West Indian drywood termite treatment for homes across Orlando and Orange County, planned from a mapped inspection.
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Drywood termite treatment targets the West Indian drywood termite, which UF/IFAS identifies as the main drywood species in Florida. The plan starts with an inspection that maps infested wood and the signs of activity. Orlando Pest Control connects you with a local technician who explains the method before any work in Orange County.
Drywood termites work differently from the soil-dwelling species. A drywood colony lives inside the wood it feeds on, so an infestation can sit in framing, trim, door frames or furniture above the soil line, where a soil treatment never reaches.
The West Indian drywood termite is the main drywood species in Florida, according to UF/IFAS. Its signs are often small: pellets, which are tiny hard droppings that collect on the floor or sill below infested wood, and small kick-out holes in trim, a door frame or a piece of furniture.
A visual check finds some of this, but drywood damage is often patchy. A thorough inspection uses probing and tapping to separate sound wood from hollow wood, and it marks each zone with activity so that the treatment covers the whole infested area rather than the spot where pellets happened to be seen.
A drywood colony lives inside the wood it feeds on rather than in the soil. The West Indian drywood termite is the main drywood species in Florida. A drywood infestation can sit high in a house, which changes how the treatment is planned.
The difference shapes the whole job. A soil treatment, which is the right tool for many subterranean colonies, does not reach activity that sits in a roof truss, a window frame or a bookcase. The drywood plan therefore starts with the wood, not the ground, and it treats the members where the activity is found.
The subterranean termite treatment page covers the soil-based approach. Telling the two apart is the first thing the inspection establishes, because the wrong method leaves the real colony untouched.
Pellets are small, hard droppings pushed out through kick-out holes. Finding them below infested wood is a common sign, but pellets alone do not show how large the infestation is. The inspection tracks the holes, the damaged wood and any active galleries.
Pellets are uniform in size and hard, which helps tell them apart from sawdust, insect fragments or crumbs. A small heap under a trim board or a window frame is worth a photo and a call, especially if it shows up again in the same spot.
A single pile does not tell the whole story. The technician uses the holes and the pellet locations together to work out the path of the activity, which is what sets the size of the treated zone.
It often hides inside framing, trim and furniture, and the surface can look sound while the wood beneath is hollow. A tap test, probing and a careful look at fasteners and joints usually finds more than a casual look does.
Drywood damage is patchy. One member may be hollow while the board beside it is sound, which is why a simple visual check can give a false sense of security. The inspector works around the house in a set order so that no room, closet or attic section is skipped.
Attics are a common blind spot. Framing above the living space is hot and rarely seen, and a homeowner who has never climbed into the attic may not know what is there. Ask for the attic to be checked as a standard part of the visit.
Often, yes, using targeted methods. The choice depends on the wood and the extent of activity, and some options need access, preparation or time. The technician explains which approach fits your structure before any work starts.
Localized methods can address a small zone without taking out the surrounding finish. They suit activity that is confined and the wood can be reached. Larger zones, or wood that is hard to access, may call for a broader plan with more preparation.
Removing wood is the exception rather than the default. When a member is too damaged to keep, the technician records it for repair, and a contractor handles the structural work separately from the pest treatment.
A recheck after treatment looks for new pellets, fresh kick-out holes and any new activity. The technician records what was found at the first visit so the follow-up has a baseline to compare against. Repair of damaged wood is a separate step.
The first visit's sketch and photographs are the baseline. At the recheck, the technician looks at the same marked spots first, then the surrounding wood, and notes any change in pellets or holes. Old pellets that have not grown are different from fresh ones, and the record makes that clear.
If new activity appears after treatment, the report says where it is and whether it sits inside or outside the treated zone. That distinction decides whether the existing plan needs adjusting or a new area needs its own treatment.
Do not fill kick-out holes with caulk or spray liquid into them yourself. Holes sealed without treatment can trap activity inside the wood, and a sealed gallery may move to other timber. Keep infested furniture away from the house until a technician has checked it.
The technician asks where pellets or wings were seen, when they appeared, and whether any furniture, lumber or secondhand wood came into the house recently.
Trim, door and window frames, attic framing, ceilings and furniture are probed and tapped to find hollow wood and active galleries behind a sound-looking face.
The West Indian drywood termite is confirmed where possible, and each area showing activity is marked on the sketch so the method covers the whole infested zone.
Options depend on the building, the wood and how spread out the activity is. Localized treatment, spot work and whole-structure methods each have a place, and the proposal names which one fits and why.
Damaged wood is recorded for repair. A recheck confirms that new pellets and fresh kick-out holes have stopped appearing after treatment.
Used when activity sits in one area, such as a single frame, a cabinet or a set of trim boards. The technician treats the specific wood and checks the members next to it. This is the most limited scope, and it is right only when the survey shows a small zone.
Used when activity is spread across a house or when a localized approach cannot reach the whole zone. It needs preparation, and the written plan explains what the household needs to do before and after the work.
Chairs, shelving or wooden trim removed from the house can be inspected or treated separately. Ask before moving anything, because carrying infested wood through the house can spread activity to new rooms.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent drywood termite treatment, send the form and we'll call you back.
In Orlando, drywood activity is worth checking in older wood-framed houses, where the trim, attic framing and original doors are often the oldest wood in the building. College Park and Azalea Park have a lot of mid-century and older stock, which is where this inspection matters most.
Lakefront homes in Conway and Windermere sit among mature trees and wet ground, and the inspection checks the wood above the soil line on those houses, not only the foundation. Drywood activity does not need the soil, so a foundation-only check misses it.
Attics in Orlando get hot and humid in summer, and the framing and trim above the living space are the parts homeowners rarely look at. A check there is worth asking for at every drywood visit, even when the pellets seem to be in one room.
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Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
UF/IFAS describes winged termites appearing across Florida roughly from March through June, and says finding them does not by itself prove an infestation.
Formosan termites are an invasive subterranean species that UF/IFAS reports spreading across urban Florida.
Standard homeowners policies generally exclude termite and vermin damage, so a pest-damage claim often turns on what the policy says rather than on what the house needs.
Drywood pellets are small, uniform and hard, and they collect in small heaps below holes. Scattered sawdust, insect fragments or crumbs look different. A photo helps the technician confirm, and UF/IFAS offers free sample identification if you want an outside check.
No. They are a different group and need a different plan. A soil treatment does not reach drywood activity that sits high in framing or furniture, so the inspection decides which approach is needed.
It depends on the method. Localized work often needs only access to the area. Whole-structure work needs preparation and may need time away, and the technician gives written instructions before and after the work.
It is better not to. Moving or keeping infested wood can spread activity, so inspect it first and ask a technician before bringing it inside or taking it out. Items may be inspected or treated separately from the house.
Note the location, the date and a photo, and call the office. A recheck separates old pellets from new activity. Fresh pellets in the same spot are worth reporting promptly so the plan can be adjusted.
The treatment controls the activity, and repair is recorded as a separate step. A contractor handles structural repair, and the technician notes which members need replacing or reinforcing.