Termites in Florida: swarm seasons, signs, and treatment choices

Found possible termites? Start with three questions

Finding wings, mud tubes, or a pile of tiny pellets is a reason to investigate. It is not a reason to buy the first treatment offered.

Different termites live in different places and need different control. UF/IFAS publication IN1360 says species identification comes before treatment, because the methods are often mutually exclusive. A product aimed at termites traveling through soil is not automatically the answer to a colony living inside a doorframe.

Save a sample and photograph the location

Collect several insects when possible, and keep them intact. Photograph where they appeared, including nearby wood, windows, wings, pellets, or tunnels. Note the date, time, room, and whether the insects seemed to emerge from the building or come in from outside.

IN1360 says soldiers and winged reproductives are the useful castes. Workers are generally not reliable for species identification. Put the insects in a small container that can be mailed. The same publication says a preservative vial is appropriate and that flammable liquids should be avoided when shipping. An unprotected insect in an envelope is often destroyed in the mail. Follow the current Send Samples page before anything is mailed. A county Extension office can explain a local drop-off.

Ask for identification, not only a price

The UF termite team at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center identifies Florida termite samples at no cost when those instructions are followed. The mailing address published with IN1360 is UF Termite ID Team, 3205 College Avenue, Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center, University of Florida, Davie, FL 33314. Include where and when the sample was collected, who collected it, and an email address for the result.

The separate UF Insect Identification Lab is a different service. Its published fee is $15 per sample, and payment is required before a report. Do not assume every laboratory is free.

Cleaning up swarmers is not the same as treating a colony

After specimens are saved and the location is photographed, loose swarmers can be vacuumed. The FDACS Formosan consumer FAQ says Formosan swarmers that enter a house should be vacuumed and disposed of. Removing the insects that can be seen does not establish that a colony has been treated.

Before mud tubes are scraped away, holes are patched, or damaged trim is thrown out, have the inspector document the evidence. That makes the inspection more informative. It is not a reason to keep using a building part that is unsafe.

Flying ants or termites? Compare three features

The comparison is for winged reproductive insects, often called swarmers or alates. UF/IFAS publication IG080 shows a flying ant with elbowed antennae, a pinched waist, and hind wings smaller than the front wings. The same publication shows a termite reproductive with a broad waist and four wings of equal size. University field comparisons add the antennae: termite antennae are beadlike and relatively straight or gently curved.

Use the combination. One blurry feature is not enough. Folded, overlapping, or damaged wings can make a photograph misleading. Color is not enough either. A dark flying insect is not automatically an ant, and a pale insect is not automatically a termite.

This page uses that written comparison. It does not republish a university drawing. A drawing with the wings spread is easier to read than a pile of insects on a windowsill, and it still is not a species identification.

When do termites swarm in Florida?

Termites can feed year-round. Swarm season is when winged reproductives leave an established colony to mate and start new colonies. Florida does not have one schedule for every species.

A May 14, 2025, UF/IFAS news summary gives these peaks: Asian subterranean termites in March and April, Formosan subterranean termites in April and May, and West Indian drywood termites in May and June. The same summary says Florida has 20 established termite species, 14 native and 6 invasive, and that only a handful are pests.

These are seasonal patterns from the publications above. They are not exact statewide start and end dates, and they are not a live infestation alert.

Does the swarm ending mean the problem is over?

No. The flying stage and the wood-feeding colony are different parts of the life cycle. A flight can stop while an established colony continues feeding out of sight.

Do a few flying termites inside prove the house is infested?

Not necessarily. The FDACS Formosan FAQ says a few swarmers do not necessarily mean the house is infested. In a heavily infested neighborhood, a house can receive a few to about 100 swarmers that flew in toward lights. That FAQ says an indoor colony breaking out of walls or ceilings is a different picture: hundreds to thousands of swarmers.

Drywood swarmers indoors raise a different concern because that group lives in the wood itself. FDACS says wings on a windowsill, or flying insects on a late-spring or early-summer evening, are a reason to get an inspection and an identification.

Do not dismiss repeated activity. Do not assume every stray insect requires whole-house fumigation.

Drywood, subterranean, and dampwood termites

FDACS consumer guidance describes three groups in Florida. A home can have more than one problem. One damaged piece of trim does not define the whole job.

