dirt / droppings / leaving on window sill

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extremez seaford rise, Australia Jun 03, 2015

Hi Everyone,

About four times in the past year ive discovered a window sill in our house quite dirty, each time I vacuum the area. Its behind a filling cabinet so I don't check there often.

Today I noticed it again, so instead of vacuuming the area, I decided to find out what was making the mess. Upon searching google I didn't find anything that looks the same, but I did find a picture of termite droppings which looked similar, which is very concerning.

I have seen normal black ants coming in from the window sill in the past, but not recently.

The three pictures I have uploaded are of the window sill, window sill zoomed in and carpet next to window sill where there seems to be a few dead and and millipedes.

Any help identifying what made the mess would be very helpful, thank you in advance.

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extremez seaford rise, Australia Jun 03, 2015

Upon closer inspection, it looks like ant bodies, perhaps the leavings of a spider (cant see a spider though). Not sure.

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Flapdoodle Minot, ND Jun 04, 2015

Drywood termite droppings ('frass') have a very characteristic shape - see http://www.jamescolincampbell.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/Drywood-Fecal-pellets.jpg
Also, they usually are found in more or less discrete piles directly below a small hole ('kickout hole' or 'kickhole') in a wall or ceiling - see http://www.leadingedgepm.com/insects/termites_drywood.html
Do you have a drop ceiling of any kind? If so, try examining the void immediately above where you are seeing the debris shown in your images.

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extremez seaford rise, Australia Jun 04, 2015

Hi Flapdoodle, thank you for your response.
I see no characteristic shape (I don't have a microscope to look really close), nor a kickhole above the area. Upon tapping the window wood, it all seems solid.
I am not able to examine the void above the debris because it is a ground floor window of a two story.
I removed one of the clumps of debris and tried to take a closer photo.

This message was edited Jun 4, 2015 7:37 AM

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Flapdoodle Minot, ND Jun 04, 2015

I can see nothing readily identifiable in this image, there does appear to be quite a bit of fibrous material mixed in, but I can't tell whether it is of plant or animal origin. I recently saw similar debris mysteriously appearing in the basement lavatory of a house where I was staying. A search of the area determined that it was coming from the drop ceiling directly above the debris field; I suspected rodent activity...

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