Drywood Termites in Southern, CA
The biggest threat to Southern California homeowners is not fire, flooding, earthquakes, or other natural disasters: It’s drywood termites. Yes, these little buggers are responsible for nearly $5 billion of damage in the U.S. every year. In San Diego, Riverside, and Orange counties, it’s estimated that between 60 to 80 percent of all structures have at least one minor termite colony in it. Chew on that for a minute.
Drywood Termite Characteristics
Drywood termites (Incisitermes minor) feed on our homes, office buildings, and basically any place they can sink their teeth. They typically arrive in late summer, riding the warm Santa Ana winds. Blind, directionless termites will chomp down on the first piece of wood they find, which, in most cases, is your home.
Poor Eyesight
Given their poor eyesight (well, they actually don’t have eyes) and the precarious fate determined by winds, about 99 percent of termites in a mating swarm will die trying to find a place to settle down (and you thought you were going through an existential crisis). However, that 1 percent that finds its way onto your home, garage, or gazebo can cause thousands of dollars worth of damage.
Visual Similarities to Flying Ants
These pests are often confused with flying ants, albeit with a pale white color. The similarities don’t end with their appearance. Like ants, drywood termites are very organized and can develop complex colonies in your home without you even noticing.
Mating
A female drywood termite emits a pheromone to attract a male. Once a pair has found each other, they’ll enter a crack or crevice in your home and break off their own wings for easier burrowing (oh, the things we do for love). Then, they gnaw a pear-shaped chamber where they mate.
Nymphs and the Termite Life Cycle
Young termites—aka nymphs—cause the most burrowing damage in their effort to help build the colony. A typical colony of drywood termites takes about four years to mature, all the while chowing down on wood and damaging your structure.
Some nymphs grow up to become soldiers and alates, the reproductive swarmers that will continue the cycle. Wind or other circumstances can move swarmers from one colony to another wooden beam, making it possible for multiple colonies to exist within the same structure.
Having trouble with pests?
Give us a call:
1.800.223.2847
Or schedule a call with a Lloyd Specialist today and get a FREE estimate for:
"We've used Lloyd Pest Control on a number of our properties, and they are always very thorough and a pleasure to work with."
Drywood Termite Entry Points
Drywood termites can enter your home through vents or cracks in trim, eaves, window frames, and exposed rafters. Often, the first place they are detected is within the raw beams and framing of garages and attics.
Conducive drywood entry points include:
- Unsealed or unpainted wood
- Vents without screens
- Exposed rafter tails
- Attached wooden deck or fence
- Clogged rain gutters
- Ground moisture
These termites will eat any cellulose material they find, even furniture and antiques. And, since they attack from the inside, you may not know the damage you’ve sustained until it’s too late.
Warning Signs of Drywood Termite Infestations
We hate to admit it, but termites are really good at their jobs. They’re like silent demolitionists: eating and destroying structures from the inside out without leaving any noticeable trace. This is why they’re so pervasive in Southern California—nobody notices until it’s too late.
Warning signs of drywood termite infestations include:
- Swarmers flying in autumn
- Wings broken off near windows
- Finding pellets like course sawdust near window sills or sliding glass doors
- Blistering of exterior paint’s surface
- Wood damage
Drywood Termite Treatments
Lloyd Pest Control excels in drywood termite control in Southern California. We have many treatment methods for each unique situation and budget, including:
Preventative Measures to Stay Drywood Termite-Free
We also recommend using preventative measures to keep your home termite-free. Staying up to date on house repairs is a time-tested method of preventing an infestation. This includes sealing all unpainted or exposed raw wood on your home or structure (fascia boards and rafter tails are like Club Med for these guys). Also, use fine mesh screens over vent openings. Termites love accessing your home through ventilation, but mesh screens are good for keeping them out.
Drywood Termite Inspections and Early Detection
Finally, keep up to date on your termite inspections. Lloyd Pest Control provides free inspections, which we recommend doing every two years. If we find evidence of an infestation, we can treat it before any major damage is done. Early detection is critical to the structural integrity of your home.
Call Lloyd Today for Advanced Drywood Termite Treatments
Drywood termites aren’t bugs to mess around with. If you suspect these wood-eating insects have invaded your property, call the Southern California termite professionals at Lloyd Pest Control today.
How Does Lloyd Pest Control Treat Termites?
Southern California is a hotspot not only for tourists, businesses, and those who love year-round sunny weather (we’re with you on that), but for termites as well. They chew into our buildings – and there are plenty of wooden structures throughout Southern California...
Does Freezing Work Against Termites?
If you have termites around, it’s time they chill out. Much like orange oil, zapping, and heat treatments, freezing (or "chilling") is a method of treating termites that doesn't rely on the use of chemicals or pesticides. To an increasingly environmentally conscious...
What Are Chemical Free Alternatives to Getting Rid of Termites?
We get it: Fumigation is not pretty. Heck, even we prefer not to do it when there are other options – it's costly for us, it forces you to evacuate your home, and it utilizes deadly chemicals. But for all its drawbacks, we still fumigate because, frankly, it's the...