Whenever we (and I use the royal we) start a project at our 1979 house, and open a wall, it's anyone's game what we find. The house had an infestation of termites prior to our purchase and although it was treated, we had a swarm a few years ago. That prompted DIY termite treatment. We ordered stuff on line and Paul trenched around the house. Good news is we haven't (or at least I haven't) seen any further swarms. If there are any, Paul isn't telling me, which is good for my blood pressure.
The former owners (bless their hearts) didn't maintain the house well or if they had work done, it was not done well or on the cheap. Now my husband takes great pride as to what is behind the wall as what is outside the wall. So he will spend hours making sure studs, pipes, etc. are as near to perfection as you can get, given what we have, in addition to reinsulating outside walls, treating for possible termites, etc.
So imagine our surprise (or not) when the outside wall is opened. Sad to say those termites were hungry and ate one of the base plates. And they weren't well mannered and cleaned up after themselves as you can see below
Since it was a load bearing wall, it required a trip to our local hardware store (remember those incidentals) to purchase a new base plate as well as wood to keep the wall stabilized while a new base plate was put in. One giant step towards sheet rock.
Thankfully, no termites; but I get you. It's also an adventure every time you open up a wall in a 1925 house that was renovated in the mid-1980's.
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