Treatment for subterranean termite activity in Orlando and Orange County, from native Reticulitermes colonies to the invasive Formosan termite.
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Subterranean termite treatment controls colonies that live in soil and reach wood through mud tubes, cracks and foundations. Native Reticulitermes termites are found statewide in Florida, and the invasive Formosan termite is found in urban areas. Orlando Pest Control connects you with a local technician who inspects the site before any work in Orange County.
Subterranean termites live in the ground and travel to food, which is why they reach a house through the soil rather than through its roof. A colony can feed on the framing, sills and floors without showing anything at the surface, so the first visible evidence is often a softened board or a mud tube rather than an insect.
Florida has more than one subterranean species to plan for. UF/IFAS describes the native Reticulitermes flavipes and R. virginicus as found statewide, with R. hageni less often. The West Indian subterranean termite (Heterotermes) also occurs in the state, and the invasive Formosan termite, first recorded at Hallandale, is found in urban areas across Florida.
Foraging range matters as much as species. UF/IFAS puts the Formosan colony's foraging distance at about 100 meters from the nest, so a colony can reach a house from ground well outside the property line. The treated zone is therefore set by the building's surroundings as well as its walls, and the inspection maps both.
Do not dig into mud tubes, spray a store-bought product into the soil beside the foundation, or cut out damaged framing yourself. Disturbing a colony can push it deeper or move it to another part of the house, and treated soil is handled by a technician who records where the product was placed.
A liquid termiticide is placed in the soil along the foundation and into voids to form a treated zone around the structure. The technician explains where the product goes and how the zone is confirmed, so the homeowner knows what was treated and where.
Stations are placed in the ground around the building and checked on a schedule. Termites feed on the bait and the colony is reduced over time, and progress shows up in the monitoring reports rather than in a single visit.
When damage is confined to a few boards or one wall void, the technician treats that area directly and records the repairs needed. Localized work does not replace checking the soil side of the building, which is why it is paired with an inspection.
Most subterranean termite treatment calls are scheduled the same day when a technician is free, and you approve the price before any work starts.
Mostly through the soil. Subterranean termites travel through mud tubes, cracks, expansion joints and gaps around pipes, reaching the framing from below. Native species are found statewide and Formosan termites are present in urban Florida, so any house in the region can be affected.
Concrete is not a complete barrier. Termites follow the path of least resistance, which often means a crack at a slab edge, a joint where two pours meet, or a pipe that passes through the foundation with a gap around it. Once inside the structure they can work through the framing, the sill plate and the lower wall without leaving the wood.
Because the route is hidden, the inspection looks at the building from the outside first. The technician checks where the soil meets the wall, where mulch or ground cover touches the foundation, and where a tube has been built along a surface. Those points usually show the route before any damage is found.
Formosan termites are found in urban areas across Florida, and UF/IFAS research published in February 2026 reports them spreading across the state. Species identification is part of the inspection, because native and Formosan colonies can need different plans.
The public record does not place Formosan termites in any particular city, so this page does not name Orlando as a confirmed location. What the record does support is that urban Florida is where the species has been found, and that its spread has been documented over time. A house in a city setting is therefore worth an inspection that names the species rather than assuming one.
A sample is the practical way to be sure. A technician can send a specimen for identification, and UF/IFAS offers a public Termite Distribution Map that shows where species have been recorded across the state.
Colonies feed quietly inside wood and soil, and the first signs are often mud tubes or soft wood rather than insects. A house can carry damage for a long time before an owner notices, which is why an inspection can find more than a single visible tube suggests.
Many homeowners first see a tube on a foundation or a pier after a rain. By then the colony may have been feeding in the framing for some time, and the visible tube is only the part that reached the surface. The inspection tests the wood behind and beneath it and records how far the activity runs.
The delay is also why a dry-looking house is not a clear one. A surface can look sound while the wood underneath has been hollowed out, and a tap test or a probe is the simplest way to tell the difference.
