Termite Control in Lemon Grove, CA

Two kinds, two different jobs

Drywood termites need no contact with soil. They live inside the timber — a rafter, a fascia board, a window frame — and push waste out through small holes. What lands below is the giveaway: hard, dry, six-sided pellets that look like coarse sand or coffee grounds. The western drywood termite is most common in southern California, which makes this the one homes here meet most.

Subterranean termites live in the ground and come up to the wood, building shelter tubes of mud across foundations, piers and the inside of a crawl space. Mud on masonry is their signature, and they do not leave pellets.

What treatment looks like

For drywood, it depends how widespread it is. A single infested board can be treated locally. When the infestation is through the structure, whole-structure fumigation is what treats every colony at once — the house is tented and sealed, and everyone leaves for a few days. That work is done under a separate licence branch from ordinary pest control, which is a fair thing to ask about before booking.

For subterranean, the treatment is at the soil line rather than in the wood, because that is where the colony lives and travels.

Either way, wood that is already damaged stays damaged. Treatment stops the insects. Repair is separate work and is quoted separately.

What the visit involves

An inspection looks at the exterior wood first — eaves, fascia, window and door frames, deck and patio timbers — then the foundation line and, where there is one, the crawl space.

Pellets, mud tubes, discarded wings on a windowsill, blistered paint and wood that sounds hollow are the things being looked for. The inspector should say which species, where, and how far it has gone.

Common questions

Is a swarm indoors serious? Swarming means a colony mature enough to reproduce, which usually means it has been there a while. It is a reason to have it looked at, not a reason to panic.

Can I just treat the board I can see? Sometimes. Whether local treatment is enough depends on how much of the structure is involved, and that is what the inspection establishes.

Do we really have to leave the house? Only for whole-structure fumigation. Local treatment does not require it.

Who to call

Call and say what you found — pellets, mud, wings, or damaged wood — and where. Those four things point at different species and different work.