Termites are not a pest you want to tackle with simple DIY measures – getting rid of them effectively usually requires a targeted approach by professionals. The first step is a thorough inspection to find out where the termites are active and how extensive the infestation is. If you catch it very early and it’s a small area, sometimes a spot treatment can be done on the affected wood (for example, drilling into wood and applying a termiticide or foam directly to the colony). However, for established termite colonies (especially subterranean termites, which are common in our area), the most effective solution is often a combination of baiting and barrier treatments. Pest control professionals will typically install termite bait stations in the soil around your home. These contain a slow-acting ingredient that worker termites carry back and share with the colony, eventually killing the entire colony including the queen. In addition to baits, a liquid termiticide can be applied in a trench around your foundation or injected under concrete slabs; this creates a protective zone in the soil that termites cannot cross without being killed. Together, these methods wipe out current termites and help prevent new ones from entering. Unfortunately, typical store-bought sprays or DIY treatments you might use for ants won’t reach a hidden termite nest or solve a colony problem. Because of the potential for serious structural damage, it’s wise to call a professional termite exterminator if you suspect termites. They have specialized tools and products to eliminate the infestation safely and thoroughly. After treatment, they’ll also help you take preventive steps – like removing any wood-to-soil contact around the house and fixing moisture issues – to avoid future termite problems.

At a glance, termites and ants can look similar (especially the winged versions), but there are key differences:

• Waist: Termites have a thick, straight waist, while ants have a very thin, pinched waist.
• Antennae: Termite antennae are straight (beaded-looking), whereas ant antennae are bent at an elbow.
• Color: Termite workers are pale or translucent whitish; ant workers are usually darker (brown, black, or red). Seeing tiny “white ants” is often a sign they’re actually termites.
• Wings: Winged termites (swarmers) have two pairs of equal-length wings that are longer than their body. Winged ants have front wings that are larger than their hind wings. Also, termite wings tend to look delicate and will shed easily (you might find piles of identical wings around windowsills), whereas ant wings are more sturdy and veined.

Termites are sneaky, but there are several telltale signs that can tip you off to an infestation in your walls or basement:

• Mud tubes: Subterranean termites (the kind we have in the Pacific NW) build pencil-thin mud tunnels to travel between their colony in the soil and the wood they’re feeding on. Check along your foundation, crawlspace walls, or basement support piers for these dried mud tubes, especially along cracks or edges.
• Damaged or hollow wood: If you tap on wooden beams, floor joists, or trim and it sounds hollow or papery, termites might have eaten it from the inside out. You might also notice blistering or peeling paint on wood surfaces – that can happen when termites are tunneling just below the surface. Sometimes the wood’s surface looks intact but everything inside has been chewed up.
• Discarded wings or swarming insects: If you suddenly find a pile of papery insect wings indoors (often on windowsills) or see a swarm of flying “ants” inside the house, that’s a strong sign of termites. Termite swarmers shed their equal-size wings after taking flight. Also, the appearance of pale, ant-like insects in wood (worker termites) is a giveaway that termites are present.

If you notice any of these signs, consider having a professional inspect your home. Catching termites early is key to minimizing damage.

It’s extremely unlikely that termites would ever bite you or your pets. Termites are quite different from pests like ants or spiders that might bite in self-defense. The everyday worker termites are soft-bodied and have very small jaws meant for chewing wood, not skin. Even the soldier termites – which do have larger mandibles for colony defense – are focused on fighting off other insects (like predatory ants), and they don’t go out of their way to bite humans or animals. In the rare event that a termite did happen to pinch your skin, you’d probably barely feel it, and it certainly wouldn’t be venomous or cause any significant harm. Termites don’t carry diseases or possess any toxin dangerous to people or pets; their threat is strictly to the wood in your home, not to your family’s health. So, while discovering termites is a serious concern for your house, you don’t need to worry about them biting your loved ones.

Termite treatment costs can vary quite a bit depending on the situation. For an average home with a moderate subterranean termite issue, you might be looking at somewhere in the range of $800 to $1,500 for a comprehensive treatment. Some treatments can be less, some more: if it’s a small, localized problem (say, just one wooden column in a garage with termites), it might be only a few hundred dollars to treat that spot. On the other hand, if your entire home needs a thorough treatment – for example, installing bait stations around the perimeter and applying liquid termiticide to the foundation – the cost could climb into the low thousands. In places with drywood termites (which are not common in the PNW), tenting and fumigating a whole house can be a few thousand dollars as well. The good news is that many pest control companies will do an inspection (often free or low-cost) and give you a firm quote based on your home’s specific needs. Some also offer financing or payment plans, since termite work can be one of the pricier (but absolutely vital) home maintenance tasks. It’s worth noting that catching termites early will make treatment less expensive than waiting until severe damage is done. And compared to the cost of repairing structural damage from a long-term infestation, professional termite treatment is money well spent.

Yes, termites do live in the Pacific Northwest, and they can be a concern for homeowners here – even though our region isn’t as notorious for termites as some warmer parts of the country. In western Oregon and Washington, the most common termite you’ll encounter is the western subterranean termite. They live underground and sneak into homes from the soil, often building mud tubes up foundation walls or into crawlspaces. These termites are definitely present in areas like Portland, Vancouver, and Olympia, and they have been known to damage homes if left unchecked. We also have Pacific dampwood termites, which, as the name suggests, prefer very moist or decaying wood. They’re often found in water-damaged parts of a house, old tree stumps, or logs. Dampwood termites are quite large, but they usually don’t infest dry, sound wood in homes unless there’s a persistent moisture problem. What we don’t really have are the drywood termites that plague places like California or Florida – those are very rare here. So, while you might not hear about termite infestations as frequently in the PNW as in the Southeast, they are around. In fact, certain older neighborhoods (for example, parts of Portland) are known termite hot spots. It’s a good idea for homeowners here to get periodic termite inspections and keep an eye out for signs of activity (like those mud tubes or swarms). In short, termites are part of our Pacific Northwest ecosystem – not as rampant as in tropical climates, but they’re definitely here – and smart homeowners stay vigilant to protect their biggest investment (their home).