I've been working to repair the termite damage in my den area. Modern tools make the job much easier. I did not find any live termites and if fact, I have not seen any on the property this whole year. Last year they were everywhere. I asked the workers who worked on our foundation and they said they saw no evidence of termites there either.  Through the years our worst termite problems have been in the walls where the wood is not treated to protect it.