The termites we battle in Monmouth County are Eastern subterranean termites. They are the termites that cause the most damage to property in the United States. It isn’t because they are the most voracious eaters or the fastest breeders; these termites do the most damage because they have the widest distribution. If you hope to avoid termite damage, you need to know how to catch these wood-damaging pests in your yard. Here are the most common signs of termites in the yard and what they mean.

• You may see one tiny little, winged termite crawling on your walkway. Eastern subterranean termite swarmers are black with long white wings. We say long, but that is when compared to the body of a termite swarmer. The wings stack on top of each other and hang past the abdomen. They are rounded at the tips and look like a stretched teardrop shape. Altogether, including the length of their wings, a termite swarmer is only about ⅜ of an inch in length. You aren’t going to walk on a pathway and think, “What is that?” You may also not even take notice when one lands on your arm. But we hope you do. That little swarmer is telling you that your property is about to have trouble with termites if worker termites aren’t already feeding on it. 
• You may see lots of tiny little winged termites on your property. The presence of a large number of swarmers in one place is an indication that the nest is near. The swarmers stay together and don’t travel far during the short mating process.
• You may see lots of winged termites in your home. If you see a termite swarm in your house, that is a very bad sign. It indicates a termite nest in, under, or near your home. Close proximity allows termite workers to damage your home faster. Along with this, it is critical to understand that a nest doesn’t produce swarmers for years. That means worker termites have had an opportunity to do extensive damage.
• You may see tiny white bugs. Or you may describe them as fat white ants. Termite workers are only ⅛ of an inch long and they look like maggots with legs, or fat ants. Keep this in mind when you lift a board or pick up a dead branch. You may get a short glimpse of worker termites. When you do, we hope you quickly recognize them.
• You may see mud lines on the exterior of your home or a crawlspace wall. Eastern subterranean termites create these structures to go from the soil to the wood in your home. Break a piece off and check back in a day or two. If you have active termites on your property, they’ll fix the area you damaged.
• You may hear clicking. While not common, it does happen. The clicking noise is the sound of soldier termites banging their heads on tunnel walls to warn the workers of a threat, such as an invading army of ants. But the soldiers do a good job of keeping ants and other enemies out of the tunnels where workers are collecting food. You can have a wall full of termites and not hear a single click.
• You may tap a sound timber, and it sounds hollow. When termites feed on wood, they consume it layer by layer, eating the soft parts first. If you have damage inside a thick wood timber, you’ll know it.

It is best to find termites before they damage your home, but the damage itself may provide a warning sign. Let’s take a moment to look at how you can uncover damage before it is extensive.