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How to identify it
- Fecal pellets are elongated with rounded ends and six flattened sides separated by ridges; they are diagnostic for drywood termites. Clemson describes the pellets as about 1/16 inch long, black, cream colored or a mix of both (a "salt and pepper" look), often lying in piles like tiny stones; the six dented sides show only under a magnifying lens.[1][3]
- Pellets are pushed out through small kickout holes, less than 2 mm across, in the surface of the wood. Clemson notes that the termites seal these temporary holes again after pushing pellets out.[1][3]
- Swarmers (winged reproductives) fly during the daytime in summer and fall and leave shed wings behind. Clemson says swarmers are the stage homeowners see most often.[1][3]
- Like all termites, they have a broad waist, straight antennae and front and hind wings of equal size, unlike ants.[2]
Look-alikes
| Look-alike | How to tell them apart |
|---|---|
| Dampwood termites | Larger, attracted to lights at dusk, need very moist wood, and leave football-shaped pellets without clear ridges.[1] |
| Carpenter ants | Leave fibrous sawdust rather than six-sided pellets, and have a narrow waist and elbowed antennae.[1][2] |
Where it lives
In California, common along the Pacific coast, into the Central Valley and in the southern deserts; natively it infests dead wood in trees along rivers and washes.[1]
Biology and life cycle
Colonies are small, usually fewer than 1,000 individuals, can be widely dispersed in a structure, and take years to mature. Clemson gives a larger figure for a mature colony, a few hundred to a few thousand members, and says growth is slow: after two years a colony may have fewer than 50 workers and one soldier, and swarmers usually don't appear until the fourth year or later.[1][3]
They are cryptic and live deep inside wood, so they're rarely seen except when swarming. Clemson adds that, because they stay hidden, they may be in a building or a piece of furniture for a long time before anyone notices.[1][3]
Unlike subterranean termites, drywood termites chew both across and along the grain, leaving clean, smooth galleries that run right up to the surface under a thin skin of wood.[3]
A pair of swarmers can start a new colony in a crack in wood, so a building can be infested more than once; Clemson says older structures are more likely than newer ones to have several infestations.[3]
The western drywood termite is spreading beyond the West: Clemson's statewide termite survey recorded it in South Carolina for the first time, from a couch in Greenville County, and says it is beginning to establish in some southeastern states.[4]
Damage and signs
- Pellets alone can't show whether an infestation is active or how far it extends; clearing pellets and checking for new ones a few days later can help.[1]
- Finding the full extent of an infestation can require opening walls and is best done by a professional inspector. The Texas Department of Agriculture notes that drywood termites can spend their whole lives inside walls and roofs with no link to the outside, so a professional inspection is the only way to be sure a home is free of them.[1][5]
- Clemson says infestations are usually confined to a small area and can turn up in structural wood, trim, hardwood floors, furniture and other wooden items.[3]
Health risk
The main household impact beyond wood damage is treatment itself: fumigation requires occupants, pets and plants to leave for several days while the building is treated and aired out.[1]
Control
Prevention
Preventive options include wood treatments and pressure-treated wood, paint and screen barriers, and resistant wood species, with variable results.[1]
Traps and physical control
Whole-structure heat treatment brings wood to at least 120°F for at least 33 minutes; it takes hours instead of days, but large beams and heat sinks can be hard to heat thoroughly. UC Riverside trials in a test building show why heat sinks matter: wood blocks in uninsulated wall voids had 92-100% termite mortality by day 7, but blocks in a part of the building with a large concrete wall had only 36-44% mortality when no extra treatment was added.[1][6]
Freezing can kill drywood termites in small furniture. Clemson suggests wrapping the item in plastic, freezing it for about two weeks, then leaving it wrapped until it is back to room temperature so condensation doesn't mark the wood; handle it gently, because glue joints are fragile when frozen.[3]
Pesticides
Whole-structure fumigation with sulfuryl fluoride treats all infestations, including hidden ones, and is most reliable when gas levels are monitored; occupants must leave for several days and there is no lasting residue. The Texas Department of Agriculture calls a wood-penetrating gas fumigant the only sure way to get all of them, and Clemson calls fumigation a complex and dangerous job that only a licensed pest control operator can do.[1][5][3]
