Drywood vs. Subterranean Termites: How to Tell Which One You Have

Southern California homes deal with two main kinds of termites: drywood and subterranean. They damage wood in different ways, leave different clues, and need different treatments. Knowing which one you’re looking at is the first step to fixing the problem.

Drywood termites: they live inside the wood

Drywood termites don’t need contact with soil. A colony lives entirely inside a piece of wood — a window frame, a rafter, a piece of furniture — and slowly hollows it out.

Signs of drywood termites:

• Small piles of pellets (called frass) that look like coarse sand or ground coffee, often on window sills, floors, or in the attic
• Tiny kick-out holes in wood where the termites push pellets out
• Discarded wings near windows and lights after a swarm
• Swarms of winged termites, which in Southern California often happen on warm days in late summer and fall

Subterranean termites: they come up from the soil

Subterranean termites live in colonies underground and travel up into your home to feed. They need moisture, so they build protected tunnels to get from the soil to the wood.

Signs of subterranean termites:

• Mud tubes about the width of a pencil running up foundations, piers, or walls
• Damaged wood that looks layered, with the soft grain eaten away and dirt packed into the galleries
• Swarms in spring, often on a warm day after rain
• Wood that sounds hollow or gives way when you press on it, especially near the ground

Why it matters which one you have

The two types need different treatments:

• Drywood termites can often be handled with localized treatments applied directly into the infested wood, when the infestation is limited and accessible. Widespread infestations may need a whole-structure treatment.
• Subterranean termites are treated at the soil — creating a treated zone around the foundation that termites can’t cross — and by removing the wood-to-soil contact and moisture that attracts them.

Treating for the wrong termite wastes money and leaves the real colony in place.

Get a professional inspection

Termite damage is usually hidden inside walls and framing, and the early signs are easy to miss or mistake for something else. A licensed inspection will identify which termite you have, how far the damage goes, and what it will take to fix it.

Lion Gate is licensed by the California Structural Pest Control Board and offers free termite inspections for homeowners. Learn more about our termite control service.