Quick Inspection
Here are  3 easy places to find termites and a couple of not so easy places to look too.  Remember if your not up to this physically or mentally lots of Termite Companies do these inspections FREE.  ( warning below).

1.  First go outside and look at the base of the foundation wall all the way around your house.  Look for mud tubes coming out of the soil heading up the foundation wall.  These tubes connect your home to the colony. [See the picture]   Termites move through the ground to these tubes and enter your home using them. They never have to be seen or exposed to the light.

2.  While your checking the foundation wall also notice the wood work around the door and window casings.  Look for damaged wood or dirt between the cracks.  If you see dirt, scrape gently and see if there are termites inside.

3.  Go inside and check the window and door casings, and check the baseboards too.  Look for damaged wood and/or small grains of dirt covering small holes in the wood work or sheet rock.  When termites swarm they discard their wings while picking a mate.  Look for the silver wings.

WARNING!   The next part of your inspection requires  entering and inspecting the crawl space of your home. If your home has a crawl space your going to need SPECIAL EQUIPMENT.
Coveralls (zip or button to the top)
Good flashlight  (check your batteries)
Gloves (protect your hands)
Wood probe  (screw driver will do)
Common sense  (Be careful)
Be careful not to touch hot water pipes, electrical lines, and to beware of sharp objects and uneven ground.  
Sometimes critters are making their home under there , so watch out for snakes, rodents, and other varmints.
If your home is too low to crawl call a professional.  Most Termite Companies offer FREE INSPECTIONS.

4.  Go into the crawl space and go right along the foundation wall all the way around the house.  Look for mud tubes.  [Like the ones in the picture, above] going up foundation walls, up support piers, on joists and sill headers and on the sub-flooring.

5.  Inspect carefully behind dirt filled porches and planters, and around fireplaces.  Look for mud tubes and damage.   Picture by Bruce Conners, Knox Pest Control, Columbus, Ga.  This type of damage is typically expensive to repair and could run as high as $100 per foot to remove and replace. Thanks Bruce.