Termites are silent invaders—often living inside your Bay Area home long before any visible damage appears. While many homeowners expect to find termites around exterior foundations or siding, infestations can occur in many hidden locations throughout your home.

Understanding where termites live inside California homes can help you catch early warning signs and avoid thousands of dollars in repairs.

Where Termites Commonly Hide Indoors

Termites don’t always show up where you expect them. In fact, depending on the species, they often hide deep inside the parts of your home you rarely think about. They may be tucked away in attics, crawlspaces, basements, garages, or even old storage sheds. Inside the home, they can burrow into hardwood floors, subflooring, staircases, wall voids, and solid-wood cabinets—sometimes even door frames, trim, and window casings.

Here in California, both drywood and subterranean termites are common, and each one has its own favorite hiding spots. The tricky part? Most of the damage they cause happens long before homeowners ever realize they’re there. The U.S. Forest Service estimates termites cause more than $5 billion in damage every year—and a lot of it starts in these overlooked areas.

How Termites Get Into Your Home

When you’re checking your home for termites, a great place to start is around the base of your foundation or along the edges of your subfloor. These tiny pests can squeeze in through almost any opening, including:

• Small foundation cracks
• Gaps around plumbing lines
• Areas where wood touches soil
• Crawlspace vents
• Expansion joints
• Hidden structural openings

As you inspect, keep an eye out for telltale signs such as wood that feels soft or sunken, paint that looks bubbled or uneven, thin mud tubes along walls, or tiny pinholes in wood surfaces. These are often the first clues that termites may have moved in.

Signs of Termites in Floors and Cabinets

Hardwood floors and subfloors are favorite spots for termites to settle in. Keep an eye out for signs like sagging or uneven floors, boards that appear to be buckling, or areas that feel soft or spongy underfoot. You might also notice small piles of what looks like sawdust—this is called frass—or wood that sounds hollow when tapped.

Don’t forget your cabinets! Open each door and take a look inside the corners, on the shelves, and along the joints for tiny holes or any frass. Catching these signs early can help protect your home before serious damage occurs.

Where Termites Build Colonies

Different species prefer different environments:

Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites live in the soil and make their way into your home using mud tubes. They often target areas where wood is abundant, including:

• Garages
• Sheds and workshops
• Stored firewood
• Spare lumber
• Wooden beams and joists

Drywood Termites

Drywood termites don’t need to be in contact with the soil—they can live entirely above ground. They often make their homes in attics, rafters, crawlspaces, furniture, and wooden trim or framing. Because they tunnel inside the wood itself, infestations can grow quietly and go unnoticed for years, causing serious damage before anyone realizes it.

What to Do If You Find Termites

If you spot any signs of termites during your inspection, it’s important to take action right away. While DIY methods might disturb the colony temporarily, they rarely solve the problem for good.

At Vanguard Termite, we offer professional inspections and personalized treatment plans to eliminate infestations safely and effectively. Once the termites are gone, our team can help with:

• Repairing or replacing damaged wood
• Restoring structural integrity
• Setting up long-term protection plans
• Applying preventative treatments to keep termites from returning

We’re here to protect your home and give you peace of mind.

Even If You Don’t See Termites—Protect Your Home Now

Termites are active year-round in the Bay Area. Whether you see signs or not, a preventative inspection can save thousands in repair costs.

👉 Schedule a free inspection with Vanguard Termite today:
https://vanguardtermite.com/contact/

Protect your home before termites find their way inside.