UF/IFAS publication IN1277 summarizes the split in a control table: soil termiticides and baits are listed for subterranean termites and not as the treatment for drywood colonies. Wood replacement is listed for localized drywood damage. Those are categories, not a promise that every product lasts a stated number of years.

Formosan and Asian termites are subterranean termites

They are not a drywood category just because activity appears above the ground. The FDACS subterranean page says these termites live and invade from underground and can also live in carton nests in walls, attics, and trees. An inspector should look at moisture, not assume every colony sits directly under the slab.

That same FDACS page describes the Asian subterranean termite as located primarily in South Florida. A March 19, 2025, UF/IFAS report says Asian subterranean termites have also been detected in Central Florida communities from Tampa to Melbourne. Use the newer records. Do not treat an older range description as a clearance for a county.

Hybrid Formosan–Asian colonies do not change the homeowner steps

A June 8, 2026, UF/IFAS explanation says hybrids of the Formosan and Asian subterranean termites are an offspring of two species already in Florida. The overlap described there is rare, currently discussed for parts of southeast Florida, and accounted for less than 1 percent of swarmers in that account. Researchers said hybrid colonies behave like the parent species and that current professional products used for those species remain the management approach. A homeowner cannot identify a hybrid by looking at a swarm. Molecular testing is what separates it, and the finding does not create a new do-it-yourself treatment.

Conehead termites are a separate report

Florida has an invasive conehead termite program for Nasutitermes corniger. FDACS identifies survey and treatment areas in Dania Beach and Pompano Beach, both in Broward County. Coneheads can build conspicuous aboveground tunnels and hard, bumpy nests. Soldiers have a dark, cone-shaped head. Swarmers have dark wings.

Report a suspected nest, tunnel, or insect. Call 1-888-397-1517 or email a photograph to DPIHelpline@FDACS.gov. The February 2026 pest alert says not to move a suspected nest, because human transport is a main way the insect spreads. Do not assume every brown tunnel is a conehead infestation. The report starts identification.

FDACS resident guidance says landscape finds are handled through the eradication program, with the owner’s approval. A colony inside a house, garage, or other structure is the owner’s responsibility to have treated by a pest-management professional, coordinated with FDACS. A general termite contract is not a substitute for that report.

Are those tiny pellets termite droppings?

Drywood termites produce small, hard fecal pellets, commonly called frass. They push the pellets through tiny openings, so piles can appear under windows, trim, furniture, or other infested material.

Under magnification, drywood pellets are described as having a six-sided shape. Color can vary, so tan versus black is not a reliable way to decide what the pile is. A pile that looks like sand, coffee grounds, or sawdust is a clue. Wood-boring beetles, carpenter ants, and ordinary wood debris can look similar. Carpenter ants excavate wood and do not eat it the way termites do. Save some of the material and photograph the pile before it is cleaned up.

Do pellets prove termites are active right now?

Not by themselves. University of California IPM drywood guidance explains that pellets alone do not establish current activity or the full extent of an infestation. Building movement can shake out material that was already inside the wood. That is California guidance used here as an identification caution, not as Florida law.

After an inspection or treatment, agree on a cleanup and monitoring plan. Pellets that return deserve follow-up. One pile is not a reliable way to date damage or to declare that a treatment failed.

What do mud tubes mean?

Subterranean termites build sheltered passageways, often called mud tubes, between their environment and food. Tubes can appear on foundations, supports, and other building parts. FDACS notes that Formosan termites use mud tubes to travel above ground.

Photograph the location and arrange an inspection. Scraping a tube away does not eliminate the colony. A missing tube also does not establish that a building is termite-free.

What about discarded wings?

Wings on a windowsill or near a light can show that a flight happened. The inspector still has to determine what insect produced them and where the insects came from. FDACS specifically says to get an inspection and an identification when suspected drywood swarmers or their wings are found.

Does hollow wood mean termites?

Hollow, blistered, or weakened wood can justify an investigation. An insect inspection and a structural assessment answer different questions. Florida WDO form FDACS-13645 states that it is not a structural-damage report and that qualified building professionals may need to determine whether damaged framing, flooring, or supports remain sound.

Does the house need tenting?

