How to Get Rid of Termites in Miami

Oh no! It’s the dreaded T-word…TERMITES! Not a word Magic City residents want to hear in reference to their home. But termites are an unfortunate reality of living in South Florida. We’ve all heard about “tenting your house” to treat termites, but there are also non-toxic options. Below we’ve gathered all you need to know about how to get rid of termites in Miami.

How to Get Rid of Termites in Miami

There are seven effective termite treatment options for getting rid of termites in Florida. The most widely known option is fumigation, also commonly known as “tenting.” However, fumigation is the most extreme option. There are six other, less extreme, options available to homeowners depending on the level of infestation.

Liquid Termiticide

This is the traditional method of treatment that involves applying the liquid chemical under and around your home. It is an invasive, long-lasting chemical barrier around the perimeter of your home. 

The treatment option may require drilling through porches, patios, and adjacent concrete around your home where the termiticide is then injected. There are two chemical options available, one is a repellent to keep the termites away and the other is a non-repellent but lethal chemical to kill existing termites.

Pros

• Long-lasting
• Easy to acquire

Cons

• May require drilling
• Invasive (several gallons are needed)

Note: Termiticides also come in dusts and foams.

Bait Termiticide

A less invasive treatment option than liquid termiticide, bait termiticide works just as it sounds. It uses small amounts of materials termites like to eat to lure them in to consume and ingest the insecticide. Because it is slow-acting, this gives termites the chance to carry it back to their colony and spread the poison.

The bait is installed in hollow plastic cylinders with slits on the side below the ground around the perimeter of your home. As termites find their way to the bait, they will leave behind a colony-specific scent that will draw more of their wood-eating friends to the bait.

This option requires some patience as it is not a quick fix. It can take months for the termites to even find the bait let alone for the slow-acting insecticide to begin to take effect once it is ingested. The bait approach can also be quite costly. It often requires more visits from professionals to monitor activity and add or replenish the bait stations.

Pros

• Less invasive (smaller amounts required)
• Easier placement

Cons

• More expensive
• More monitoring required
• No guarantee termites will find the trap

Heat Treatment

If you are looking for an environmentally friendly option free of chemicals, this treatment uses heat to kill termites. Heaters are used to heat the wood in the structure of your home to a minimum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit for a minimum of 33 minutes. The heat will eventually kill the termites.

Heat treatments can treat specific areas of large structures separately, often making heat the preferred method used in apartments and condos. Families don’t need to leave the house for more than a few hours, but heat-sensitive items will need to be removed during the treatment.

While eco-friendly, this treatment is not always 100% effective: It can be difficult for wood on concrete or tile to reach lethal levels of heat.

Pros

• Less-time consuming
• Non-chemical treatment
• Offers spot treatment in areas like attics or whole-area treatment

Cons

• Can be difficult to heat the wood
• Heat damage to home objects (avoidable with proper preparation)
• Not 100% effective

Fumigation (Tenting)

We’ve all heard people use the term “tenting a house” or “termite tenting” in reference to getting rid of termites, but unless you’ve had to tent or fumigate your own home before, you may not know what all it entails.

An airtight tent is placed over your house. (This is where the term “tenting” comes from.) Then a precise amount of gas fumigant is pumped into the home and left for at least 24 hours to penetrate deeply into all parts of your home. 

Fumigation is highly effective and works on all termites no matter the type, but is the most invasive option. It’s typically saved for extreme termite infestations. Bonus: Fumigation doesn’t discriminate when it comes to pests. It will kill all pests dwelling inside your home, not just termites.

Pros

• Most effective treatment
• Kills all pests

Cons

• Longer process
• Requires families to leave for at least 24 hours
• Expensive

Note: While fumigation will take down any pests it comes across, it’s important to remember fumigation is a treatment for your home only. If you have subterranean termites you will need to use another method to treat the termites living in the soil to cure your termite problem.

Non-Chemical Spot Treatments

There are three eco-friendly options for localized termite treatment in your Miami home: freeze, microwave, and electrocute. However, it should be noted that these treatments are only effective on drywood termites.

