7 Signs of Termites (Deemak) in Your Home — And What to Do Next

Termites — called deemak or deemak ke keede in Hindi — work quietly inside walls, floors and furniture. Most people only notice them when a cupboard door breaks or a wooden frame crumbles. The good news: if you know what to look for, you can catch them early, when treatment is simple and the damage is small.

1. Mud Tubes on Walls

Subterranean termites, the most common type in India, build thin tubes of mud to travel from the soil to wood without drying out. Look for pencil-thick brown lines running up walls, along skirting, behind cupboards and around the corners of doors. If you break a tube and it is rebuilt in a few days, the termites are active.

2. Hollow-Sounding or Soft Wood

Termites eat wood from the inside and leave a thin outer layer. Tap your door frames, skirting and cupboard panels with the handle of a screwdriver: damaged wood sounds hollow or papery, and a screwdriver may sink in easily.

3. Wings Near Windows After Rain

After the first monsoon showers, flying termites (swarmers) leave the colony to start new ones. If you find many small, equal-sized wings near windows, lights or doors — especially in the evening after rain — a colony is close by.

4. Doors and Windows That Suddenly Stick

As termites tunnel through wood, they bring in moisture, and the wood can swell or warp. Doors and windows that suddenly become hard to open or close are worth checking.

5. Soil or Powder Inside Cupboards

Fine soil on the shelves of a wooden cupboard, or mud on the back panel, is a common sign that termites are coming up from the floor or the wall behind it. Drywood termites also leave tiny, dry pellets that look like sand or poppy seeds.

6. Bubbling Paint or Cracks in Plaster

Paint that bubbles, peels or looks wavy near the floor, and thin cracks in the plaster along the skirting, can mean termites are moving behind the surface.

7. Damaged Books, Papers and Cardboard

Termites eat anything with cellulose — not just wood. Books, files, photo frames and cardboard boxes stored on the floor or against a wall are often the first things to be damaged.

Where to Check in Your Home

• Door and window frames on the ground floor
• Wooden cupboards, wardrobes and modular kitchen cabinets
• Skirting, wooden flooring and the corners of rooms
• Store rooms, under staircases and behind furniture placed against walls
• Areas near bathrooms, kitchens and leaking pipes, where the walls stay damp

What to Do When You Find Termites

1. Do not break the mud tubes or spray household insecticide. This only makes the termites move to another spot, and the colony in the soil stays untouched.
2. Take photos of the damage and the mud tubes, so the technician can see where they were.
3. Move books, papers and cardboard away from the affected wall.
4. Book a professional inspection. Termites live in the soil, so the treatment has to reach the soil below your floor — this needs drilling equipment and a registered termiticide.

How Termites Are Treated

For an existing home, we use post-construction treatment: small holes are drilled along the wall–floor joints, termiticide is injected into the soil and the holes are sealed. Wooden frames and furniture are treated separately. For new buildings, pre-construction soil treatment gives the longest protection. Read about the difference between the two and the cost of termite treatment.

Seen One of These Signs?

Do not wait for the damage to spread. Call or WhatsApp +91 94111 22334, or book a free termite inspection online. Our teams serve homes in Dehradun, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Roorkee, Saharanpur, Moradabad and more. See our full termite control service.