Not every termite finding requires tenting. The answer depends on the species, how much of the building is affected, and whether treatment can reach the colonies that matter.

FDACS describes drywood problems as colonies inside dry wood, including wood brought in with furniture, cabinets, or floors. Options discussed across FDACS and UF/IFAS materials include structural fumigation, heat, localized treatment, and removal or replacement of infested wood. The choice requires an inspection.

Treatment choices compared

A useful question for the company is: what termite was identified, where is the evidence, and why will this method reach that infestation?

For a spot treatment, ask how areas that cannot be seen were assessed. For a whole-house proposal, ask what evidence supports that scope. “No tent” is not proof of equal protection. “Tenting” is not proof that every species, and every future infestation, is covered.

Fumigation and heat are not permanent protection

University drywood guidance, including the UC IPM note linked above, says fumigation and heat do not leave a residue that keeps the next drywood colony out. Neither treatment repairs timber that is already damaged. Treatment success and building repair are separate parts of the plan. Prevention and later inspection still matter.

Fumigation safety: do not judge reentry by smell

FDACS describes structural fumigation as covering a building and filling the airspace with a gas pesticide, such as sulfuryl fluoride. Only certified applicators perform it.

Sulfuryl fluoride is colorless and odorless. FDACS also says applicators release chloropicrin as a warning agent. Chloropicrin can irritate the eyes and has a pungent odor at very low concentrations. That odor is a warning during the job. It is not the test that says the house is ready. Clearance uses gas-detection equipment and the required process.

Before the treatment

The company must present the fumigation contract for acceptance before work, and a product-specific fumigant fact sheet to an adult occupant. Confirm arrangements for every resident, pets, plants, medications, food, and access to the building. Use the written preparation instructions for that product. Do not substitute ordinary household bags for special packaging the instructions require. Ask about uncertain items before the house is secured.

During and after treatment

Do not enter for any reason until the certified applicator has completed clearance and authorized reentry. FDACS requires aeration, a check of each room with gas-detection equipment, and a notice at all entrances stating that reentry is safe. If that notice is not posted, contact the applicator and stay out. Secondary locks are there so nobody, including the owner, can walk back in early.

The tent being removed, a planned appointment ending, or a neighbor saying the job looks finished is not the required clearance. Discuss respiratory conditions or other health concerns with a clinician and the fumigation company before scheduling. An extra day outside is not a substitute for the official clearance.

Can a homeowner treat termites?

Identification, maintenance, and monitoring are homeowner work. Treating an established structural infestation is a different task. UF/IFAS publication IN1269 says termites and other wood-destroying organisms in an owned home should be handled by a pest-management professional.

A product whose label only says it kills termites on contact has not, by those words, demonstrated that it protects a building. Spraying the insects that can be seen is not the same as reaching the colony. Incorrect soil treatment can also contaminate a house or a nearby well. Do not attempt improvised fumigation, mix chemicals, or pour pesticide into unknown holes. Use a licensed company and the directions on the product label.

Preventing problems around a Florida home

FDACS calls roof leaks, plumbing leaks, wood or siding touching soil, and water against the wall “conducive conditions.” Repair leaks. Aim sprinklers away from walls. Keep drainage moving away from the building. Keep plants, stored materials, and wood debris from hiding the foundation. Correcting those conditions supports a treatment. Ignoring them can undermine it.

Do not change grading or structure from a generic online measurement. Have the appropriate professional look at that building.

Use mulch carefully

UF/IFAS, “The Facts About Termites and Mulch,” is the mulch reference. A related landscaping guide, IN1397, says mulch should be no more than 2 to 3 inches deep in plantings and no more than 2 inches deep within 12 inches of the foundation, because mulch can bridge a treated soil zone. It also says not to dig beside the foundation in a way that breaks a soil termiticide barrier. EP625 says not to put wood mulch against the house. Termites may be found more often where mulch is present than where it is absent, and they often prefer other wood over the mulch itself. A mulch color or a marketing claim does not make a house termite-proof. Keep the intended inspection space visible.

Check secondhand wood before it comes inside

FDACS says drywood termites can arrive in furniture, cabinets, wood items, and hardwood floors. Inspect a suspicious piece before it comes into the house, and have unexplained pellets or damage identified. Do not sell, donate, or move a suspected infested item into another building as a substitute for dealing with it. The conehead pest alert makes the same point for a suspected nest: do not move it.