Due to the non-chemical nature of these treatments, there is no need to move out of your home for several days or remove food, plants, clothing, or furniture from your home, unlike with other traditional termite treatments.

Freeze 

This method injects liquid nitrogen into the infected areas to freeze the termites. The temperature has to be lowered to 20 degrees Fahrenheit to kill the termites with very short exposure.

Microwave

Using the same technology as a microwave oven, technicians use a microwave-emitting device in essence to “cook” the termites to death in 3 minutes or less.

Electrocute

The Electro-Gun combines high-frequency and high-voltage electrical currents to eliminate the termites slowly eating your home. In essence, it electrocutes the termites.

Pros

• Non-Chemical
• No need to move out
• Offers spot treatment

Cons

• Not effective for all types of termites
• Not as widely available as traditional treatments
• Not recommended for severe infestations affecting the whole structure

Signs of Termites

Since termites mostly live inside the walls and out of sight, it can often be hard to see termite damage until you have a major infestation on your hands. If you notice any of these signs around your home, promptly call a termite professional to come investigate what could be lurking beneath your floorboards.

Mud Tubes

Commonly found near the foundation of your home, termites create tunnels from tiny pieces of soil, wood, and debris known as mud tubes or termite tubes. These tubes serve as bridges between their colony and the wood they consume, protecting them from predators and conserving moisture.

Mostly created by subterranean termites, these tubes are small, pencil-sized tunnels, about 1/4 to 1 inch or larger in diameter. This type of termite needs to maintain a certain temperature and humidity level to survive, making mud tubes a prime habitat for them as these tunnels are often highly humid environments.

Types of mud tubes:

• Working mud tubes: A high-traffic path between the termite nest and their food source is used by thousands of termites regularly.
• Exploratory mud tubes: These tunnels are not as sturdy as working tubes and are a sign you may already have a termite infestation on your property.
• Swarm mud tubes: Created by worker-class termites, these tunnels serve as a temporary path during swarming season. Swarming termites then use these tubes to migrate from the soil to a new wood source to establish a new colony.
• Drop mud tubes: A path from their food source back to the soil, these tunnels extend between the soil and wooden parts of your home.

Termite Droppings

Typically when you hear the word droppings, you think of mouse droppings: Think of mouse droppings, only much smaller, and that’s what termite droppings resemble. By comparison, mouse droppings are typically 1/8 to 1/4 inch in length while termite droppings are about 1 millimeter long or 0.0394 of an inch.

You might think the droppings would be difficult to see since they are so small. But since termites live and work in colonies, you will easily recognize termite droppings, as a large pile of these small pellets is left behind by many termites.

These piles can be found either inside or outside your home and often look like small mounds of salt or pepper. The color of the pellets varies depending on the color of the wood the termites are devouring.

Pro Tip: Droppings of these pellets are common among drywood termites and are one of the few signs of activity they leave behind. Pellet-dropping sightings are unusual if you have subterranean termites since they use their droppings to construct their mud tubes.

Piles of Termite Wings

Resembling fish scales, swarmer termites will take flight and then shed their wings, leaving behind a small pile of wings. These are the reproductive termites that flee their nest to mate and form new colonies.

Male and female swarmers form pairs during their flight, and once they have paired up, they will mate, land, and discard their wings. Then the female leads the way looking for a suitable place to lay her eggs and for the pair to create a nest. 

This mating ritual happens both in and outside the home. Outside your home, you probably won’t be able to see any wings. But inside your home, you are likely to find piles of wings on windowsills or near doors. 

Cracked, Bubbling, or Peeling Paint

If you are experiencing cracked, bubbling, or peeling paint, these are sure signs of moisture. This could be a sign of a leak, which can attract termites. Decaying or moist wood is a termite’s version of a 5-star restaurant. Always fix any leaks and repair damage from the leak promptly to avoid attracting termites.

Bubbling or peeling paint can also be caused by a lack of wall beneath the paint due to a termite infestation. What to do if you see this: Check for leaks if the wood is soft. Once you rule out leaks as the root of the problem, contact a professional to perform an inspection.

