Florida Termites: Subterranean vs. Drywood (Signs, Risk & Treatments)

Subterranean termites are the most destructive species in Florida. They nest in the soil and travel up into homes looking for cellulose (wood).

• Nesting: Underground — they require high moisture.
• Entry: They build mud tubes up foundations, block walls, piers, and plumbing penetrations.
• Damage pattern: Soft, hollow wood; feeding follows the grain.
• Swarm season in SWFL: Typically spring (Formosan tends to swarm late spring into summer).
• Risk level: Highest — mature colonies can be enormous, and the sandy soil and high water table in Cape Coral, Fort Myers, and Naples put them right under slab-on-grade homes.

The reliable defense is a treated soil barrier around the foundation — a termite treatment that termites pass through rather than avoid — backed by annual inspections.

Unlike subterraneans, drywood termites live entirely inside dry wood — no soil contact needed.

• Nesting: Inside furniture, trim, fascia, and attic trusses.
• Key sign: Frass — tan, pellet-like droppings pushed out of tiny kick-out holes, often piling up on windowsills or the floor below infested wood.
• Entry: Swarmers squeeze into cracks in siding, soffits, fascia, and vents.
• Swarm season in SWFL: Late summer into early fall.

When the infestation is localized, drywood termites can be treated directly with drywood termite treatment — injection, foaming, and borate wood protection — with no tent. Widespread, hidden galleries may require whole-structure fumigation.

A few clues settle it fast:

• Mud tubes on the foundation or block wall = subterranean termites.
• Pellets (frass) under wood trim or on the sill = drywood termites.
• Swarmers indoors with discarded wings — spring swarms point to subterranean, late-summer swarms to drywood.

Unsure? Save a sample or take clear photos — the species can be identified in minutes, and the treatment is completely different for each, which is why the inspection matters before any work is quoted.

• Fix irrigation overspray and drainage around the foundation to reduce the moisture subterraneans need.
• Reduce wood-to-soil contact — fence posts, deck supports, and mulch beds against the house.
• Seal utility penetrations and foundation cracks.
• Replace water-damaged fascia, trim, or siding, which invites both types.
• Schedule an annual inspection — the cheapest insurance against a five-figure repair.
• Keep a soil-barrier or bait plan in place, especially on slab-on-grade homes near canals.

See mud tubes or piles of pellets? Book an inspection — we'll confirm the species and build a treatment and warranty plan around your home and risk level.