Silver Bullet Pest ControlTermite Inspection & Treatment in New Jersey
Most homeowners never see a termite until the damage is already there. Eastern subterranean termites, the kind found across New Jersey, live in the soil and stay hidden inside wood. But they leave clues. Here are the three signs of termites in your home that matter most, the other warning signs to check, and what to do if you find one. Silver Bullet Pest Control inspects, treats and repairs termite damage across North Jersey.
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Found wings on the window sill or a mud tube on the basement wall? Text a photo to 973-510-2585.
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What are the signs of termites in your home?
The three main signs of termites in your home are swarming winged insects or piles of shed wings near windows and doors, pencil-width mud tubes on foundation walls or basement wood, and wood that sounds hollow, feels soft or has paint that bubbles or cracks. In New Jersey these signs usually come from eastern subterranean termites, which live in the soil and tunnel up into the house. If you find any of them, don't disturb the area; have the home inspected. Call or text 973-510-2585.
Sign 1: Termite swarmers or piles of wings
The most visible sign of termites is a swarm. Once a colony is mature, it sends out winged termites (called swarmers or alates) to start new colonies. In North Jersey this mostly happens in spring, often on a warm day after rain, and usually during the daytime.
When swarmers come out inside the house, it's a strong sign there's an active colony feeding in or under the structure. They're drawn to light, so you'll often find them at windows, sliding doors, skylights and light fixtures. They only fly for a short time, then drop their wings.
- Swarmers are dark brown to black, with a thick straight waist and straight antennae.
- Wings are pale, all the same length, and much longer than the body. Piles of them on sills, floors and in spider webs are a giveaway.
- A swarm outside from a stump or wood pile means termites are in the area, not necessarily in your house, but it's worth an inspection.
Swarmers don't bite, sting or eat wood, and they die quickly indoors. Vacuum them up, but save a few in a sealed bag or on tape for identification. See termite wings in the house and, if it's happening right now, termite swarm help.
Sign 2: Mud tubes on the foundation or in the basement
Subterranean termites need moisture and dry out in open air, so they build tunnels of soil and saliva to travel from the ground to the wood.
Foundations and piers
- Pencil-width or wider
- Run up concrete or block walls
- Often hidden behind stored boxes
Check where soil, concrete and wood meet: foundation walls, basement piers, the sill plate, along pipes coming through the floor, behind wall paneling, and on the underside of porches and steps.
Is it active?
- Break a small piece open
- Look for pale workers
- Check back in a few days
Break off a small section of the tube. If you see small, pale, soft-bodied insects inside, or the tube is rebuilt within a few days, termites are active. A dry, crumbly empty tube may be old, but it still means termites were there.
Tubes you can't see
- Inside hollow block walls
- Through cracks in slabs
- Behind finished basement walls
Termites can travel inside block foundations, through slab cracks and behind finished walls, so no visible tubes doesn't always mean no termites. A professional inspection checks the spots homeowners can't see easily.
Sign 3: Damaged wood, hollow sounds and bubbling paint
Hollow-sounding wood
Tap baseboards, door frames, sill plates and floor joists with the handle of a screwdriver. Wood eaten from the inside sounds dull or papery.
Bubbling or cracked paint
Paint that blisters, bubbles or looks water-damaged on wood trim or drywall can be termites working right behind the surface.
Sticking doors and windows
Termite activity can bring in moisture and distort frames, so doors and windows suddenly stick or don't close right.
Soft or sagging floors
Floors that feel spongy, buckle, or sag near the basement stairs or exterior walls can mean damage to the joists or subfloor.
Termites eat wood along the grain and leave the outer surface thin, so damage often looks minor from outside. Poke suspicious wood gently with a screwdriver; if it goes in easily, have it checked. Not sure whether it's termites or rot? Read termite damage vs. water damage.
Other signs of termites people miss
The three signs above are the big ones. These are less obvious but still worth noticing:
- Small pinholes in drywall, sometimes plugged with a little soil.
- Tiny dirt spots or lines along baseboards, window trim or the edges of wall-to-wall carpet.
- Damaged wood in a finished basement found during a renovation or when moving furniture.
- Termites in fire wood, stumps, old fence posts or a wood pile close to the house.
- A past termite problem on a home you just bought, or on the house next door.
One thing that is usually not a sign of subterranean termites: small piles of pellets that look like sand or coffee grounds. That's typical of drywood termites, which are not the common termite in New Jersey. Piles of coarse sawdust with insect parts more often point to carpenter ants. More here: other signs of termite activity.
Termites or something else? Common look-alikes
| What you found | Termites | What else it might be |
|---|---|---|
| Winged insects at a window | Straight waist, straight antennae, equal wings | Flying ants: pinched waist, bent antennae, front wings longer |
| Damaged wood | Layered tunnels with soil packed inside | Carpenter ants: smooth, clean galleries and sawdust piles; wood rot: soft, crumbly, no tunnels |
| Dirt lines on walls | Mud tubes made of soil | Mud dauber wasp nests: tube-like but on open walls and eaves |
| Pale insects in the soil or a stump | Soft, white, ant-sized workers | Springtails or grubs |
| Black insects in spring | Short-lived swarmers that drop their wings | Ants, which keep their wings longer and walk in trails |
Compare in detail: flying ants vs. termite swarmers and carpenter ants vs. termites.
Where termites get into North Jersey homes
Eastern subterranean termites are found throughout New Jersey. They come up from the soil, so they find homes at ground level. Older houses with wood close to the soil are common targets, but newer homes and slab construction get termites too.
- Wood touching soil: porch posts, deck stairs, door frames on slabs, fence posts attached to the house.
