Identify these mystery granules / insect eggs.

March 22, 2016 10:34 AM

I have an outdoor grill set atop a wooden cabinet. Every few months, these mysterious granules appear inside and around the cabinet. Are they insect eggs? What are they and where are they coming from?

My home is in Tampa. Grill and cabinet is beneath a covered, screened-in patio. We've lived there for two years, I find these mystery granules every few months. I just vacuum them up, haven't wanted to wait long enough to see if they hatch into anything.

posted by gnutron to Home & Garden (4 answers total)

Looks like termite fecal pellets to me.
posted by Huck500 at 10:40 AM on March 22, 2016

yep, looks like termite poop. Had them in an old apartment of mine.
posted by vacapinta at 11:08 AM on March 22, 2016

Response by poster: Well, poop. Why would I be finding such large quantities in such sporadic intervals? Wouldn't there be a constant supply of it...?
posted by gnutron at 11:09 AM on March 22, 2016

See that small hole in the wood? The one with two pellets seemingly suspended just below it? That's where the termites are dumping their poop from. That's why the pile is right below the hole. You have termites in the ground under that cabinet.
posted by Patapsco Mike at 11:30 AM on March 22, 2016 [4 favorites]