Damaged Wood

Since wood is their main food source, this is where termites will do the most damage. Since termites eat wood from the inside out, there likely won’t be visual signs of damaged wood. Tap on the wood to test it. If it sounds hollow, then that could be a sign of termite damage.

Visible signs of damaged wood:

• Blistering wood
• Discolored drywall
• Drooping drywall
• Pinpoint holes
• Crumbling wood

Small pinpoint holes are created when termites make a way to exit the wall they have been feasting on and move out of their colonies. These termite holes tend to be about an eighth to a quarter inch.

If your termite damage is contained to the drywall or sheetrock, then these can be fairly easily replaced in sections. But if termites have also gotten to the wall studs or ceiling joists, then the repair becomes much more complicated. Work with a contractor to make sure all termites are exterminated and termite damage repairs are properly done.

Damaged Flooring

Carpeting, tile, laminate, or wood flooring, it doesn’t matter. Issues with flooring could point to termite problems. Termites love the softer wood that is typically used in subflooring and supporting beams beneath the visible floor. 

Even if you have hardwood floors, your subfloor is likely to be eaten first. If you see damage to your hardwood, then you probably have termite damage beneath the floor.

Squeaky Floors

When termites feast on your floors, this naturally weakens your flooring, making it more sensitive to movement. Termite damage can cause your floorboards to creak or even squeak as the boards rub against each other or hardware meant to hold them in place.

As termites go to work on your house, they are creating a hollow maze in your floors, making your flooring sound hollow. If you suspect termites, check the support beams of the floor for damage and termite tubes. The tubes can often be found hanging from these beams.

Floor Joists

These are the framing components that support the floor in a house. Joists that termites have weakened can collapse under the weight of furniture and appliances. 

Since floor joists are a structural component of the flooring, this can often make damaged floor joists a more difficult and expensive repair than non-structural damage. Depending on the extent of the damage, the contractor may only need to add support beams to help carry the load the termites have eaten away. However, ductwork and utility pipes can also make this complicated.

Suppose the damage is extensive enough that the joists need to be completely replaced. In that case, a contractor has to bring in temporary support while removing the old, damaged joists and replacing them with new joists.

Loose Floor Tiles

Tiles can become loose when there is moisture created by termites. The moisture can cause the adhesion to fail, resulting in loose tile. Floor joists damaged by termites could also be to blame for loose tiles.

Laminate Floors

With laminate flooring, look out for what might look to be water damage. Investigate it closely, as it could be termite damage. Laminate floors will blister and sag when termites attack your flooring. Sometimes they will even chew through the laminate itself, creating small holes.

If termites have gotten to your laminate, all damaged flooring will have to be replaced, as repairing laminate floors isn’t possible.

Types of Termites in Miami

There are three main types of termites we encounter in Miami: subterranean, drywood, and dampwood. Within each type, there are three castes of termites that all serve their purpose to create and maintain a colony.

• Soldier: As the name suggests, these termites are the army of the colony. They are responsible for defending the nest. 
• Worker: This is the main caste of the colony and performs all the important tasks of gathering food and water, caring for the young, constructing new tunnels and galleries, and cleaning, maintaining, and repairing the nest. 
• Reproductive/Swarmers: The king and queen are the parents and primary reproductives of the colony. Swarmer termites have wings and leave the mother colony to start new colonies of their own.

Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites are perhaps the most damaging type of termites, and we deal with a few different subterranean species in the Miami area. The two most common species we encounter are the Formosan subterranean and Asian subterranean termites.

Subterranean termite physical characteristics:

• 1/8 to 1 inch long
• White to black, brown, or reddish

Drywood Termites

Pesky drywood termites can often be difficult to detect. When a new nest is established, they seal the hole used to enter the wood, then don’t leave. They have smaller colonies that take years to mature. The West Indian drywood is by far the most prevalent species with a smattering of Florida drywood termites throughout the Miami area.

