Types of Termites

Termites in the Rio Grande Valley: What You’re Actually Dealing With

Texas has some of the highest termite pressure in the entire country, and the Rio Grande Valley sits in one of the most active zones. The combination of warm temperatures year-round, humidity, and clay-heavy soils creates ideal conditions for multiple termite species. Understanding which type you’re dealing with is the first step — because subterranean termites and drywood termites require completely different treatment approaches, and treating the wrong one wastes time and money while the actual problem continues.
This page covers the termites species most relevant to South Texas homeowners and business owners, what to look for, and what to do if you find them.

The Two Types Homeowners in South Texas Need to Know

Entomologists have identified over 2,300 termite species worldwide, and 45 of those exist in the United States. For homeowners in the RGV, you really only need to be concerned with two: subterranean termites and drywood termites. Every other species is either not present in our region or not a significant structural threat to buildings.

Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites are the most destructive and most common termite species in North America, and they are extremely active throughout South Texas and the entire Rio Grande Valley.

How they live:
Subterranean termites build their colonies underground, sometimes as deep as 20 feet below the surface. A single colony can contain anywhere from several hundred thousand to several million individual termites spread across multiple feeding sites. They need consistent moisture to survive, which the soil provides.
Because they live underground and travel up to reach wood in your home, they can’t survive in open air for long. To move between their underground colony and the wood they’re feeding on, they build mud tubes — narrow tunnels made of soil, wood particles, and saliva — along foundation walls, concrete blocks, and any surface that connects the ground to the structure above.

What makes them so destructive:
Subterranean termites feed on cellulose — the material found in wood, cardboard, and paper products. They feed continuously, 24 hours a day. A large mature colony can consume a significant amount of wood in a year, and because they work from the inside out, the damage is often not visible until it’s already substantial. The USDA has estimated termites cause over $750 million in structural damage nationwide annually, and subterranean termites are responsible for the majority of that.

Signs of subterranean termites

Mud tubes
Swarming termites or discarded wings near windows, doors, or light fixtures — subterranean termites swarm in spring, typically after rain, to start new colonies. Finding a pile of small wings indoors is a serious warning sign
Hollow-sounding wood — tap wooden baseboards, door frames, or window sills with a screwdriver handle. A hollow sound where solid wood should be indicates termites have eaten out the interior
Blistering or bubbling paint on walls or wood surfaces near the floor — this can indicate termites feeding just beneath the surface and the moisture they bring with them
Damaged wood that appears layered or has a honeycomb-like interior when broken open, with soil packed into the galleries

A critical point about subterranean termites in the RGV:
There are actually multiple subterranean termite species in our area. The Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus) deserves special mention because it is significantly more aggressive than native subterranean termites. Formosan termites build larger colonies, forage over greater distances, and can consume wood much faster. They also build aerial nests inside structures, meaning they can establish a colony entirely within a wall or roof void without soil contact, which makes them harder to detect and control than native subterranean species.

How subterranean termites are treated:
The gold-standard treatment is a full perimeter liquid termiticide barrier applied to the soil around and beneath the foundation. We use non-repllent fipronil-based products — primarily Termidor and Taurus SC — because termites can’t detect them and unknowingly transfer the active ingredient back through the colony as they move through treated soil. This colony transfer effect is what makes fipronil products so effective compared to older repellent termiticides.

For slab foundations this involves trenching around the perimeter, drilling through concrete at garage slabs, patios, and porches, and injecting termiticide into the soil beneath. Bait systems such as Sentricon and Trelona ATBS can also be used as a supplemental layer of protection or as a standalone treatment in situations where liquid application isn’t practical.

Drywood Termites

Drywood termites are the second major species affecting structures in South Texas. Unlike subterranean termites, they require no soil contact and no moisture source — they live entirely inside the wood they’re eating, extracting whatever small amount of moisture the wood itself contains.