- Moisture: leaking gutters and downspouts that soak the foundation, damp basements and crawl spaces, plumbing leaks.
- Mulch and soil piled against siding, especially when it covers the bottom of the wood or the top of the foundation.
- Cracks and joints: foundation cracks, expansion joints in garage and basement slabs, and gaps where pipes come through.
- Wood stored against the house: firewood, lumber and old boxes in the basement.
Fixing moisture problems and keeping wood and mulch away from the foundation lowers the risk, but it doesn't treat termites that are already there.
Check your home for termites in 15 minutes
Walk the outside
Look along the foundation for mud tubes, wood touching soil, damp spots under downspouts and mulch piled against siding. Check porches, steps and decks where they meet the house.
Go to the basement or crawl space
Use a flashlight on foundation walls, piers and the sill plate, where the wood frame sits on the foundation. Look behind stored items along the walls.
Tap and probe the wood
Tap the sill plate, joists, baseboards and door frames, and gently probe anything that sounds hollow or looks blistered.
Check windows and doors in spring
Look for wings on sills, in spider webs and in light fixtures, especially after a warm spring rain.
Found something? Don't spray it, tear it out or break apart the tubes. Disturbing termites can make them harder to find and treat. Take photos and text them to 973-510-2585.
Found a sign of termites? Here's what to do
Don't panic, but don't wait for months. Termites work slowly, so a few days won't ruin your house, but damage grows the longer a colony feeds. Here's how it usually goes with Silver Bullet Pest Control:
- Inspection. A licensed technician checks the outside, the foundation, the basement or crawl space and the areas you found. We confirm whether it's termites and whether they're active.
- A clear plan and a free quote. We explain the treatment options that fit your home's construction and what we found. Ask us which method is right for your house.
- Treatment. We treat the colony and the areas where termites are getting in.
- Damage repair. After treatment, our own crew can repair termite-damaged wood such as sill plates, joists, beams and framing.
Buying or selling a home? We also provide VA and NPMA-33 wood-destroying insect inspection reports. See NPMA-33 WDI reports and homebuyer and seller termite inspections. For repairs, see termite damage repair in NJ.
More termite pages
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Tell us what you found and where, and send photos if you can. We'll set up an inspection, explain what's going on and give you a free quote.
Why North Jersey calls us for termites
- Licensed inspections, NJ License 90568B
- We confirm termites before recommending treatment
- Our own crew repairs termite-damaged wood
- VA and NPMA-33 WDI reports for home sales
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Signs of Termites: Common Questions
What is the first sign of termites?
For many homeowners the first sign of termites is a swarm of winged insects indoors in spring, or piles of shed wings near windows and doors. Others first notice mud tubes on the foundation or wood that sounds hollow. Any of these is a reason to schedule an inspection.
What do termite mud tubes look like?
Mud tubes are brown, dirt-colored tunnels about the width of a pencil or wider, running up foundation walls, piers or pipes toward wood. Break a small piece open: pale, soft insects inside, or a tube that gets rebuilt, means termites are active.
When do termites swarm in New Jersey?
Termites in New Jersey mostly swarm in spring, often on a warm day after rain, and usually during the day. Swarms inside a home can also happen at other times when the house is heated, but spring is the most common time.
Do termite swarmers mean my house is infested?
Swarmers coming out inside your home are a strong sign of an active colony in or under the structure. A swarm outdoors from a stump or wood pile means termites are nearby. Either way, an inspection tells you for sure.
Can I see termites in the wood?
Usually not without opening it. Termite workers avoid light and open air and stay inside the wood or mud tubes. That's why most people find the signs, such as wings, tubes or damage, rather than the termites themselves.
Is it termites or water damage?
Termite damage has layered tunnels following the grain, often packed with soil, while water damage and rot are soft and crumbly with no tunnels. Bubbling paint can come from either, and termites are attracted to damp wood, so both can happen together.
Should I spray the termites I find?
No. Spraying swarmers or breaking up tubes won't reach the colony in the soil and can make termites harder to locate. Take photos, save a few swarmers in a bag, and have the home inspected.
How fast do termites damage a house?
Termites work slowly, and serious structural damage usually takes years. But a colony keeps feeding as long as it's there, so the sooner it's treated, the less wood needs repair.
Do you repair termite damage?
Yes. After treatment, our own crew repairs termite-damaged wood such as sill plates, joists, beams and framing, so you don't need to find a separate contractor for that work.
Do you do termite inspections for home sales?
Yes. We provide VA and NPMA-33 wood-destroying insect inspection reports for buyers, sellers and lenders in our service area.
¿Cuáles son las señales de termitas?
Las tres señales principales son termitas con alas o alas sueltas cerca de las ventanas, tubos de barro en los cimientos y madera hueca o blanda. Mande una foto al 973-510-2585; hablamos español.
Termite inspections across North Jersey
Based in Garfield, we inspect, treat and repair termite damage throughout Bergen, Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties.
Our service area
Bergen County
973-510-2585- Allendale
- Bergenfield
- Bogota
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- Cliffside Park
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- Teaneck
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- Westwood
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Passaic County
973-510-2585- Bloomingdale
- Clifton
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- North Haledon
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Essex County
973-510-2585- Belleville
- Bloomfield
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- East Orange
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- Fairfield
- Glen Ridge
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Hudson County
973-510-2585Union County
973-510-2585- Berkeley Heights
- Clark
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Morris County
973-510-2585- Boonton
- Butler
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- Montville
- Morris Plains
- Morristown
- Mountain Lakes
- Parsippany
- Pequannock
- Randolph
- Riverdale
- Rockaway
- Roxbury
- Whippany
Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B