Localized (spot) treatments with liquids, dusts or foams, applied by licensed applicators, work best when the colony is accessible and accurately located, but can miss hidden infestations. Tests question the efficacy of orange oil (d-limonene). Clemson describes two methods: injecting a dust or liquid into the galleries through drilled holes, or spraying a liquid on the wood surface, which kills termites only when they come close to the surface. UC Riverside researchers add that drywood termites tend to cluster in certain parts of their galleries, which can limit how well a localized injection works.[1][3][7]
When to call a professional
Do-it-yourself treatment isn't recommended: the infestation is hard to find, and the effective products aren't available to homeowners. Get at least three inspection reports before choosing a company. Clemson also recommends a professional inspection to judge how far the infestation goes, and says removing and destroying the wood is one of the best fixes when the infestation is confined to something like a door, trim or a piece of furniture.[1][3]
Where sources disagree
Colony size: UC IPM says colonies usually have fewer than 1,000 individuals, while Clemson says a mature colony may have a few hundred to a few thousand members.[1][3]
Heat treatment: UC IPM describes whole-structure heat (all wood held at 120°F or more for at least 33 minutes) as a working option with known limits, while Clemson's South Carolina fact sheet (first published in 2000) says most heat and cold variations on fumigation are controversial and were not available in that state.[1][3]
Common questions
- What do drywood termite droppings look like?
- Tiny elongated pellets with rounded ends and six flattened sides, often piled below small kickout holes in the wood. Clemson says the pellets are about 1/16 inch long and can be black, cream or a salt-and-pepper mix.[1][3]
- Is tenting the only option?
- No. Heat and localized treatments exist, but only whole-structure treatments (fumigation or heat) reach hidden infestations. Clemson adds that removing and replacing small infested pieces of wood, or freezing small furniture, can work for infestations confined to one item.[1][3]
- Can I treat drywood termites myself?
- Mostly not. UC IPM says the products that control them aren't sold for homeowner use and recommends professional help for anything beyond removing infested wood; Clemson says small items can be frozen for about two weeks.[1][3]
- Are drywood termites only a problem in California?
- No. The Texas Department of Agriculture says drywood termites are mainly a problem in the South and in Texas are found more commonly in coastal areas such as Houston and Corpus Christi, and Clemson finds them mainly along the humid South Carolina coast. Clemson's survey also found the western drywood termite itself in South Carolina.[5][3][4]
Sources
- University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Drywood Termites, Publication 7440 (August 2014).” ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/PDF/PESTNOTES/pndrywoodtermites.pdf (accessed 2026-11-11)
- University of California Statewide IPM Program, “Pest Notes: Ants, Publication 7411 (October 2012).” ipm.ucanr.edu/legacy_assets/PDF/PESTNOTES/pnants.pdf (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, “Drywood Termites (HGIC 2420).” hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/drywood-termites/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Clemson Cooperative Extension, Home & Garden Information Center, “Termites of South Carolina.” hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/termites-of-south-carolina/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Texas Department of Agriculture, Structural Pest Control Service, “Termite FAQs.” texasagriculture.gov/Regulatory-Programs/Pesticides/Structural-Pest-Control-Service/Termite-Fumigation-Applications/Termite-FAQs (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Journal of Economic Entomology, via PubMed, “Perry and Choe (2020), Volatile essential oils can be used to improve the efficacy of heat treatments targeting the western drywood termite: evidence from simulated whole house heat treatment trials.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32886095/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
- Journal of Economic Entomology, via PubMed, “Poulos, Lee, Rust and Choe (2024), Potential use of pinenes to improve localized insecticide injections targeting the western drywood termite.” pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38753642/ (accessed 2026-11-11)
- iNaturalist, “Incisitermes minor taxon page (order and family).” www.inaturalist.org/taxa/296456 (accessed 2026-11-11)