Subterranean soldier termites do make sounds. They can infest a tree such as a willow or birch tree and create a nest within. The soldier termites will then create vibrations by rapidly moving their heads and bodies backward and forward. They do not move their legs. This movement results in a chittering type of sound which is referred to, in academic circles, as head-banging. This head-banging sound is the loudest sound that a termite can make.
Sometimes, the head-banging sounds are created by worker termites. The sound that is made is similar to the sounds made by soldier termites but the way the sound is created is different. The worker termites hit the floor of the nest with their mandibles or jaws. A crunching type of a sound is heard when the worker termites persist in this behavior. Why they do it is unknown.
Termites can enter houses or other buildings through tiny cracks or little holes along the foundations. They can often be detected not just by the mounds or mud tubes that they leave behind when chewing through wood or other substances but also because of a clicking sound that they sometimes produce. Listen for this clicking sound at night.
Termites can sometimes hitch a ride into your house on wooden furniture that is delivered. According to the "Daily Mail" in the U.K., Cassie Hindry woke one morning to a strange scratching sound coming from within her bed. After calling the exterminators she discovered that her new bed was infested with termites who sounded like they were scratching the wood while munching through it.