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Lemon Grove, CA

There are tiny hard pellets on the windowsill

Small, hard, dry pellets that look like coarse sand or coffee grounds are what drywood termites push out of the wood they live in. Southern California is where this termite is most common, and it leaves no trace at ground level.

Licensed California operators. No obligation for the call.

Why it will not stop on its own

They live inside the timber. Drywood termites need no contact with soil, so there are no mud tubes on the foundation and nothing to see outside. The pellets are the only thing that leaves the wood.

The pile comes back. Sweep it up and mark the date. Construction dust does not return; an active colony pushes more out within days.

What you see is what was ejected, not what was eaten. The gallery is inside the board, and its size is not visible from the outside.

What the visit involves

An inspector finds the kick-out hole the pellets came from, then works out how far the gallery runs and whether other timbers are involved — eaves, fascia, window and door frames, rafters.

That answer decides the treatment. A single infested board can often be treated locally. When the infestation is through the structure, whole-structure fumigation treats every colony at once, and everyone leaves the house for a few days. That work sits under a different licence branch, which is a fair thing to ask about.

What to say when you call

Where the pellets are and what is directly above them
Whether they came back after you cleared them, and how fast
Whether the wood above is interior or exterior
Whether you have seen winged insects indoors

Common questions

Is it sawdust from building work? Construction dust is fibrous and does not return. Drywood frass is hard, dry and six-sided, and the pile refills.

Do we definitely have to tent the house? Only if the infestation is widespread. Local treatment is often enough, and the inspection is what settles it.

Should I fill the hole? Not yet. Sealing an active gallery removes the evidence and traps what is inside.

Describe what you have seen and where. Call to check today's availability in your ZIP code.

Related

Termite control in Lemon GrovePest control in Lemon Grove 91945

Other things people find

I found droppings in the pantryMeasure them before you clean. A quarter of an inch is a mouse, half an inch is a rat, and the two need different work.I woke up with bites in a lineBites appearing overnight in a row on exposed skin are worth checking the bed for. Bites alone never confirm what caused them.Roaches scatter when I turn on the kitchen lightSeeing roaches scatter when you turn on the light means the population is large enough to be pushed into the open. Which kind decides everything.Something has chewed through the food packagingChewed corners on boxes and bags mean an established route, not a visitor. Sealing the food does not close the way in.Something is biting my ankles indoorsBites around the ankles usually mean fleas, because fleas jump from floor level. Most of the population is in the carpet, not on the pet.Something is scratching above the ceiling at nightScratching overhead after dark in this area is usually roof rats. They arrive at the roofline, not the floor, which changes the whole search.The yard is full of mosquitoesThe mosquitoes biting in a San Diego yard breed in very small amounts of standing water, usually on the property itself.There are dark specks along the mattress seamSmall dark dots along a mattress seam, with pale shed skins nearby, are the usual first sign of bed bugs. Spraying them spreads the problem.There are mud tubes running up the foundationPencil-width mud tubes running up masonry are subterranean termites travelling from the soil to the wood. Breaking one tells you if it is active.There are silverfish in the bathroomSilverfish mean damp, not dirt. They are harmless but they point at a moisture problem that is usually worth finding.There is a pile of small wings on the windowsillSmall identical wings shed in a pile mean a termite swarm, and a swarm means a colony old enough to reproduce.There is a trail of ants across the kitchenA line of small dark ants moving both ways means a nest nearby and something feeding it. What it is and what to do about it in Lemon Grove.There is a web and a dark spider in the garageMost garage spiders are harmless. The western black widow is the one worth checking for, and it sits under an irregular tangle in a sheltered corner.There was a cockroach in the bathroom in the middle of the dayA roach out in the open during the day usually means crowding or a route in from a drain. The two have completely different answers.

Service areas

Lemon Grove 91945Spring Valley 91977La Mesa (Mount Helix) 91941La Mesa 91942San Diego (Encanto) 92114San Diego (College Area) 92115San Diego (City Heights) 92105San Diego (Paradise Hills) 92139San Diego (Logan Heights) 92113National City 91950Bonita 91902Chula Vista 91910El Cajon 92020El Cajon (East) 92021

Updated August 28, 2026

Call (888) 217-3626