Termites: The Silent Threat to Florida Homes

Imagine the horror, after being gone months, instead of being able to jump in your pool or relax on your lanai, you come home to termites! These pests may not be hazardous to your health, but they are extremely hazardous to your home and wallet.

The threat of termites in Naples and Marco Island is high, well-known for causing extensive home damage in a short period of time. Therefore, it is crucial that all Florida homeowners understand the high occurrence and impact of termites as well as the signs and treatments.

The Problems with Termites

Termites Reproduce and Spread Quickly

Termite colonies can grow exponentially in just a few months. During this short duration of time, termite infestations can reach up to 60,000 individuals in a single colony and can eat through a foot of wood!

The rate of damage severely increases with reproduction. As termite colonies continue to reproduce, the infestation will spread to other areas of the home, wreaking more and more havoc. This makes the termites much harder to isolate and treat.

This is a huge issue for Florida homeowners, especially part-time or seasonal residents. Leaving your home for a few months at the wrong time could lead to devastating damage.

While you are away, it is vital that you have someone periodically checking your home for signs of termites amongst other things. If you are a seasonal resident, make sure to have a reliable Home Watch Company monitoring your home.

Termites Cause Property Damage

These bugs consume cellulose, a molecule found in wood, to survive.

Due to this, termites can and will destroy integral parts of a building. Problems like this not only make your home unsightly but even worse, unsafe.

While many homes in Naples and Marco Island are made from concrete or stucco, this does not leave you immune to termites.

Nearly all buildings have wood components to them, even if the building is primarily built from concrete. Wood can be found in the form of walls, flooring, roofing, and furniture; therefore, all homeowners need to remain vigilant for signs of an infestation.

Termites Can Get Expensive

Given time, these pests can compromise the structural integrity of the entire home. This means that repairs from these pests can range from hundreds to thousands of dollars, depending on the size and the severity of the infestation. 

When talking about termite damage, time equals money lost.

Most Insurance Policies DO NOT Cover Termites

Typical Homeowners Insurance plans do not cover termite damage or removal! Insurance companies consider pest management to be included under routine home maintenance, for which homeowners are responsible themselves.

What this means is, if your home is affected by termite damage, the repair costs would come from your pocket due to “negligence.”

Likelihood of Termite Infestations

The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) rates Florida as a “Region I – Very Heavy” for rates of hazardous termite infestations per year. In fact, the USDA rates Marco Island and Naples as having some of the highest rates of termite infestations in the country!

Florida, with its tropical climate, creates the perfect conditions for termites to infest almost anything. Most environmental agencies estimate that one in 10 Florida homes will have termites at some point.

Research has shown that as a home grows older, the probability of termites being found within it becomes higher due to problems with plumbing, foundation, and wood rot. However, this does not mean that newer homes are guaranteed to remain termite-free.

Even structures five to ten years old can harbor infestations that require treatment. Therefore, all Florida homeowners should be thoroughly monitoring for termites, especially where structures are aging.

Signs of a Termite Infestation

Since the damage caused by termites is often considered the homeowner’s responsibility, it is vital that you learn the signs of a termite infestation. By knowing the signs, you can take the appropriate steps needed to stop these pests in their tracks. 

If you are a seasonal resident, be sure to have your Home Watch company monitor for these signs while you are gone. It is critical that your Home Watch technician catches these signs early in order to save you from extensive home damage.

Mud Tubes

Mud tubes are pencil-sized tunnels some termites use for travel. They are located around termite nests, wood structures, and concrete or stone foundations.

Uneven/Bubbling Paint

Another sign of a termite infestation is bubbling paint. The process of consuming wood and building tunnels distorts the paint, which can superficially look cracked, uneven, or “bubbly.” 

Hollow-Sounding Wood

When you knock or tap on an area that has termite damage, it will sound hollow or papery. This is because termites usually consume wood from the inside out, leaving a thin veneer of timber or just the paint.

“Swarmers”

“Swarmers” are winged termites. Discovering swarmers indoors almost always indicates an infestation warranting treatment. Since swarmers are attracted to light, they are often seen around windows and doors.

Termite Droppings

Another sign of a termite infestation is droppings, or “frass”. These are small wooden pellets that termites create as they eat through wood.  

 If you find these signs in your home, it is important to note that there are a few different types of termites that could be leaving them.

Common Types of Termites

We established that termites are pervasive and costly in Florida, but what are the different types you should watch out for? The three most common types of these bugs in Naples and Marco Island are:

Dampwood Termite

The dampwood termite thrives in moist conditions. This type is specifically found in damp wood, which it destroys by eating. Examples of these locations include, but are not limited to, bathrooms, swimming pool liners, and filtration systems. 

Drywood Termite

Drywood termites like the West Indian termite need dry conditions to thrive. They are most often found in coastal regions and Southwestern states.

While the climate of Florida may be humid, these termites survive by seeking drier areas. These areas are most often found inside the house. Since this type burrows very deep when infesting wooden structures, they are very difficult to detect and remove from a home.

Subterranean Termite

Subterranean termites, like the Formosan, cause 95% of termite damage in the US and are most often found in warm Southern states. These termites inhabit the ground and venture from the earth to find wood to eat.

