Subterranean Termite

Risk level: high (major structural damage; often hidden). Subterranean termites are the most common and most economically damaging termite in Florida, and Tallahassee's damp, shaded soil is ideal habitat.

How to identify their activity

• Mud tubes: pencil-width earthen tunnels on foundation walls, piers and crawl-space wood — the classic sign.
• Swarmers: winged reproductives in spring, or piles of discarded wings on windowsills.
• Damaged wood: hollow-sounding, with soil packed inside galleries (unlike drywood's clean galleries).
• Where: anywhere wood meets or nears soil — crawl spaces, foundations, porch posts.

Why they matter

They live in the soil and tunnel up into your home, feeding on the cellulose in wood. Because they work from the inside out, damage is often advanced before any visible sign appears — which is exactly why annual inspection matters so much in Tallahassee. A mature colony contains hundreds of thousands of termites.

What to do

Subterranean termites are treated at the soil-structure boundary — a liquid barrier around the foundation or an in-ground bait system. This is not a DIY pest; correct treatment requires professional application and, ideally, ongoing monitoring. See termite control, the two-species guide, or book a free termite inspection.