Ask before foam, renovations, or blocked access

Closed-cell foam, new insulation, and enclosed soffits can hide evidence and block a later inspection or treatment. Some contracts limit responsibility when the wood can no longer be inspected. Before that work, ask the termite company how it affects access and the existing agreement. Get the answer in writing.

Concrete block is not an exemption

Termites do not have to eat the block. The building can still contain wood and other cellulose, and termites can use openings to reach it. FDACS notes that Formosan termites use cracks, including cracks about the thickness of a credit card. Judge the whole building, not only the material on the outside.

How to prepare for an inspection

Ask which areas must be accessible. Where it is safe, clear the attic hatch, crawlspace entrance, garage perimeter, and the spots already photographed. Do not climb onto damaged flooring or dismantle building parts.

Have the photographs, the insect sample, earlier reports, treatment records, and the current contract ready. Tell the inspector about leaks, renovations, recurring pellets, and previous treatment.

UF/IFAS recommends comparing companies and checking credentials, and comparing the evidence and the proposed scope rather than the final price alone.

Verify the Florida license

FDACS licenses structural pest-control businesses. Chapter 482 provides operator certificates in categories that include fumigation, general household pest control, lawn and ornamental pest control, and termites and other wood-destroying organisms. The business has to operate under a certified operator in the category that matches the work. Fumigation is its own category. A WDO inspection for a real-estate transaction has additional training and financial-responsibility rules under section 482.226.

Check the company through the pest-control search linked from the FDACS pest-control page. A general business registration, or a lawn-service advertisement, is not that credential. IN1269 notes that technicians carry a state identification card and that a background check is the hiring company’s responsibility, not a FDACS-issued substitute for the pest-control license.

What a termite contract actually covers

The word “bond” does not establish what the company owes. Read the written contract. Section 482.227 requires each new wood-destroying-organism contract to specify on the first page, in bold print, that it is offered for repair and retreatment, or for retreatment only, or that no warranty or guarantee is offered. Disclaimers, limitations, conditions, and exclusions on the duty to repair or re-treat also go on the first page in bold print, with bold headings. If any of those limits exist, the contract may not use “full” or “unlimited” together with “guarantee” or “warranty.”

The consumer notice, FDACS-13692, says the company is obligated to follow the signed contract, not a salesperson’s extra statements. It must name the wood-destroying organism. If the contract is for termite control, it must clearly state whether Formosan termites are covered. Ask the same explicit question about Asian subterranean termites and drywood termites. The notice uses Formosan coverage as the required example. It does not say a marketing name covers every species.

FDACS consumer guidance says repair is not unlimited payment for every existing defect. Ask how “new” damage is determined and what conditions trigger an obligation. The same guidance says contracts issued after June 1, 2007, require a reinspection, as the contract terms require, within 30 calendar days of the contract holder’s written notice, and retreatment, as the contract terms require, within 90 days of discovery of an infestation, unless the consumer refuses access or agrees in writing to waive or postpone it. The company must give written notice of a property condition that would be the basis for denying responsibility, within 60 days of noting it during an inspection, so the condition can be corrected. The signed contract and the current rule control if they differ from this summary.

Questions to ask before signing

The FDACS termite page says homeowners insurance does not cover damage caused by termites. A termite-service contract and a homeowners policy are different documents. Read both rather than assuming one fills a gap in the other. The hurricane-deductible page is about wind and flood insurance, not about termite repair.

Buying a Florida home: what a WDO report means

A wood-destroying-organism inspection can address termites and other organisms that damage seasoned wood. For a real-estate transaction, section 482.226 requires the official report when a licensee charges a fee or the customer requests a written report. The inspection has to follow the standards in the rule and has to include all wood-destroying organisms.

Form 13645 says the report is made on the basis of what was visible and readily accessible at the time of inspection. It does not constitute a guarantee of the absence of wood-destroying organisms or damage unless the report specifically states the extent of such a guarantee. It excludes areas that are enclosed or inaccessible, and areas concealed by coverings, furniture, equipment, stored articles, or insulation, or that would require removing or defacing part of the structure. The form says this is not a structural-damage report. If damage is present, further investigation by qualified experts of the building trades may be needed to judge structural soundness.