They live outside, usually in subterranean hideouts like garden soil or mulch. A clear indication of this type is the presence of mud tubes, which this type specifically uses to travel between a food source (like your walls) and their colony.

Most Common

Of these three termite types, the two most prevalent in Florida are the Subterranean and Drywood. When distinguishing between the two, remember that Drywood “swarmers” are active at night while Subterranean “swarmers” are active during the day.

Also, Drywood termites are air dwellers and are often found in attic wood. Subterranean termites travel through mud tubes and are often found near a house’s foundation.

The Subterranean type is by far the most destructive.

Treatment

Reactive Treatment

Treatment is recommended as soon as you find signs of termites in your home. This means you should call professionals right away. There are three main types of termite treatment: liquid termiticides, baiting systems, and fumigation.

Liquid termiticides are placed as a barrier around the home’s perimeter to kill termites as they try to enter or leave the home. These are known to provide long-term protection.

Baiting systems employ slow-acting insecticides that allow termites to stay alive long enough to spread the insecticide to the rest of their colony. These systems can last for years if periodically inspected and serviced by a professional.

Fumigation involves covering the affected area with tents or tarps. The fumigant fills the entire inside of the tent to kill the termites. The gas is then cleared out using fans and ventilation.

Preventative Treatment

The best way to stop a termite infestation is to prevent the problem in the first place. Therefore, it is vital that you establish pest control including termite prevention as a quarterly service. This is just one of many service agreements all Florida homeowners should have. 

During these preventative visits, your pest control technician should be removing potential termite access points, reducing potential food sources, and monitoring for excess moisture in the home. Hopefully, this will keep you from ever needing reactive termite treatment.

Termites constitute a great threat to your home, but residents of Naples and Marco Island must be aware of several other pests too. Your pest control vendors should also protect your home from roaches, ants, and palm rats.

Make sure to have a trusted vendor performing these pest control services for you, and the same vendor should administer reactive treatment if needed. Check with your Home Watch company as they should have a list of preferred vendors to help you.

Termites in Florida: Now You Know

No one wants to come back to a home being eaten away by termites. Unfortunately, due to Florida’s tropical climate, they are a pervasive pest that many homeowners have to deal with. These bugs are known for reproducing quickly, meaning that an infestation can get out of control within a matter of months!

In that short time, termites can cause dangerous property damage. The repairs for such damage are expensive and not covered by most insurance companies. Therefore, it is critical that Florida homeowners educate themselves on the common termite species and signs in their area.

The three most common types of termites in Naples and Marco Island are the Dampwood, Drywood, and Subterranean types. Keep an eye out for mud tubes, bubbling paint, hollow-sounding wood, swarmers, and frass.

If you are a seasonal homeowner, your Home Watch Company should also be monitoring for these signs while you are away. Frequent and thorough monitoring can save your home from extremely vexing damage.

Always remember, if signs of an infestation are detected, call the professionals! If you are a seasonal resident unsure of who to call, ask your Home Watch Company as many have a list of preferred vendors in the area to help you.

Resources

“Subterranean Termites- Their Prevention and Control in Buildings” USDA,  https://www.srs.fs.usda.gov/pubs/misc/misc_hg064.pdf

“Population Growth Characteristics if Incipient Colonies of the Eastern Subterranean Termite” Semantic Scholar, https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/895a/204e3f6d331aa92e1907ae5930bfc1ca1524.pdf?_ga=2.31615998.1183646815.1577714697-1663165908.1573183053

“Termite Treatment” Gregory Pest Solutions, https://smarterpestcontrol.com/residential-termite-control/

“Termite Control: Answers for Homeowners” UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef604

“Where do Termites Live” Catseye, https://www.catseyepest.com/blog/where-do-termites-live

“Do Homeowners Insurance Cover Termite Damage?” Allstate, https://www.esurance.com/info/homeowners/does-homeowners-insurance-cover-termite-damage

“West Indian Drywood Termite Cryptotermes Brevis (Walker) (Insecta: Isoptera: Kalotermitiadae)” IFSA Extension University of Florida http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/in236

“Termite Control: Answers for Homeowners” UK College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef604

“Featured Creatures” IFAS University of Florida, http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/termites/native_subterraneans.htm

“Formosan Termites” Pest World.org, https://www.pestworld.org/pest-guide/termites/formosan-termites/

“Termite Structures 101: What is a Mud Tube?” Terminix, https://www.terminix.com/blog/education/termite-structures-101-what-is-a-mud-tube

“Signs of Termite Infestation” Steve’s Pest Control, INC, http://www.sonequitypest.net/signs-of-termite-infestation

“Termites FAQs” Terminix, https://www.terminix.com/termite-control/faqs/

“Drywood Termites” Termite Web, https://www.termiteweb.com/drywood-termites/

“Where do Termites Live?” Terminix, https://www.terminix.com/blog/bug-facts/where-do-termites-live/

How Do I Get Rid of Termites? Florida Pest Control. (n.d.) https://www.flapest.com/termites/treatment/how-do-i-get-rid-of-termites/

Termite Prevention Tips. Orkin. (n.d.) https://www.orkin.com/pests/termites/prevention