Rodents and termites both stay hidden. You usually meet the evidence first: a sound in the false ceiling, a door frame that feels soft, or wings on the window sill after rain. Treat those as a reason to book an inspection, not as a reason to block every hole with cement the same evening. Cement can hide the path a technician needs to see.
Rodent signs
- Droppings along the pantry, behind the stove, or on top of a cupboard.
- Gnaw marks on soap, wires, or the corner of a door.
- Greasy rub marks where a rat squeezes along a pipe.
- Scratching in the false ceiling after the lights go off.
In apartments the entry is often a cable gap, a broken door sweep, or a drain cover. Photograph the droppings and the gap. Do not place loose poison where children or pets can reach it.
Termite signs
- Mud tubes on an exterior wall or inside a closet.
- Discarded wings near lights after a rainy evening.
- Hollow sound when you tap a door frame or skirting.
- Paint that bubbles even though the leak was repaired.
Swarmers mean termites were flying. They do not always mean the colony is eating your furniture. An inspection separates a one-night swarm from active wood damage.
What to do the same day
Store open snacks in jars, clear a path to the affected wall, and note which floor and which room. If you hear activity in a shared shaft, tell the association as well as the pest team. A visit covers identification, the likely entry, treatment where it belongs, and a list of gaps that need a carpenter or the building, not another spray.