Before closing, compare the findings with the excluded areas, the treatment history, the repair records, and any contract that might transfer. Ask whether another inspection, or a building professional, is needed. “No visible evidence observed” is not the same sentence as “every piece of wood inside the house was examined.”

Related pages on this site: moving to Florida, home inspections, lawn care, and flood cleanup. Moisture left after a flood can become a termite condition. Those pages were not changed for this guide.

The distribution map is context, not a clearance

UF/IFAS maintains a map of identified termite records. The March 2025 report says invasive species have spread beyond earlier ranges, including Asian subterranean termite detections in Central Florida from Tampa to Melbourne, and that Formosan subterranean termites are documented in Florida’s major cities. West Indian drywood termites remain a statewide structural problem in that account.

The map is built from submitted and identified samples. An empty space is not proof that a property is termite-free. A neighborhood record does not diagnose one house. The map supports awareness. An inspection is what can be found at the property.

Who to contact

FDACS can investigate regulatory violations under Chapter 482. The complaint page says the department does not arbitrate personal-injury or property-damage claims and does not adjudicate a settlement. A contract dispute over repair money can require a separate legal route. Try the company first, including the certified operator, and then file the written complaint if an investigation is needed.

Separate items to recheck later

These are update fields, not a live alert. A seasonal table does not mean termites are swarming on a particular day, and a photograph of a symptom is not a diagnosis.

• Species and ranges: UF/IFAS IN1360 and the Fort Lauderdale distribution map. Checked November 7, 2026.
• Flight windows: UF/IFAS May 14, 2025 summary; FDACS Formosan April–July description; Duval County Extension note on eastern subterranean daytime flights. Checked November 7, 2026.
• Signs: pellets, mud tubes, wings, and damaged wood, each as a clue. Checked November 7, 2026.
• Treatment limits: IN1277 control categories; FDACS fumigation clearance. Checked November 7, 2026.
• Contracts: section 482.227 and consumer notice FDACS-13692. Checked November 7, 2026.
• Contacts: DPI helpline 1-888-397-1517; pest-control complaints (850) 617-7996; Poison Control 1-800-222-1222. Checked November 7, 2026.

Questions

How can a winged termite be told from a flying ant?

Use three features together on a winged reproductive. UF/IFAS describes a flying ant as having elbowed antennae, a pinched waist, and front wings larger than the hind wings. A termite swarmer has a broad waist and two pairs of wings of about equal length. Extension comparisons also use the antennae: termite antennae are straighter or gently curved, while ant antennae bend. Folded or broken wings can mislead a photograph. A specimen is the reliable next step.

When do Florida termites swarm?

There is no single statewide date. A 2025 UF/IFAS summary gives peak flights of about March to April for Asian subterranean termites, April to May for Formosan subterranean termites, and May to June for West Indian drywood termites. FDACS describes Formosan flights more broadly as April to July, often in the evening and attracted to lights. One UF/IFAS Extension description places eastern subterranean flights from about December through April, sometimes into May, commonly during the day. Colonies can keep feeding after the flight ends.

Does the end of a swarm mean the colony is gone?

No. The winged flight and the wood-feeding colony are different parts of the life cycle. UF/IFAS says termites can keep chewing year-round. A flight can stop while an established colony continues out of sight.

Do a few flying termites indoors prove the house is infested?

Not by themselves. FDACS says a few Formosan swarmers can enter from outdoors, especially where outdoor lights draw them, and that a colony breaking out of walls or ceilings can produce hundreds or thousands. Drywood swarmers or their wings indoors are a reason for an inspection because that group lives in wood. Identification and an inspection separate an outdoor flight from a building infestation.

Are tiny pellets proof that termites are active now?

No. Drywood termites push hard fecal pellets out of small openings, and a pile under a window or piece of trim is a clue. Color is not a reliable test. University of California guidance explains that pellets already inside wood can fall later, so one pile does not date the damage or prove a treatment failed. Save some material, photograph the pile, and have it identified.

What does a mud tube mean?

Subterranean termites build sheltered mud tubes between soil or a nest and wood. Photograph the tube and arrange an inspection. Scraping it off does not remove the colony. A missing tube also does not prove a building is termite-free.

