Last updated: July 2026
Termites do not announce themselves. By the time you can see obvious damage, the colony has usually been working for years.
The good news is that termites do leave evidence – and most of it is identifiable if you know where to look and what you are looking at. This guide covers the four categories of termite evidence found in Melbourne homes, where each one shows up, and what to do the moment you find any of it.
There is one instruction we will repeat, because it matters more than anything else in this article: do not disturb it.
A note on Melbourne and termites
Buyers regularly tell us they were advised Melbourne “doesn’t really have a termite problem.” It does.
Melbourne is a lower-risk termite region than Brisbane or Perth. It is not a no-risk region. Subterranean termites, principally Coptotermes species, are active across Melbourne, and particularly in the outer suburbs, along creek and river corridors, in older suburbs with timber stumps and untreated subfloors, and anywhere with old tree stumps, retained sleepers or stored timber close to the house.
Under AS 3660, timber pest risk is managed, not eliminated. A pre-purchase timber pest inspection is standard practice for a reason.
1. Termite droppings (frass)
Frass is termite faecal matter. It is the most commonly misidentified termite sign, largely because most buyers have never seen it and assume it is sawdust or dirt.
What frass looks like
- Fine, granular pellets, roughly the size of coarse ground pepper or fine coffee grounds
- Six-sided (hexagonal) pellets, though you generally need magnification to see this
- Colour ranges from pale cream to dark brown – it takes its colour from the timber being eaten
- It falls in small piles or trickles, often forming a neat cone below the source
Where to look for it
- On skirting boards and along the base of walls
- On windowsills, especially in rooms with timber frames
- In the subfloor, on the ground beneath bearers and joists
- Inside built-in wardrobes and under kitchen cabinetry
- Around architraves and door frames
- In the roof space, on top of ceiling insulation
Frass versus sawdust versus borer dust
This is where people go wrong.
- Sawdust is irregular – shavings, splinters and fibres of varying sizes. It is a by-product of cutting, not eating.
- Borer dust (from wood borers) is a fine powder, much finer than frass, and often accompanied by small round exit holes in the timber surface.
- Termite frass is uniform, granular, pellet-like, and gritty between the fingers.
Note that not all termite species produce visible frass in the same way. Subterranean termites, which are the main structural threat in Melbourne, often use their faecal matter to build mud tubes and pack galleries rather than ejecting it. The absence of frass does not mean the absence of termites.
2. Mud tubes (shelter tubes)
Mud tubes are the single most diagnostic sign of subterranean termite activity. If you find them, you have found termites – or the ruins of a colony that was there.
Why they exist
Subterranean termites need constant moisture and they cannot survive exposure to open air and light. To move from the soil to a timber food source, they build enclosed tunnels out of soil, saliva and faecal matter. Those tunnels are mud tubes.
What mud tubes look like
- Roughly pencil-width to thumb-width, though they can be much wider on a heavily established colony
- Brown or grey, the colour of the local soil
- Textured like dried mud, because that is what they are
- Running in more or less straight vertical lines up a surface, or bridging a gap between two surfaces
Where mud tubes appear
- Up the inside face of foundation walls and stumps in the subfloor
- Up brick piers
- Across the top of the slab edge, behind render or cladding
- On the exterior of the building, running up from ground level – check behind shrubs and against fence lines
- Up the inside of a cavity wall, which is why they can be entirely invisible from outside
- From a tree stump or retained sleeper toward the house
Live tube or old tube?
A common question. A tube that is moist, intact and repairs itself is likely active. A tube that is dry, brittle and crumbles is likely old. But making this judgement by breaking the tube open is exactly what you should not do.
Breaking a mud tube can cause the colony to retreat and re-route, which makes the infestation harder to locate and treat. Leave it alone and call a licensed timber pest inspector.
3. Timber damage
Termites eat timber from the inside out. This is the entire reason termite damage is so dangerous – the surface stays intact long after the structural core has gone.
What termite damage looks like
- Hollow-sounding timber. Tap along a skirting board or door frame with a knuckle or the handle of a screwdriver. Solid timber sounds solid. Termite-affected timber sounds hollow, papery, or drum-like.
- Blistering, rippling or bubbling paint on timber surfaces, which looks like water damage but is not.
- Timber that dents easily or gives way under thumb pressure.
- Skirting boards, architraves and door jambs with a wavy, distorted or sunken profile.
- Galleries. If damaged timber is opened up, the interior shows a honeycomb of chambers packed with soil and mud. Termite galleries follow the soft grain of the timber and are packed with earth. Borer damage, by contrast, leaves clean bore holes.
- Sagging floors, doors or ceilings in advanced cases, where structural members have been compromised.
Where the damage hides
Termites go where it is dark, moist and undisturbed:
- Subfloor bearers, joists and timber stumps
- The bottom plate of wall frames, especially in wet areas
- Timber framing around showers and behind bathroom tiles, where a leak has kept things damp
- The perimeter of the slab, behind rendered polystyrene cladding
- Roof timbers, particularly near a leaking gutter or valley
- Door and window frames on the shaded, damp side of the house
- Any timber in contact with soil – decking posts, pergola posts, retaining walls, fence posts against the house
The most important point about termite damage: what you can see is a fraction of what is there. Damage visible on a skirting board frequently means the wall frame behind it is affected. Assessing the extent requires more than a visual look at the surface.
