"How do I know if my villa actually has termites?" is the question I'm asked more than any other in Bali. The honest answer is that termites are deliberately hard to spot — they work inside timber, in the dark, and a colony can feed for months before anything looks wrong. But there are reliable tells, and once you know what to look for you can catch a problem while it's still cheap to fix. Here's exactly how I check a villa.
1. Walk the perimeter and look for mud tubes
Start outside. Subterranean termites — the kind that cause most structural damage in Bali — travel inside pencil-width tubes of mud and saliva that protect them from light and dry air. Look where soil meets the building: foundation walls, the base of posts, the inside of garden retaining walls, behind planters pushed against the house. A mud tube running upward is the single clearest sign of an active colony. Break a small section: if it's resealed within a day or two, the colony is alive and foraging.
2. Tap the timber
Inside, take a screwdriver handle or a coin and tap along door frames, skirting, window reveals and any exposed beams. Healthy timber gives a solid, dull knock. Infested timber sounds papery or hollow, because the termites have eaten the inside while leaving a thin surface skin. Press firmly with your thumb on suspicious spots — if the surface gives way or crumbles into a honeycomb of galleries, you've found active or recent damage.
3. Look down for frass
Drywood termites, common in Bali's roof timbers and furniture, don't build mud tubes. Instead they push tiny pellet-shaped droppings — frass — out of small holes in the wood. Check flat surfaces beneath wooden members: windowsills, the tops of door frames, the floor under timber roof beams, the base of wooden cabinets. Little piles of uniform, sand-like pellets mean there are drywood termites in the timber directly above.
4. Watch for swarmers after rain
After the first heavy rains of the wet season, mature colonies release winged reproductives that fly off to start new nests. If you see clouds of flying "ants" indoors, or find discarded wings on windowsills and around lights, there's almost certainly an established colony within about 50 metres. People often mistake swarmers for flying ants — the giveaways are that termites have a straight body with no narrow waist, and four wings all the same size.
5. Check the doors, floors and paint
Subtler signs add up: doors and windows that suddenly stick because frames have warped from internal moisture and damage; floors that feel spongy underfoot; paint that bubbles or shows faint blistered lines where termites have tunnelled just beneath the surface. None of these prove termites on their own, but combined with any of the signs above they strengthen the case.
What to do if you find any of these
First, don't spray insecticide on the area. It feels satisfying but it scatters the colony, drives it deeper, and makes professional treatment harder and more expensive. Instead, take clear photos and note where you found each sign. Send the photos to us on WhatsApp — we can often give an initial read remotely and tell you how urgent it is. If it warrants a closer look, we'll arrange a full termite inspection, which probes the timber and checks the concealed areas a quick DIY scan can't reach. Catching termites early in Bali is the difference between a modest treatment bill and major structural repair, so when in doubt, check.
Talk to a Termite Specialist
Send us a message or a photo on WhatsApp — we respond with an honest assessment and clear next steps, no call-out fees.
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