How long does it take for drywood termites to cause damage?

As drywood termites live in the wood they infest and can go unnoticed for a long time, pest professionals cannot usually determine when drywood termite infestations actually started. With smaller colonies, rather than the invasive and more aggressive Formosan and Asian subterranean termites, drywood termite damage is more difficult to detect. Drywood termites also infest wood in attics, upper window casing, and fascias that may go unnoticed for quite some time.

Although nobody knows for sure how long it takes for drywood termites to cause damage to structures, some pest control professionals estimate that drywood termite infestations can take as long as three to eight years to cause extensive damage in homes. While drywood termites may take longer to cause damage, infestations left unchecked cause hundreds of million dollars worth of damage annually.

With annual termite inspection programs offered by most professional pest control companies, proactive homeowners can protect the integrity of their homes from drywood termites, subterranean termites, and other destructive household pests. For this reason, at Pestwise, we recommend annual home inspections. After a thorough inspection, we can make recommendations for how to best address the termites found, if any. This allows us to help our customers get their West Florida home’s termites under control before an extensive amount of damage is done. To add to the headache and expense of repairing termite damage, most homeowner policies do NOT cover termite damage.

The integrity of your greatest investment, your home, could be jeopardized by a drywood termite infestation. Prevent major drywood termite damage with an annual inspection – contact Pestwise today.