Drywood termite physical characteristics:

• 1/4 to 1 inch long
• Cream-white to light brown colored

Dampwood Termites

These dampwood termites are more often found in Western states such as Montana and Washington, but we do get Florida dampwoods that pop up here and there. They tend to be larger than subterranean or drywood termites.

Dampwood termite physical characteristics:

• 1/2 to 5/8 inch long
• Light to dark brown with streaks of yellow or red in their body
• Larger than drywood and subterranean termites
• Large head 

How to Prevent Termites

Understanding what termites are drawn to is the key to preventing a termite infestation in your home. Eliminating these things termites love will help to keep termites from ever stepping foot onto your property.

• Remove all dead or decaying wood promptly. Termites naturally seek out rotting wood, so the faster you remove it, the better.
• Keep stacks of firewood away from your home and several inches from the ground. Also, keep it covered so it doesn’t get wet or rot.
• Repair water leaks and drainage problems promptly, as termites love wet, moist areas.
• Be sure all wood is treated before it touches the soil.
• Regularly inspect wood in your outdoor areas, such as a deck or patio, as well as your outdoor furniture.
• Ensure crawl spaces and attics have screened vents to help eliminate moisture.
• Eliminate the buildup of moisture near your foundation with splash blocks for your spigot and gutters.

Pre-Construction

When building a home in Florida, we are typically most concerned with it surviving a hurricane. But we can’t forget to make sure we do everything we can to prevent termites from making our new home theirs as well.

• Treat the soil before beginning construction to create a chemical barrier.
• Only use pressure-treated or termite-resistant wood like resinous woods.
• Limit wood-to-soil contact whenever possible. Use a concrete base as a barrier to prevent termites from ever being attracted to your home through the soil. Be sure all wood coming in contact with the soil has been pressure-treated.
• Always make sure your new home will be properly ventilated to ensure there won’t be any excess moisture.
• Build your home with a slope away from the foundation for proper drainage.

Post-Construction

Termites are always lurking just around the corner, so just because the construction is done and you’re all moved in, don’t let your guard down. Now comes the maintenance and constant ongoing prevention methods. 

• Fix leaky pipes promptly.
• Remove dead and decaying wood.
• Be cautious of any wood that comes in contact with the ground.
• Get regular inspections from a professional termite control company.

How Much Does Termite Treatment Cost?

As with most things when it comes to treating pests, several things will drive the cost of termite treatment. The infestation’s size, termite type, and treatment type will all factor into the total cost.

The average homeowner can expect to pay about $558 for termite treatment. Most people see treatment costs between $275 to $863. Some might even find treatment for as low as $135 while on the other end of the scale, the termite treatment can go as high as $1,390.

Treatment type:

• Bait treatment: $7 to $11 per linear foot
• Chemical treatment: $4 to $14.50 per linear foot
• Fumigation tenting: $1 to $4 per square foot or $10 to $20 per linear foot
• Heat tenting: $1 and $2.50 per square foot or $10 per linear foot

FAQ About Termites in Miami

Does Insurance Cover Termite Treatment?

No. In most cases, homeowners insurance does not cover any termite-related costs. Insurance companies usually view termite problems as preventable and, therefore, won’t cover treatments. 

Insurance is also unlikely to cover damage caused by termites. This type of damage occurs slowly over time rather than suddenly as you might see from a hurricane, which is why you are unlikely to find an insurance company willing to pay for termite damage.

Can You Have More Than One Type of Termite?

Yes, you can have more than one type of termite feeding on your home at the same time. It’s important to identify which type or types of termites you have in your home because treatment methods are species-dependent.

What are the Most Common Termites in Miami?

The Asian subterranean termite and West Indian drywood termite are the two most common termites in the Miami area. They are closely followed by the Formosan subterranean with a high concentration just North of Miami in the Hollywood area.

Ready to Bid Farewell to Termites for Good?

If you are ready to evict the unwelcome visitors from your Miami home, connect to the best local termite control experts and say goodbye to termites forever.

Main Image Credits:
Background: LeoPatrizi / Canva Pro / License
Termites: TrichopCMU / Canva Pro / License