Does hollow wood mean the house needs tenting?

No. Hollow or blistered wood is a reason to investigate. Florida WDO form 13645 says the inspection is not a structural-damage report. Tenting is one drywood option among fumigation, heat, localized treatment, and removal of infested wood. The species and whether treatment can reach the colonies decide the method.

Does fumigation protect the house from future termites?

No. Whole-structure fumigation and heat are ways to treat drywood termites that the treatment reaches. They do not leave a permanent shield against a later infestation, and they do not repair wood that is already damaged. Follow-up inspection and maintenance still matter. A soil treatment or bait system is aimed at subterranean termites, not at a drywood colony inside upper wood.

When is it safe to reenter after fumigation?

Only after the certified applicator has aerated the building, checked it with gas-detection equipment, and posted the clearance notice at the entrances. Sulfuryl fluoride is colorless and odorless. A warning agent may be used during the job, but smell is not the clearance test. The tent coming down, a clock time passing, or a neighbor saying the job looks finished is not clearance.

Can a homeowner spray the insects and finish the job?

Vacuuming loose swarmers after a sample is saved does not treat the colony. A product labeled only to kill insects on contact has not, by that wording, shown that it protects a structure. Do not attempt fumigation, mix chemicals, or pour pesticide into unknown holes. Established structural infestations belong with a licensed company and the product label.

Does the word bond mean the company will pay for repairs?

No. Section 482.227 requires the first page, in bold print, to say whether the contract is repair and retreatment, retreatment only, or no warranty or guarantee. Retreatment only does not pay for damaged wood. Repair coverage still has written limits. The consumer notice also says a termite contract must state whether Formosan termites are covered.

Does homeowners insurance cover termite damage?

FDACS tells homeowners that homeowners insurance does not cover damage caused by termites. A termite-service contract and a homeowners policy are different documents. Read both. Do not assume one fills a gap in the other.

What does a Florida WDO report guarantee?

Form 13645 says the report is based on what was visible and readily accessible at the inspection and is not a guarantee that no organisms or damage exist, unless the report itself states the extent of a guarantee. It also says it is not a structural-damage report. No visible evidence observed is not the same as every piece of wood having been examined.

Does a blank area on the termite map mean the property is clear?

No. The UF/IFAS map is built from identified samples. An empty space is not a clearance certificate, and a nearby record is not a diagnosis of one house. Inspection is what can be found at the property.

Where can a termite sample be identified?

The UF termite identification team at the Fort Lauderdale Research and Education Center identifies termite samples at no cost when the current Send Samples instructions are followed. Soldiers and winged reproductives are more useful than workers. The separate UF Insect Identification Lab charges a fee. A county Extension office can explain the local route. Follow the receiving lab current packaging rules, including the warning to avoid flammable liquids when shipping.

Where should a suspected conehead termite be reported?

Call the Division of Plant Industry helpline at 1-888-397-1517 or email a photograph to DPIHelpline@FDACS.gov. FDACS surveys treatment areas in Dania Beach and Pompano Beach. Do not move a suspected nest. A brown tunnel is not automatically a conehead colony. The report starts identification.

The rule to remember

Identify the insect, document the evidence, inspect the building, and choose a treatment that matches the problem. Then read the agreement. Effective treatment, structural repair, future prevention, and a promise to pay for damage are related. They are not the same service.

This page is general information. It cannot identify an insect from a description, decide whether a building is safe, or interpret a particular contract. For a life-threatening emergency, call 911.

Sources

• UF/IFAS: IN1360, distribution and identification, IG080, ants and the termite comparison, IN1277, prevention and control, IN651, termites and mulch, IN1397, landscaping and pest entry, IN1269, choosing a pest-control service, send a sample, distribution map.
• UF/IFAS news: May 14, 2025, swarm peaks, March 19, 2025, spread, June 8, 2026, hybrids, Duval County Extension, eastern subterranean flights.
• FDACS: termites, subterranean termites, dampwood and drywood, Formosan FAQ, conehead program, February 2026 conehead pest alert, structural fumigation, WDO form 13645, consumer notice 13692, post-construction contract guide.
• Florida Senate, 2026: section 482.227.
• University of California IPM: drywood termites, pellets and treatment limits. Used as identification and treatment caution, not as Florida law.