Termite Control: Identify the Type and Choose the Right Treatment

Maybe you found a pile of wings on a windowsill, a line of dried mud on the foundation, or soft wood behind a baseboard. Termites are a serious problem, but they are not an emergency that has to be fixed today. This guide helps you figure out which termite you are dealing with, rule out flying ants, understand how the infestation started and decide what to do next.

How to identify termites

The three groups of termites that attack US homes need different treatments, so the type matters before anyone treats. Subterranean termites are the most common in most of the country.

Subterranean termites live in the soil and need to stay moist, so they build pencil-width mud tubes to cross concrete and masonry. Formosan termites are an invasive subterranean species that is spreading to new areas. Drywood termites live entirely inside dry wood and never need soil contact. Dampwood termites show up only where wood stays wet, so finding them points to a leak or rot.

For a full checklist of what to look for, see the signs of termites guide.

Termites vs flying ants

Winged ants and winged termites often swarm in the same season, and many people mistake one for the other. Catch one, or collect a few shed wings, and check these features.

If it turns out to be ants, our ant control guide covers the next steps. Carpenter ant damage also looks different from termite damage: termite galleries run along the grain and are lined with soil or mud.

How termite infestations start

Termites find a house the same way they find a fallen log: they follow moisture and wood. The conditions that let them in are mostly fixable.

• Wood touching soil. Fence posts, deck posts, stair stringers, trellises and siding that touch the ground give termites a direct path into the structure.
• Moisture near the foundation. Leaky gutters, downspouts that dump water against the house, poor grading, plumbing leaks and damp crawl spaces all draw termites.
• Hidden entry points. Cracks in the foundation, gaps around utility pipes and stucco or foam board that runs below the soil line let termites travel unseen.
• Wood debris. Buried scrap lumber, old stumps, firewood stacked against the house and stored wood in crawl spaces feed colonies right next to your home.
• Infested wood brought in. Drywood termites live inside wood items such as furniture and lumber. Subterranean termites, Formosan included, can spread through reused infested wood like old yard timbers.

Why termite treatment is mostly a professional job

Treating an established termite infestation is one of the few common pest problems that homeowners should hand off. Extension specialists are clear on this, for several reasons.

• Licensing. Many termiticides are labeled for use only by trained, licensed applicators. States license termite work, and Texas, as one case, requires a written wood destroying insect report for formal inspections and treatments.
• Volume and placement. A soil treatment can take hundreds of gallons of termiticide, injected into the ground along the foundation, under concrete slabs and inside foundation walls with masonry drills and long soil rods. Gaps leave entry points open. Done wrong, it can contaminate the home or a nearby drinking water well.
• Structural knowledge. Many of the spots where termites get into a house are hidden and hard to reach. Finding them takes knowledge of how the building was put together.
• Retail products fall short. Do-it-yourself termite products are rarely enough to stop an infestation in a house. The exception is a small wooden item that is not attached to the building, which you can treat or throw away.

Our termite treatment options guide compares liquid termiticides, bait systems, borate wood treatments, spot treatments, fumigation and heat, plus what to look for in a warranty.

Take your time. Termites damage wood slowly. A few extra days or weeks to get two or three inspections rarely matters. Be wary of any company that pressures you to sign the same day.

What homeowners can do

You cannot reliably treat termites yourself, but you can do a lot to make your home less inviting and to catch a problem early. These steps follow integrated pest management: fix the conditions first.

1. Break wood-to-soil contact. Keep soil at least 6 to 8 inches below the top of the foundation, and keep siding and other structural wood off the ground. Use pressure-treated lumber or concrete footings for anything that must touch the ground.
2. Control moisture. Clean gutters, extend downspouts, grade soil to slope away from the foundation and fix plumbing and roof leaks promptly. In crawl spaces, keep vents clear and cover bare soil with polyethylene sheeting.
3. Keep mulch low. Keep mulch several inches below any wooden part of the house, and keep dense shrubs away from the foundation.
4. Move wood away. Store firewood off the ground and several feet from the house. Remove stumps, buried wood scraps and lumber stored in crawl spaces or basements.
5. Seal cracks. Repair foundation cracks and seal gaps where pipes and wires enter.
6. Look regularly. Once or twice a year, check the foundation, crawl space, porch and garage for mud tubes and soft wood. Spring, when swarms are common, is a good time. The seasonal pest calendar can help you plan.
7. Get periodic professional inspections. Hidden infestations need a trained eye. UC IPM suggests a professional inspection every 3 to 5 years, and an inspector can point out conditions that invite termites.

Real estate termite inspections

When you buy or sell a home, a termite inspection report is normally a condition of the sale. These are often called WDI (wood destroying insect) or WDO (wood destroying organism) inspections, and the rules and report forms vary by state. Texas, for one, requires a written WDI report for every formal termite inspection. An inspector can only judge what is visible and reachable, so a clean report cannot fully rule out a hidden infestation. If the report finds activity, ask whether it is current or old damage, and get a second opinion before agreeing to treatment.

When to call a professional

Call a licensed pest control company for an inspection if you see any of these:

• Swarmers or piles of shed wings indoors, especially near windows, doors or light fixtures.
• Mud tubes on the foundation, piers, joists or walls.
• Wood that sounds hollow or crumbles, with soil-packed tunnels inside.
• Small piles of six-sided pellets below tiny holes in wood (a drywood sign).

Get inspections and written proposals from more than one company, check that each holds a state license, and compare the treatment method and warranty terms. Our guide on choosing a pest control company lists the questions to ask.

Termite questions

Are swarmers inside the house dangerous? No. Swarmers cannot damage wood and live only about a day. Vacuum them up. Their presence indoors almost always means a colony is active nearby, so schedule an inspection.

I saw termites swarming from a stump in the yard. Is my house infested? Not necessarily. Termites are common in yards. Swarms near the foundation, porch or inside are a bigger concern. Check the foundation for mud tubes and consider an inspection.