In North Dallas, Texas, summer is the best time for termites, which is bad news for your home. These little bugs love the heat and will keep eating through wood, which can cost you a lot to fix.
That’s why a mid-year termite inspection is a smart move. If you ignore the issue, that could lead to thousands of dollars in damage before you realize what’s happening.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says termites cause billions of dollars in damage to homes every year. You can avoid damaging your furniture and keep your home safe by hiring a trusted pest control specialist.
We’ll cover the common termite species in North Dallas, what they look like in your home, and how to get rid of them.
Types of Termites Found in North Dallas Homes:
The thing is that termites aren’t all the same. Some live underground, some live in your walls, and no matter where they are, they can cause a ton of damage if you don’t catch them early. So, let’s talk about the types we usually see around North Dallas and what you can do if they show up in your home.
1. Subterranean Termites
These termites are the most prevalent in Texas and act as a frequent risk to North Dallas homes.
Appearance: Worker termites are usually light-colored, kind of a creamy white. Swarmers are the ones with wings that fly off to start new termite families. They look like darker, brown, or black.
Size: Worker termites are tiny, like about an eighth of an inch. The Swarmers, though the ones with wings, are a bit bigger, maybe up to half an inch.
Behavior: Now, these things live underground, so to get to the wood in your house, they build these little mud tubes. You might see them along your foundation or walls. They’re big fans of damp spots, so if there’s any moisture around, that’s where they’ll head.
Signs of Infestation: You might see mud tubes on your walls or wood that sounds hollow when you tap it, especially near windows and doors.
Treatment: We usually set up bait stations or use liquid treatment around the outside of your home. That stuff works well to stop termites before they really dig in. But honestly, the big thing is keeping up with regular checks and fixing any leaks or moisture issues. If it’s damp, termites’ll find it, so drying things out helps a lot.
2. Drywood Termites
They’re a little different from the ones that come up from the ground. These insects don’t need any soil. They just move right into dry wood, furniture, wall studs, and even the trim around your windows. Once they’re in, they can live for a long time before you even notice.
Appearance: Light brown with clear wings.
Size: Around ⅜ to ½ inch.
Behavior: These insects don’t come in from outside, they just live right inside the wood, and they eat. Most folks don’t even know they’re there until the damage starts showing.
Signs of Infestation: You might see little piles of tiny wood-colored droppings or knock on a board and it sounds hollow. Sometimes the wood will look blistered or cracked, like it’s been dried out for too long.
Treatment: If it’s just a small spot, we can hit it with a targeted treatment, pretty quick and easy. But if they’ve spread all over the place, we might have to do a full fumigation. It’s a bigger job, but sometimes it’s the only way to wipe them out for good.
3. Dampwood Termites
Dampwood termites aren’t super common around North Dallas, but they do show up, usually in places where there’s a lot of moisture. Think about leaky roofs, busted pipes, or damp basements. If it’s wet, they’ll move in.
Appearance: Large and reddish-brown.
Size: Often over ½ inch long.
Behavior: They prefer wood with high moisture content and usually infest decaying logs or wet wood in contact with the ground.
Signs of Infestation: You’ll usually find them in wood that’s already damp or starting to rot. If the wood crumbles easily or you spot some termite droppings inside it, that’s a pretty good sign they’re in there.
Treatment: Fix moisture problems first (leaks, drainage), then apply insecticide treatments directly to infested wood.
4. Formosan Termites
Formosan termites are aggressive and can cause damage much faster than other termite types.
Appearance: Yellowish-brown with slightly hairy wings.
Size: Swarmers are about ½ inch long.
Behavior: These things don’t mess around. They build huge colonies and can tear through wood, floors, and even your wallpaper. People call them super termites for this reason.
Signs of Infestation: If you’ve got mud nests showing up inside the walls, a swarm of flying termites, and things falling apart quicker than they should, that’s a good sign you’ve got a serious problem.
Treatment: With these termites, you can’t really DIY it. We’ll usually treat the soil around the house, maybe pump some foam or set up bait in the walls, it just depends on where they’re hiding.
How Much Does It Cost to Prevent Termites in Texas?
Stopping termites early is way cheaper than fixing the damage later. A termite inspection in Texas usually runs somewhere between $60 and $280, depending on the size of your home and what needs to be checked. But if you wait too long and those pests start chewing things up? Repairs can cost you anywhere from $500 to $3,000, sometimes even more.
At EcoStar Pest Control, we offer affordable plans that include termite inspections and year-round protection, so you don’t get stuck with surprise costs later on.