How they live:
A drywood termite colony is contained entirely within the wood. They don’t build mud tubes, they don’t forage through soil, and they don’t need any connection to the ground. This makes them harder to detect because there are none of the exterior signs — no mud tubes, no moisture damage near the floor — that signal a subterranean infestation.

Drywood termite colonies are smaller than subterranean colonies, typically ranging from a few thousand to about 10,000 individuals, but they can infest multiple isolated pockets throughout a structure simultaneously. They commonly attack window frames, door frames, wood furniture, hardwood floors, attic framing, and roof rafters.

Signs of drywood termites:

Frass — this is the most distinctive sign of drywood termites. Because they live inside the wood, they have to dispose of their fecal pellets somewhere. They chew small kick-out holes in the wood surface and push the pellets out. Drywood termite frass consists of tiny, hard, six-sided pellets that look like coarse sawdust or coffee grounds and accumulate in small piles on surfaces below the infested wood — windowsills, floors, countertops, and furniture surfaces
Discarded wings near windows and light fixtures — drywood termites swarm in summer and early fall in Texas. Finding a small pile of wings is a sign a new colony has been established nearby
Hollow-sounding wood when tapped — just like subterranean termites, drywood termites eat wood from the inside, leaving a thin outer shell
Small round holes in wood surfaces — these are the kick-out holes where frass is pushed out. They’re very small, roughly the diameter of a pencil tip
Blistering or discolored paint on wood surfaces, particularly furniture and trim

How drywood termites are treated:
Treatment depends on how widespread the infestation is. Localized infestations can be addressed with spot treatment — drilling into the wood and injecting termiticide directly into the galleries. Borate-based products like Bora-Care and Tim-Bor are also used for wood treatment, particularly in attics on exposed framing, and provide long-lasting protection because they penetrate into the wood itself.

When an infestation is widespread — affecting multiple areas of a structure, spread through wall framing, or in areas that aren’t accessible for spot treatment — tent fumigation is typically the most thorough solution. Fumigation penetrates throughout the entire structure, reaching termites in areas no other treatment method can access. For extensive infestations, it’s often the only reliable path to complete elimination.

Agricultural Termites

Agricultural termites are occasionally found in South Texas, particularly in rural areas and near fields. They differ from the two species above in an important way: they generally don’t attack structures. They prefer live grasses and weeds, and they build mud tube coverings over vegetation while they feed rather than tunneling into wood.

You may see them in lawns, pastures, or agricultural fields. If you’re finding termite activity in your grass or landscaping for not seeing any signs inside the structure, agricultural termites are a possibility. However, any time you’re unsure what type of termite you’re dealing with, a professional inspection will confirm the species and whether any structural treatment is needed.

Swarmers: What It Means When You See Flying Termites

Seeing flying insects in or around your home is often the first time a homeowner realizes they may have a termite problem. Here’s what’s happening and what it means.

Termite colonies produce winged reproductives — called alates or swarmers — once a colony has matured, typically after several years. These swarmers leave the colony in large numbers, usually triggered by warm temperatures and rain, with the goal of mating and starting new colonies. After mating, they shed their wings.

Finding a swam of flying insects or a pile of shed wings near a window, door, or light fixture is a significant warning sign. It means one of two things: either there is already a mature colony somewhere in or near your home, or swarmers from a nearby colony are attempting to start a new one.

How to tell termite swarmers from flying ants:
This is one of the most common questions we get, and it’s worth knowing because the treatment is entirely different.

Termite swarmers have straight, bread-like antennae, a thick waist with no pinch, and two pairs of wings that are equal in length and extend well past the body
Flying ants have elbowed antennae, a clearly pinched waist with three distinct body segments, and front wings that are noticeably longer than the back wings

If you’re not sure what you’re looking at, save a few of the insects in a sealed bag or container and call us. We can identify them for you.

Powderpost Beetles: The Other Wood-Destroying Insect to Know

While not termites, powderpost beetles are worth mentioning on this page because they’re another wood-destroying insect that affects South Texas homes and are included in WDI (Wood Destroying Insect) inspections.

