Termites are quiet, and that is the whole problem. By the time most homeowners around Kingsland, Marble Falls, and the lakes notice something is wrong, the colony has often been feeding for a while. The species you are most likely dealing with here is the eastern subterranean termite, which lives in the soil and tunnels up into the wood of your home where you cannot see it. Knowing what the early warning signs look like is the difference between a manageable treatment and a major repair bill.
Quick answer
Watch for pencil-thick mud tubes on the foundation, discarded wings near windows after a spring swarm, wood that sounds hollow or feels soft, paint that bubbles or dimples, and sticking doors or windows. Subterranean termites are the main threat around the Highland Lakes, and because they work hidden inside wood, catching these signs early saves serious money.
Dealing with this right now?
Spotting mud tubes, wings, or hollow wood? ACI Pest & Lawn inspects and treats termites across the Highland Lakes, and our specialty work carries a one-year guarantee. Request an inspection before the damage adds up.
See how we handle it on our termites page.
Mud Tubes on the Foundation
This is the classic sign and one of the easiest to spot if you go looking. Subterranean termites cannot tolerate open air for long, so they build pencil-width tubes of mud and saliva to travel between the soil and your wood without drying out. You will find these tubes running up the exterior foundation, along piers, inside crawlspaces, or up interior walls in a garage or basement.
Check the base of your home, especially shaded and damp areas. If you find a tube, break a small section open. If it gets repaired in a few days, the colony is active. Even an empty tube means termites have been there and the conditions that brought them probably still exist.
A Spring Swarm and Discarded Wings
Once a colony matures, it sends out winged reproductive termites, called swarmers or alates, to start new colonies. In Central Texas this usually happens in spring, often on a warm day after rain. A swarm looks like a sudden cloud of dark, winged insects, and it is one of the few times termites make themselves obvious.
Even if you miss the swarm itself, you may find the evidence: small piles of discarded, translucent wings on windowsills, near doors, or around light fixtures. Swarmers shed their wings soon after flying, so a little pile of identical wings is a strong clue. People sometimes mistake swarming termites for flying ants. The quick tell is that termites have a straight waist and two pairs of equal-length wings, while ants have a pinched waist and longer front wings.
- Piles of small, equal-length translucent wings on sills or floors
- A swarm of dark winged insects indoors or right outside, usually in spring
- Straight-bodied insects with no pinched waist (that points to termites, not ants)
Wood That Sounds or Feels Wrong
Termites eat wood from the inside out, leaving the painted or finished surface intact while hollowing out the core. So a baseboard, door frame, or floor joist can look fine and be largely empty inside. Tap suspect wood with the handle of a screwdriver. Healthy wood sounds solid; infested wood sounds hollow or papery.
Press on it, too. Wood weakened by termites can feel soft, spongy, or crumble under light pressure. If you probe and the surface gives way into a maze of tunnels packed with soil, that is active feeding.
Subtle Signs People Miss
A lot of termite damage shows up as small annoyances that get blamed on the house settling or the weather. Taken together, several of these at once deserve a closer look.
Doors and windows that suddenly stick can be a clue, because termite activity and the moisture that comes with it warp the frames. Paint that bubbles, dimples, or looks like there is water damage underneath can be tunnels just below the surface. You might also see tiny pinholes in drywall, faint maze-like lines under paint, or a buildup of what looks like sawdust or coffee grounds near wood (that is more typical of drywood termites, which are less common here but worth noting).
- Doors or windows that stick when they did not before
- Bubbling, dimpling, or peeling paint with no leak to explain it
- Faint blistered or maze-like lines showing through painted wood
- Floors that feel slightly soft or sag in a spot
Why the Hill Country Setting Matters
Several things about lakeside and Hill Country living can raise termite pressure. Homes near the water, irrigated landscaping, and dense native vegetation all mean more soil moisture, and subterranean termites need that moisture. Mulch beds pushed against the foundation, firewood stacked on the ground, and wooden decks or fence posts in direct soil contact all give termites an easy bridge from the dirt to the structure.
Reducing those conditions helps a lot: keep mulch and wood away from the foundation, fix leaks and drainage that keep soil damp near the house, and avoid wood-to-soil contact wherever you can. Those steps make your home a less inviting target, but they do not replace an inspection once you suspect activity.
When to Call for an Inspection
If you find mud tubes, a swarm, discarded wings, or hollow wood, do not wait. Termites cause an enormous amount of structural damage in this country every year, and the longer a colony feeds, the more it costs to fix. A trained inspector can confirm whether the activity is current, find the full extent of it, and locate entry points you would never spot from the surface.
ACI Pest & Lawn handles termite inspections and treatment across the Highland Lakes and the surrounding area, and our specialty services carry a one-year guarantee. If you are seeing any of the signs above, or you just want peace of mind on a home you are buying or selling, that is exactly when an inspection earns its keep.