Not necessarily. UF/IFAS states that finding winged termites does not by itself prove an infestation. Winged termites appear in spring, but the colony's location and activity need an inspection to confirm.
A swarm is the colony sending out reproductive insects, and the swarm location often points toward where the colony is. A swarm from a stump in the yard is a different situation from a swarm that appears on a window sill inside a room, and the technician checks both the insects and the structure before deciding.
The termite swarm response page covers what to do with the wings and how to collect a sample. The swarm is one signal, and the inspection is what turns it into a plan.
Length depends on the method and on the monitoring results. A soil barrier and a baiting system have different schedules, and the technician sets the follow-up plan before you agree. Ask how each step is checked over time rather than expecting one fixed period.
A soil barrier is checked at the follow-up visits for signs of activity at the edges and at penetrations. A baiting system is checked on each station visit, and its progress is recorded. In both cases the schedule is part of the proposal, and changes to it are written down.
Any new construction or landscape work near the foundation, such as a patio, a fence or new beds, is worth reporting. Those changes can alter the treated zone, and the technician will note what needs to be checked again.
The technician checks the foundation, slab edges, expansion joints, plumbing penetrations and the soil line around the building. Mud tubes, damaged wood and moisture sources are mapped on a sketch so the plan can be checked later.
The species changes the plan. UF/IFAS offers free sample identification to the public, and a sample can separate a native colony from a Formosan one before the method is chosen.
Leaking hose bibs, clogged gutters and grading that slopes toward the foundation are noted, because wet soil around the structure gives a colony an easier route to the wood.
The proposal lists the areas to treat, the method for each, and what will be confirmed on site before the work begins. Soil treatment, baiting and wood-level work each suit different layouts, and the reasons are given in writing.
Follow-up visits check whether activity has stopped and whether new mud tubes or swarms have appeared. Each visit is written into the record, so changes are easy to trace over time.
Orlando's housing stock shapes the job. Older bungalows in College Park often have crawlspaces, raised floors and wood framing close to the soil, which gives termites an easy route. Newer slab houses in Baldwin Park and Lake Nona have fewer open crawlspaces but still meet the soil at slab edges and utility pipes.
Lakefront and tree-canopied lots also matter. Houses near the lakes in Winter Park and Windermere sit among mature trees, docks and wet ground, and the moisture around them can draw termites toward the foundation.
Heavy wet-season rain can pool water against a foundation on a low lot. Where the grade slopes toward the house, the technician notes it, because water and termite activity tend to arrive together, and drainage work often belongs in the same plan as the treatment.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
Wood-destroying organism inspections and FDACS Form 13645 reports for home sales and buyers across Orlando and Orange County.
Identification and inspection after winged termites appear indoors or around a home in Orlando and Orange County.
West Indian drywood termite treatment for homes across Orlando and Orange County, planned from a mapped inspection.
Termite protection applied during construction for new slab and foundation homes in Orlando and Orange County.
No price for pest control in Orlando is printed here, because no figure has been checked against a public body.
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.
Look for mud tubes on foundations and piers, hollow-sounding wood, or blistered paint near the soil line. A visible tube is a strong reason to call, but the inspection is what shows which areas are active and how far the activity has spread.
They can need different plans, because colony size and foraging range differ. Identification is part of the job, and a sample can be sent for confirmation through UF/IFAS. The technician explains the method chosen for what was found.
Ask which product is used, how it is placed and when the treated soil can be used. Follow the technician's instructions on keeping children and pets off freshly treated areas until the product has dried or settled.
A homeowner placing a store product rarely reaches the spots a professional checks, such as voids, slab edges and pipe penetrations. Misplaced product can leave gaps where the colony still travels. Call for an inspection first, then decide what is worth doing yourself.
Follow-up checks are set when treatment starts, and the technician schedules any monitoring of a bait or soil zone. Report new tubes, swarms or soft wood between visits, and they will be added to the record.
Usually the plan stops new activity. Damage that already exists is recorded, and repair may need a contractor. The technician notes which wood is damaged and which repairs fall outside the pest scope.