Termites are tiny and silent destroyers that create massive devastation without anyone noticing it for long. These wood-eating insects cause billions of dollars annually in damage to homes, businesses, and other structures in Florida. If left unchecked, termites can ruin your property’s foundation and cause expensive repair costs. Therefore, early termite prevention is crucial for homeowners and commercial properties in Florida.
The West Indian Drywood Termite is a social insect that builds colonies inside of timber structures or other items made of wood. The colony can live completely within the wooden structure without any external source of water.1 Colonies spread when winged reproductive alates leave to find new wood to infest. Drywood Termites in Florida swarm in evenings, generally from April through July in Florida.2 Many Condominium Associations and commercial properties across the Tampa Bay area have on-going spot treatment coverage as most structures in Florida will see active drywood termite activity at some point. If you observe live termite activity, or frass (pictured below) you should reach out to a pest management professional for an inspection. A pest expert will be able to confirm that it is a termite and determine whether there is an active infestation or just a random swarming termite. Flying ants are often misidentified as termites, the easiest way to determine the difference is so look at the antennae. Ants have elbowed antennae while all termites have straight antennae. While Drywood termites have the potential to cause structural damage, it takes many years for an infestation to cause damage. This is due to the slow reproductive process of drywood termites relative to other termites such as Formosan or Subterranean termites.
Treatment Options
Spot Treatments
| Treatment | Efficacy in Field | Strengths | Considerations and Limitations | Damage to Structure |
| Chemical | ||||
| chemical liquids and dusts | efficacy highest if infestation is accessible, exposed | long-term | many active ingredients commercially available; | yes, if drill holes for injection used |
| chemical foams | same as above | coverage of hidden infestation; long-term | some recent published lab studies show high efficacy results | yes, if drill holes for injection used |
Spot treatments are intended to kill termites within only within a specific targeted area, leaving open the possibly of other undetected infestations within the structure. Spot treatments are NOT designed for whole-structure eradication.3 For spot treatments to be effective kick holes and frass need to be accessible, if frass is observed in your home do not vacuum it up, please leave it in place so the Pest Control Technician can easily identify where the colony is located.
Fumigation
| Treatment | Efficacy in Field | Strengths | Considerations and Limitations | Damage to Structure |
| fumigants | high level of efficacy if monitored | hidden sites treated | correct dosage must be achieved; residents must leave house for days; no residue; recently labelled greenhouse gas | gas pilots must be extinguished before treatment; possible damage to roof from tarpaulins or if walked on |
If you’ve driven around Florida in the Summer you have likely seen a home covered by a tent which is being fumigated for drywood termites in Florida. The drywood termite treatment Sulfuryl fluoride treats all infestations simultaneously and has high levels of efficacy, if correctly applied. Sulfuryl fluoride kills drywood termites within several days. A monitored fumigation, which involves installing gas monitoring lines inside the structure undergoing treatment, has the highest rate of treatment success. Nonmonitored fumigation may not have enough gas concentration to kill infestations, and failures may occur. The advantage of fumigation over localized treatment is that it should eliminate infestations hidden from view. It will also be necessary for the occupants, pets, and plants to vacate the structure for several days (depending on volume of structure and amount of gas injected) while it is being fumigated and then aerated. Additionally, roofs could be damaged as a result of having tarpaulins dragged across them.4
Sources: 1.https://www.freshfromflorida.com/content/download/3145/19791/p01742_consumerinfo_drywood_0910.pdf
2.https://agrilifecdn.tamu.edu/citybugstest/files/2017/01/Drywood-termites-E366.pdf
