Termite Sawdust

Also find out more on bugs that look like termites contents show what do termites look like to the human eye.

Termite sawdust. Sawdust or sand like material near windows and door frames which could be droppings of dry wood termites. Typically a homeowner who sees termite poop for the first time will confuse it with sawdust and clean it up and discard it without thinking twice. Mud tubes are structures that subterranean termites build to connect the nest to the source of wood. Termites don t make or transport wood shavings since they eat the wood rather than just excavating it.

Head thorax abdomen. To put your mind at ease our subterranean termites do not produce sawdust. The biggest difference between a pile of termite excrement and saw dust is the shape. Drywood termites cause their damage from the inside out.

The color can vary from light beige to black depending on the kind of wood the termites are consuming. When it comes to the color termite frass differs greatly depending on the kind of wood and cellulose food source ranging from dark brown to beige. When in piles the frass can look like sawdust or sand. Because drywood termites consume dry wood true to their name frass excreted by drywood termites is dry and pellet shaped.

This variety of termite creates very small holes in areas where they are feeding and eject the colony s fecal matter through these openings. The reoccurring presence of termite fecal pellets is a sure sign of infestation. Various wood boring beetles will pack their galleries in the wood with digested wood particles. We want to prevent that from happening because you could be overlooking a serious problem.

Subterranean termites subterranean termites do not produce sawdust either. The reason is that they feed on the wood that they are tunneling through so there is no loose wood or sawdust left behind and what comes out the other end of a termite is a mud like material instead see could this be termite damage. Often these pellets look like coffee grounds however they can imitate the appearance of sand and sawdust as well. Termites are small yet very destructive insects.

These termite droppings which are also called frass are often described as looking like sawdust. These particles called frass and looking more like powder than sawdust often filter out of their nests through exit holes in the wood. Drywood termite droppings are often mistaken for dirt or sand. And when foraging through wood they create tiny kick out holes where they discard their excrement which can cause small piles of wood pellets on the floor.

But sometimes termite pellets are black in color. You may also notice tiny holes where sawdust has accumulated.