4. Other signs worth knowing
- Swarmers (alates). Winged reproductive termites, which fly to establish new colonies, typically on warm humid evenings. Discarded wings around windowsills and light fittings are a strong indicator of a colony nearby.
- Clicking or rustling in walls. Soldier termites bang their heads against tunnel walls as an alarm signal. Faint clicking in a quiet room is worth investigating.
- Tight-fitting doors and windows that were previously fine. Termite activity introduces moisture, which swells timber.
- Small holes in plasterboard with mud packed into or around them.
- A live mud lead – an exposed, active mud pathway rather than a fully enclosed tube.
What to do if you find any of this
The instructions are short and important.
- Do not disturb it. Do not break a mud tube, do not probe the timber, do not spray it with an insecticide from the hardware store. Disturbing an active colony causes it to relocate within the structure, which makes it harder to find and harder to treat – and can spread the damage.
- Do not attempt DIY treatment. Surface sprays kill the termites you can see. The colony is elsewhere, and it will continue.
- Photograph it from a distance.
- Call a licensed timber pest inspector.
If you are buying, this is an urgent matter – arrange a timber pest inspection before cooling off ends, and before auction if the property is going to auction.
If you own the home, arrange an inspection promptly and speak to your insurer. Termite damage is excluded from most standard home insurance policies in Australia, which is precisely why annual inspection matters.
How a timber pest inspection finds what you cannot
A licensed inspection is a visual and non-invasive assessment of the accessible areas of the property, conducted in accordance with AS 4349.3 and AS 3660.
It includes accessible subfloor areas, the roof void, the interior, the exterior, and the site within the property boundary – including fences, outbuildings and trees within 30 metres of the building where accessible.
Beyond the visual inspection, inspectors use tools that reveal what the eye cannot:
- Moisture meters, because termites need moisture and elevated readings in a wall frame are a strong lead
- Thermal imaging cameras, which can identify temperature anomalies behind wall linings consistent with termite activity or moisture
- Sounding, tapping timber to identify hollowing
- Termite detection radar and acoustic devices in some circumstances
A standard timber pest inspection is non-invasive. It does not involve cutting open walls, lifting floor coverings or removing cladding. Where the inspection identifies evidence suggesting concealed activity, an invasive termite inspection – which requires the owner’s written permission – may be recommended to establish the extent.
Why this matters in Melbourne’s property market
The risk is not evenly spread across the city.
Older established suburbs – Brunswick, Northcote, Yarraville, Footscray, Preston – are dominated by pre-1960s weatherboard homes on timber stumps, with subfloors that are damp, poorly ventilated and rarely inspected. These are ideal conditions.
The outer growth corridors – Berwick, Cranbourne, Pakenham, Clyde North, Officer, Melton – were built on former farmland and paddocks. Old tree stumps left in the ground are a common colony source, and new estates are frequently landscaped with retained sleepers and timber garden edging hard against the house.
Creek and river corridors – the Yarra, Maribyrnong, Merri Creek, Dandenong Creek – carry higher moisture and established tree populations, and correspondingly higher activity.
Frankston, Seaford, Carrum Downs and the peninsula fringe combine older housing stock with sandy soils and mature vegetation.
Termite damage is not covered by standard home insurance, and it is not disclosed in a Section 32. The only person who is going to protect you from it is the inspector you engage.
What Homeowners Say
“They identified two major defects in a property I was about to purchase, issues that would have cost me thousands. The report was comprehensive, clear, and very professional, giving me full confidence in making an informed decision.” – Noreen Ross-Gilder
Key Takeaways for Melbourne Buyers and Homeowners
- Frass is granular, uniform and pellet-like – not the irregular shavings of sawdust or the fine powder of borer dust. Its absence does not mean termites are absent.
- Mud tubes are the most diagnostic sign of subterranean termite activity. If you find one, do not break it open.
- Termites eat timber from the inside out. Hollow-sounding timber and rippling paint mean the damage is already well advanced.
- Never attempt DIY treatment. Disturbing a colony spreads it through the structure and makes professional treatment harder.
- Termite damage is excluded from most home insurance policies and is not disclosed in a Section 32. An annual inspection is your only real protection.
Book a timber pest inspection – before you buy, or before the damage becomes structural.
Frequently Asked Questions
About the Author
Philip Guildea – Director, Buy Wise Inspections
Philip Guildea is a registered building practitioner in Victoria and director of Buy Wise Inspections. With a background in carpentry and residential construction, he has conducted thousands of inspections across Melbourne. Philip is a qualified carpenter, registered builder, licensed pest technician, and licensed pool safety barrier inspector.
External Resources
- Standards Australia – AS 4349.3 Timber Pest Inspections and AS 3660 Termite Management
- Victorian Building Authority
- Consumer Affairs Victoria
Disclaimer: This article provides general information only and does not constitute building, pest, legal, or financial advice. A timber pest inspection is a visual, non-invasive assessment of accessible areas at the time of inspection and cannot guarantee the absence of concealed termite activity or damage. Property conditions vary, and buyers and owners should obtain an independent professional timber pest inspection tailored to their specific property.