Pest ID library
Termites and wood-destroying insects
Mud tubes, swarmers, kick-out holes and the damage they leave.
ID notes from the crew
Antennae: ants elbowed, termites straight or beaded. Wings: ant pairs unequal, termite pairs equal. Waist: ants pinched, termites broad.
Confirmed in the LTK Discord · LTK member
The old Anobiidae now sit as Anobiinae within Ptinidae; lyctine powderpost beetles are in Bostrichidae. The lesser grain borer is a bostrichid tied to stored grain, not a wood-destroying organism.
Confirmed in the LTK Discord · LTK members
From the field
25 photos posted by members. Tip: Always include a coin or a hand for scale, and freeze a specimen for a clear shot.
(opens full size in a new tab)Wood-boring beetle, dorsal viewLTK member · May 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Live subterranean termites in tubeLTK member · May 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Huge interior termite mud tubeLTK member · May 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Exposed termite colony activityLTK member · Feb 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Mud tube up to the framingLTK member · Feb 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Mud spotting on a door jambLTK member · Mar 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Layered gallery damage in trimLTK member · Oct 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Soil bridging the termite shieldLTK member · Jan 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Mud tubes on wall framingLTK member · Jan 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Galleried wood from wall framingLTK member · Jan 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Damaged stud behind insulationLTK member · Jan 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Soil packing at sill plateLTK member · Jan 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Metallic wood-boring beetle on sidingLTK member · May 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Buprestid beetle, closer lookLTK member · May 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Slab core drilled for treatmentLTK member · Jun 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Branching tubes on slab edgeLTK member · Feb 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Mud spots in a wall cornerLTK member · Mar 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Tube coming out of the mulchLTK member · Mar 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Foundation tube at soil lineLTK member · Mar 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Trench for liquid termiticideLTK member · Oct 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Foundation trench ready to treatLTK member · Oct 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Termite-gutted door jambLTK member · Oct 2025 
(opens full size in a new tab)Wide mud tube on concreteLTK member · Jan 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Tube on block wall, crawlspaceLTK member · Jan 2026 
(opens full size in a new tab)Corner tube to the sill plateLTK member · Jan 2026