Adult powderpost beetles lay eggs in the pores and cracks of wood. The larvae hatch and bore through the wood for months or years, digesting it from the inside. When they mature and exit, they leave behind small, round exit holes about the diameter of a pencil tip and a fine, flour-like powder called frass.

They most commonly infest hardwood floors, furniture, wood trim, and structural hardwood. If you’re seeing small holes in wood with fine powder accumulating nearby — and the frass is powder-fine rather than the coarser pellets of drywood termites — powderpost beetles are a likely culprit.

WDI Inspections and Real Estate Transactions

If you’re buying or selling a home in Texas, a Wood Destroying Insect (WDI) inspection is typically required as part of the real estate transaction. This inspection covers termites, powderpost beetles, and other wood-destroying insects, and results in a formal report used by lenders and buyers.

We perform WDI inspections and provide the official reports required for real estate transactions. Pricing is based on the square footage of the structure, its location, and other factors. These reports are not the same as a free general inspection — they are formal documents with specific legal and regulatory requirements.

When to Call for a Termite Inspection

Don’t wait until you see obvious damage. By the time termite damage is visually apparent, the colony has usually been active for months or years. Call us if you notice:

Mud tubes on your foundation or interior walls
Small piles of frass or what looks like coarse sawdust near wood
Hollow-sounding wood when tapped
Swarming insects or discarded wings inside the home
Blistering paint near the floor line or on wood trim
Any wood that feels soft or crumbles when pressed

We offer free inspections for general termite concerns. If you need a formal WDI report for a real estate transaction, give us a call to discuss pricing and scheduling.

Serving the Rio Grande Valley and All of Texas

We provide termite inspections and treatment throughout the RGV including McAllen, Edinburg, Mission, Pharr, Harlingen, Brownsville, and surrounding communities, as well as across Texas including Laredo, Corpus Christi, San Antonio, Austin, Houston, and Dallas.
Our technicians are licensed by the Texas Department of Agriculture, and we carry general liability insurance and worker’s compensation coverage.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How do I know if I have termites or just carpenter ants?

Both can cause structural damage, but they’re very different insects. Carpenter ants are large, typically black, have a pinched waist and elbowed antennae, and excavate wood for nesting without eating it — leaving behind coarse sawdust-like frass. Termites are smaller, have straight antennae and no pinched waist, and eat the wood itself. Drywood termites leave six-sided pellet frass; subterranean termites leave mud tubes. A professional inspection will confirm which one you have.

Do termites only attack old homes?

No. Termites have been found in buildings as early as four days after construction. Any structure built wholly or partly of wood is susceptible, regardless of age. New construction can actually be at higher risk immediately after building, before landscaping and soil settle around the foundation.

Can I treat termites myself?

Over-the-counter termite products available to consumers are limited in their effectiveness and don’t come close to the professional-grade products and application methods used by licensed technicians. Subterranean termite treatment in particular requires trenching, drilling, and injecting termiticide into the soil in specific ways around the entire structure — something that isn’t practically possible without professional equipment and training.

What is a termite warranty?

We provide a one-year warranty on subterranean termite treatments with the option to extend coverage up to 15 years with annual renewal. If termites reappear through treated areas within the warranty period, we return and retreat at no additional cost.

How long does a termite treatment last?

For liquid soil treatments, fipronil-based products like Termidor are designed to remain effective in the soil for several years. Annual inspections are recommended to check that the barrier is intact and there are no new points of entry. Bait systems require ongoing monitoring to remain effective.

Is termite treatment safe for my family and pets?

All products we use are registered with the U.S. EPA and applied by licensed, trained technicians. Soil treatments are applied outside the structure and present minimal risk to occupants once dried and settled. We’ll give you specific instructions about any precautions for your treatment type.

Schedule a Free Inspection

If you’re seeing signs of termites — or you just want to know for sure whether your home has a problem before it becomes expensive — give us a call. We offer free inspections and can often schedule service the same day.
Phone: (956) 433-3348
We’re available 24/7 for emergency service needs.

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