. They’re like inside the walls of the home causing all kinds of wood damage. It’s estimated that termites cause over $30 billion in damages to homes each month.

What Other Insects Create Sawdust-like Frass?

Other insects leave frass-like pellets behind. Wood-destroying insects like termites, carpenter ants, wood-boring beetles, and carpenter bees. To identify frass from carpenter ants, consider the following:

• Carpenter ant droppings typically look like sawdust or small wood shavings.
• Beetle frass typically looks like finely ground sawdust or wood powder.
• Carpenter bees poop a more liquid yellow or brown residue, but they do leave wood shavings behind.

How To Prevent Termites

Preventing termites requires some environmental and lifestyle changes, as well as some products designed specifically for the job. The following are some of these changes and products that homeowners should consider in their mission to keep these wood-munching bugs away from their homes.

1. Don’t bring firewood too close to the home, maintaining 20 to 30 feet from the home’s foundation to the wood pile.
2. Don’t allow any wood from the home to contact the ground outside. This includes any wood siding, trim, or deck posts. Wood that must sit on the ground should sit upon a concrete pad or concrete footings.
3. Keep basements and crawl spaces from becoming too humid. A dehumidifier is often the best option here, but you should also ensure that any crawlspace vents are not blocked.
4. Use termite bait stations around the home. These bait stations bury in the ground and attract termites. Their bait contains poison, which is brought back to the termite infestation, killing the termite colony.
5. Repair any leaking pipes or roof leaks to prevent wood from getting wet. Wet wood attracts termites and carpenter ants.
6. Repair any wood that has visible water damage. Water-damaged wood is a target for termites and other wood-destroying insects.

What To Do If You Find Termite Droppings

Finding termite droppings can be scary. But rather than panicking, there are some things you can do or try to take care of the situation. Those options include calling a professional termite service or handling the situation yourself. Both have pros and cons.

Call a Pest Control Professional

The easiest thing to do is call a pest control company and have them check out the problem. They’ll respond to the house, perform a termite inspection, assess the situation, and hopefully locate the nest. At that point, they’ll help the homeowner come up with a plan to handle the termite issue.

Once the issue and plan are determined, the company may offer the homeowner a termite bond. This is an agreement between the homeowner and the pest control professional or company that says the company will return and re-treat at specified intervals, and if there is any further damage from termites, the company will cover the damage.

A termite bond is essentially an insurance policy and service agreement wrapped up into one agreement, and it may be worth it for some homeowners. The downside is that they do come with a monthly charge, though they’re usually relatively affordable.

Do It Yourself Termite Treatments

The other option is treating the termite infestation yourself. In many cases, this is a viable option, especially if the nest is relatively young. These treatments include sprays that the homeowner can apply directly into the nest as well as bait and granules they can apply to act as poison that termites bring back to the nest to kill the colony.

Check out our guide on the best termite treatment do-it-yourself options here.

The issue with DIY treatments is they aren’t guaranteed and the homeowner doesn’t have an agreement to cover further damage. However, these treatments are affordable and an excellent first approach when it comes to tackling minor termite issues.

Termite Droppings FAQs

That’s a lot of information about termite waste and how termite colonies handle their business. The following includes some of the most frequently asked questions on the topic.

What to do if you find termite droppings?

The first thing you should do is call a pest control company and have a professional technician visit the home. They’ll perform a termite inspection and come up with a pest control plan for everyone to follow.

What happens if you touch termite droppings?

Termite droppings, also called pellets, can cause an allergic reaction if they’re touched by humans.

Why do I see termite droppings but no termites?

Most of the time, the termites are still active. It’s rare to see a termite head in and out of a kick-out hole. The termite colony might have moved on to another area within the home.

Are termite droppings harmful?

They’re harmful in that they can cause an allergic reaction. Otherwise, no, they don’t carry or spread diseases.

What are two signs of a termite infestation?

Two signs of a termite infestation include a pile of broken wings from the species’ swarmers and the presence of visible droppings around the home. If any of these signs are visible, it’s best to take action right away before the infestation gets worse.

What can be mistaken for termite frass?

Standard sawdust can be mistaken for termite frass, as can pepper, coffee, and other items. These items look similar to WDI (wood-destroying insect) frass. It’s best to look for signs of damage or kick-out holes to determine if a pile of sawdust-looking fragments are actually termite droppings or droppings from another pest.