Drywood Termite Control and Prevention

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Many Homeowners, will experience a drywood termite infestation in their home. Unlike subterranean termites which require excess moisture, drywood termites spend almost their entire life cycle inside the sound, dry wood members upon which they feed. Only during brief swarming flights do young adults leave the confines of their galleries to begin new colonies elsewhere. Winged adults or "swarmers", shed wings, ejected pellets, and galleries inside wood are typical signs of a drywood termite infestation. Swarming ants are sometimes confused with termites, but their differences are easy to recognize.

If a drywood termite infestation is suspected in your house, a thorough Inspection of the entire structure should be conducted by licensed Inspector. To provide a valid report, the inspector must hold a State-issued wood-destroying organism inspection card and be personally licensed in the termite category or be supervised by such a licensee. A careful inspection is critical in order to determine the extent of an infestation and location(s) of other possible drywood termite colonies. The results of the inspection will dictate the best treatment option(s) as no single control method is best for all situations. Most companies offer drywood termite control, therefore, it is prudent to contact several companies for inspections and drywood termite treatment recommendations before choosing the company and specific dry wood termite treatment which best fit your needs. Dry wood termite control treatments are divided into three general categories which reflect their areas of coverage: whole-structure, compartmental, and local or "spot" applications. Preventative treatments are also available and are usually offered after an existing infestation has been treated. All treatments listed below will kill drywood termites, but their effectiveness is limited when used beyond their intended scope.

Typical Range of Drywood Termite Treatments

• Treatment Unit of Coverage Time per Unit
• Fumigation entire structure 1-3 days
• Heat several rooms, attic, an apartment 4-12 hours
• Cold wall voids between studs 30 min
• Electrocution 3-4 ft of board 2-30 min
• Microwaves 1-4 ft of board 10-30 min
• Drill-and-Inject 3-12 ft. of termite gallery 5-20 min
• Borate Surface Spray raw wood surfaces 10 min – 2 hours
• Wood Replacement removed wood member highly variable

Advantages and Disadvantages of Drywood Termite Treatments

• Fumigation complete eradication of termites in entire structure, overnight evacuation and food protection is required
• Heat eradication where heat is confined all heat sensitive materials must be removed from area
• Cold eradication where cold can be confined, usually a wall void holes drilled in wall for injection of liquid nitrogen
• Electrocution maneuverable device no ability to measure lethal application
• Microwaves control without drilling poor maneuverability for confined areas
• Drill-and-Inject has a long tracked record, residual chemical delivered directly into termite gallery, drilling of infested wood required Borate Surface Spray large coverage possible, residual protection only unfinished wood treatable, drilling of infested wood recommended Wood Replacement absolute removal of infestation may run into adjacent, more difficult to remove wood members