Termite Prevention

Every part of Texas has termite pressure, and the Gulf Coast ranks among the heaviest termite zones in the United States. Termites cause billions of dollars in structural damage nationally each year, and that damage is generally not covered by homeowner's insurance. They work out of sight, inside walls and beneath slabs, often for years before anyone notices. Prevention comes down to three things: deny them moisture, deny them hidden access to wood, and have the structure inspected on a regular schedule.

Termites We See in Texas

• Native subterranean termites. The most widespread termites in the state. Colonies live in the soil and reach a structure through cracks in the slab, expansion joints, plumbing penetrations, or pencil-width mud tubes built up the foundation. They typically swarm during the day in late winter and spring, often on a warm day following rain.

• Formosan subterranean termites. An invasive species well established in the Houston and Galveston area and along the Gulf Coast, and reported in a growing number of counties around the state's other metro areas. Colonies are far larger than native colonies and can do damage faster. They can also build above-ground nests inside walls or on flat roofs wherever there's a persistent moisture source, with no soil contact at all. They swarm at dusk in late spring and early summer and are strongly attracted to lights.

• Drywood termites. Found mainly along the Gulf Coast. They live entirely inside the wood they infest, such as attic framing, fascia, door and window frames, and furniture, and need no contact with soil. The telltale sign is small piles of hard, six-sided pellets that resemble coarse sand or coffee grounds, pushed out of tiny holes in the wood.

• Agricultural (desert) termites. Common in Central and West Texas lawns and pastures, where they build thin mud sheeting over grass and weeds. They feed on vegetation, not structures, and are often mistaken for a threat to the house.

Warning Signs

• Swarmers or discarded wings. Winged termites indoors, or piles of identical wings on windowsills, in spider webs, or near light fixtures, mean a colony is nearby and possibly in the structure.

• Mud tubes on the foundation, piers, garage walls, or plumbing penetrations.

• Damaged wood that sounds hollow when tapped or is lined with dried mud.

• Bubbling or rippled paint, sagging drywall, or pinholes in drywall with a speck of dirt in them.

• Doors or windows that begin to stick without another explanation.

• Pellet piles beneath wood members (drywood termites).

Termite swarmer or flying ant? Termite swarmers have straight, beaded antennae, a thick waist, and four wings of equal length that extend well past the body. Flying ants have elbowed antennae, a pinched waist, and front wings noticeably longer than the back pair. If you aren't sure, save a few in a bag or jar, or take a clear photo, and we'll identify them.

Prevention Tips for Your Home

Control moisture

• Repair plumbing leaks, leaking hose bibs, and roof leaks promptly. Moisture inside a wall is the single biggest contributor to termite problems, and it's what allows Formosan termites to live above ground.

• Route AC condensate lines and downspouts so they discharge away from the foundation.

• Keep gutters clean, and grade soil so water drains away from the slab.

• Adjust sprinkler heads so they don't spray the foundation or siding.

• On pier-and-beam homes, keep the crawl space ventilated and dry.

Eliminate wood-to-soil contact

• Siding, door frames, latticework, and stair stringers should not touch the ground. Keep at least several inches of exposed foundation visible between the soil and the bottom of the siding or brick ledge all the way around the house.

• Don't let soil, mulch, or flower beds build up over time until they cover the slab edge or weep holes. This gives termites a concealed route into the wall, and it hides the mud tubes an inspector is looking for.

• Set fence posts and deck posts in concrete or on metal standoffs, and use pressure-treated lumber for anything near the ground.

• Remove form boards, grade stakes, and scrap lumber left in the soil after construction, along with dead stumps and roots near the structure.

Manage the area around the foundation

• Stack firewood and lumber off the ground and well away from the house. Never stack it against an exterior wall.

• Keep mulch thin near the foundation and pulled back several inches from it, or use gravel in that strip instead.

• Avoid building raised planters against the house.

• Keep shrubs and vines trimmed back from the walls so the foundation can be seen and the wall can dry.

