Subterranean termites live in soil and travel through mud tubes, drywood termites live inside the wood they eat, and each needs a different method. Use Call Now to describe what you found, such as mud tubes, discarded wings or pinhole-sized frass, and you will be connected with an independent provider serving the Boston area.
Signs of termites in a house
- Bubbling or buckling paint, warped doors and windows that suddenly stick, and soft spots in baseboards
- Frass: tiny six-sided wood pellets from drywood termites, kicked out of small holes
- Mud tubes: pencil-width tunnels of soil on foundation walls, piers or sill plates
- Swarmers: winged termites near windows and lights, usually in spring, and piles of shed wings
- Hollow-sounding or sagging wood that sounds papery when tapped with a screwdriver handle
What happens after treatment
Expect soil treatments and bait stations to take weeks rather than hours to work, and remember that mud tubes can remain in view after the termites have gone. Ask the provider what signs to watch for, the date of the next inspection, and which situations the written guarantee covers and which it leaves out.
Do not knock down or scrape active mud tubes ahead of the inspection; a photograph does the job without disturbing the evidence.
What a termite inspection should cover
Expect the inspector to go through the foundation perimeter, the crawl space or garage slab edges, the attic framing, the frames around windows and doors, decks, fence posts that meet the house and every piece of wood touching soil. A flashlight, a moisture meter and a probe are the usual tools.
A lender may ask for a wood-destroying insect report as part of a home sale. It lists what was seen and anything that could not be accessed. Do not read it as a guarantee for the future.
Termite treatment methods compared
| Method | How it works | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Liquid termiticide (soil trench and rod) | A treated zone in the soil around the foundation stops termites from reaching the structure | Subterranean termites around slab and crawl space foundations |
| Spot and localized wood treatment | Foam, dust or injected product placed into the infested wood | Small drywood infestations in accessible wood |
| Bait stations | Stations in the ground hold a slow-acting bait that workers carry back to the colony | Subterranean termites when soil treatment is hard, or alongside it |
| Structural fumigation (tenting) | A gas fills the whole structure for a set time while the home is vacated | Widespread drywood termites in several areas of the house |
| Moisture and wood-to-soil fixes | Removing wood contact, repairing leaks and improving drainage | Every case, because it removes what termites need |
Prevent termites around the house
- Schedule an inspection every year, and after any flood or major plumbing leak
- Seal cracks around pipes and utility penetrations
- Store firewood, lumber and cardboard off the ground and away from the foundation
- Fix leaking gutters, hose bibs, AC condensate lines and irrigation spray against the wall
- Keep mulch, soil and plants a few inches below siding and out of contact with wood
Subterranean, drywood and Formosan termites
Subterranean termites nest in the ground and need moisture, so they build mud tubes to reach wood above the soil. They are the main wood-destroying insect across much of the country. Drywood termites enter through attic vents, eaves and cracks and live entirely inside dry wood, leaving frass. Formosan termites are an aggressive subterranean species found in Gulf and southeastern states, with very large colonies.
If a provider identifies the termite and shows you the places where it is feeding, the first job has been done properly. Any treatment decided ahead of the identification amounts to a guess.
How a termite inspection and control visit works, step by step
A good visit follows the same order every time, whatever the pest. Knowing the order helps you compare what each company offers and spot a visit that skips the first two steps.
- Inspection: the technician walks the outside first (foundation, vents, utility lines, eaves, fence lines, mulch) and then the inside (kitchen, bathrooms, garage, attic or crawl space).
- Identification: the species is named from the insect, droppings, damage or trail, because the right product and method depend on it.
- Plan: the provider explains what will be done, which products or devices will be used, and what you need to do before and after.
- Treatment or exclusion: the work is done in the places the inspection found, not by spraying every room.
- Follow-up: you get a date for the next check and a clear answer on what to report if activity returns.
What makes termite inspection and control different in Boston
Boston is a dense city of rowhouses, triple-deckers, brownstones and older brick buildings, many with basements and shared walls. Cold winters push mice, rats and cockroaches into heated buildings from fall through winter, and warm humid summers bring ants and mosquitoes.
Shared walls, utility chases and trash areas let rodents and cockroaches move between units in multi-family buildings. Termites are present in New England, and carpenter ants commonly nest in wood softened by leaks around windows, roofs and decks. Put the same question to every provider you speak with: how do these local conditions alter the approach at your address? A technique that suits one climate or style of housing may do little in another.
Termite inspection and control across Boston and nearby cities
These Boston, Massachusetts are covered by Pest Control in Boston MA: . Requests can also be passed to providers who serve Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Quincy and Newton. Because coverage is confirmed address by address, mention your ZIP code when you phone.
To get going, press Call Now at the top of any page and tell the person who answers what you found. That puts you through to an independent provider nearby, and the provider verifies your address, looks the property over and writes up the scope.
Related help in Boston
If this is not quite your situation, these pages cover the neighboring questions: Pest inspection; Signs and inspection: pest control; Ant control; Rodent control. The service area list shows every nearby city and ZIP code covered.