There are mud tubes running up the foundation

Why it will not stop on its own

The colony is in the ground, not in the wall. The tube is a road. Knocking it off removes the road and leaves the colony, which rebuilds.

There is one useful test. Break a short section out of the middle and come back in a few days. Repaired means active. Left open usually means the route was abandoned, which does not by itself mean the colony is gone.

Damage is inside the wood. Subterranean termites eat along the grain and leave the surface intact, so a board can look sound and sound hollow when tapped.

What the visit involves

An inspector traces where the tubes come from and where they go, then looks at the whole foundation line, the piers, and the crawl space where there is one.

Treatment for this species is at the soil, because that is where the colony lives and travels — not in the wood where the damage shows.

Wood that is already damaged stays damaged. Repair is separate work.

What to say when you call

• Where the tubes are and how many
• Whether they are on the outside wall, a pier or inside a crawl space
• Whether one repaired itself after you broke it
• Whether any wood nearby feels soft or sounds hollow

Common questions

Could it be something else? Mud on masonry in a vertical line is characteristic. Other insects build with mud too, which is why the inspection is what confirms it.

Is this the kind that needs tenting? No. Tenting is for widespread drywood infestation. Subterranean work happens at the soil line.

How long has it been there? Not something anyone can tell from the tube alone, and worth being sceptical of if someone answers it confidently on the phone.