PEST EVIDENCE GUIDE US HOMESOBSERVE COMPARE DOCUMENT
Pest EvidenceGUIDE / US HOMESStart with a clue

PEST EVIDENCE GUIDE / VISIBLE CLUE

Wood and wall clues

Wood-pest clues can be hidden or easy to confuse. Drywood termite pellets and subterranean termite shelter tubes point to different types of activity, and neither reveals the full extent of damage from a photo.

Explore 6 guides Record an observation
A pile of drywood termite fecal pellets on wood below a small opening
From the guide: Termite droppings: what to look forPhoto: Sanjay Acharya / Wikimedia Commons. Resized for web. · CC BY-SA 3.0
OBSERVE THE SIGNCOMPARE THE POSSIBILITIESDOCUMENT WHAT CHANGES

THE RELEVANT EVIDENCE

Guides in this collection

06 / GUIDES
WOOD CLUES

Termite droppings: what to look for

Compare drywood termite droppings with sawdust and other wood-pest debris. See the clues that warrant a professional inspection.

Read guide WOOD CLUES

Termite mud tubes: how to recognize them

Learn what subterranean termite shelter tubes can look like on foundations and walls, and what a sighting can and cannot establish.

Read guide WOOD CLUES

What termite damage can look like

Compare possible termite damage in wood with other causes and learn why visible marks rarely show the full extent.

Read guide WOOD CLUES

Carpenter ant frass: sawdust-like debris

Compare carpenter ant nesting debris with drywood termite pellets and note the clues around damaged wood.

Read guide WOOD CLUES

Carpenter ant damage: galleries, debris, and moisture

Compare carpenter ant galleries with termite and beetle damage and document the surrounding evidence.

Read guide WOOD CLUES

Powderpost beetles: round holes and wood powder

Compare wood powder and emergence holes with termite pellets and carpenter ant debris before judging activity.

Read guide

FROM THE JOURNAL

Go a step further.

All articles
01Working with professionalsQuestions to ask a pest professional before agreeing to treatmentUse the evidence record to discuss identification, scope, alternatives, and follow-up with a pest-control provider.02Wood and structureDiscarded wings on a windowsill: what to record firstDocument a wing finding without treating loose wings as proof of termites or an indoor colony.03Field methodsA household pest observation checklist you can reuseSeparate direct sightings from assumptions and build a concise record for an inspector or extension office.04Field methodsHow to photograph a pest clue for identificationA practical photo sequence that preserves scale, location, and uncertainty for a qualified identifier.