• Don't store cardboard boxes or lumber directly on a garage floor against the wall.

Protect the treatment you already have

• If your home has been treated with a liquid termiticide, the protection is a continuous treated zone in the soil along the foundation. Digging, trenching, adding new soil, or installing new flower beds along the foundation can break it. Let us know before major landscaping work.

• Room additions, new patios, porches, and slabs poured against the house create new, untreated entry points and should be treated when they're built.

• If your home is protected with bait stations, keep them accessible and don't cover them with landscaping, pavers, or concrete.

Reduce swarm attraction

• During Formosan swarm season in late spring, turning off exterior lights near doors at dusk or switching to yellow bulbs reduces the number of swarmers drawn to the house.

Schedule inspections

• Have the structure inspected annually. In the Gulf Coast region, an annual inspection is the minimum. Early detection is the difference between a localized repair and a major structural one.

For Home Buyers and Sellers

Most Texas real estate transactions involve a Wood Destroying Insect (WDI) report, completed by a licensed inspector on the official state form. The report documents visible evidence of active or previous infestation, prior treatment, and conditions conducive to infestation, such as wood-to-soil contact or excessive moisture. If you're selling, correcting conducive conditions before the inspection avoids surprises. If you're buying, ask for treatment records and whether any existing warranty can be transferred.

For Builders and General Contractors

Pre-construction treatment is the most effective and least expensive point in a building's life to protect it from termites. Southeast Texas Pest Control has performed termite pre-treatments on approximately [40 million] square feet of new construction since 1994, from single-family slabs to large commercial and multi-family projects.

• Soil pre-treatment. A liquid termiticide is applied to the finished pad after final grading, plumbing rough-in, and form setting, and before the vapor barrier and concrete go down. Timing matters: the treatment should be the last thing to touch the soil, the vapor barrier should follow promptly, and the pad shouldn't be disturbed or exposed to heavy rain in between. We coordinate closely with superintendents to hit the pour schedule.

• Final-grade perimeter treatment. After final grading and landscaping, the exterior perimeter is treated to complete the protection around the foundation.

• Borate wood treatment. An alternative or supplement in which a borate solution is applied directly to framing, sill plates, and sheathing once the structure is dried in. It removes the pour-day scheduling dependency.

• Documentation. We provide the treatment records your project requires, including the HUD new-construction termite forms for FHA and VA financed homes, along with the application details required under Texas structural pest control rules.

[Link: Request a pre-treat bid]

For Property Managers and Healthcare Facilities

• Train maintenance and housekeeping staff to recognize swarmers, shed wings, and mud tubes, and to report them right away rather than vacuuming up the evidence and moving on. Note the location and date.

• A swarm inside a resident's room or apartment is alarming but harmless to people. Swarmers don't bite, sting, or eat wood themselves. Collect a sample, vacuum the rest, and call for an inspection.

• In multi-family buildings, common entry points include expansion joints, bath trap openings, plumbing penetrations, and places where breezeway slabs, stairs, and patios meet the building.

• Flat roofs, roof leaks, and leaking HVAC equipment create the conditions for above-ground Formosan colonies on upper floors. Roof and plumbing maintenance is termite prevention.

• Review landscape contracts. Irrigation hitting the building, mulch piled against siding, and beds built up over the slab line are the most common conducive conditions we find on commercial properties.

• Keep treatment records, warranty documents, and annual inspection reports on file for each building. They matter at refinancing and sale.

When to Call a Professional

Call us if you see swarmers or piles of wings indoors, find mud tubes or pellet piles, discover damaged wood during a repair or remodel, are planning an addition, or haven't had a termite inspection in the past year. Termite treatment isn't a do-it-yourself project; effective treatment requires specialized equipment, the correct volume of product applied to the right places, and a license to apply it.

Schedule a Termite Inspection

Southeast Texas Pest Control has protected Texas structures from termites since 1994. We serve Houston, the Gulf Coast, Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas. Call [PHONE] or [request an inspection online].