Can Termites Live in Furniture? Drywood Termites in Beds, Dressers and Antiques
Pellets under the dresser is one of the most common calls we get. Here is how termites end up in furniture, how to tell, and what to do with the piece.
Yes. Drywood termites nest in wood, not in soil, and do not need soil contact, so a solid-wood bed frame, dresser, antique or picture frame is a complete home for a colony. They arrive either as swarmers that settle on the piece or inside secondhand and imported furniture, and the colony grows for years before you see the tell-tale pile of six-sided pellets under a pinhole. A piece can be treated with a localized injection or removed, but the house gets inspected first, because the furniture is often not the only place the colony lives.
Local help: Found pellets under a piece of furniture in the San Gabriel Valley? Text us a photo of the pile and the piece and we will tell you what you are looking at. Call or text (626) 409-1584 or get a free quote.
Yes, and in the San Gabriel Valley it is usually a drywood termite doing it. The University of California's pest note explains why: drywood termites nest in wood, not in soil, and do not need soil contact. A solid-wood bed frame, an antique dresser, a picture frame or a stack of lumber in the garage is a complete habitat. Here is how they get there, how to tell, and what we do about it.
How termites end up in furniture
Two ways. A swarming pair lands on the piece, finds a crack or joint, seals itself in and starts a colony; UC notes drywood swarmers fly in daytime during summer and fall, and that colonies are small, usually under a thousand individuals, and take years to mature. Or the piece arrived already infested: secondhand furniture, imported wood items, an antique from a relative's house. Either way, the colony grows slowly and quietly inside the wood for years before you see anything.
How to tell
- Pellets. A small, dry pile of uniform six-sided pellets under or beside the piece, usually below a pinhole. UC calls the pellets diagnostic for drywood termites. Our droppings guide shows what they look like.
- Kickout holes. Pinholes in the surface, often on the underside or back.
- Blistered or thin surfaces. Wood that gives under a fingernail because the galleries run just beneath the finish.
- Swarmers or wings near the piece in summer or fall.
Pellets on a mattress are not from the mattress. There is no wood in it; look at the frame, the headboard or the ceiling above.
What we do
First we inspect the piece and the room around it, because the question that matters is whether the colony is only in the furniture or also in the house. A piece can be treated with a localized injection the same way we treat a window frame, or it can be removed if it is not worth saving. What we do not do is treat the furniture and skip the walls. If a mature colony has been swarming inside the house, the framing gets the same inspection as the dresser.
Until we get there
- Leave the pellets where they are; they show where the hole is.
- Do not move the piece from room to room, and do not put it in the garage next to the lumber.
- Do not spray it. UC advises that localized termite treatments should be applied only by licensed applicators and that home-use products are not effective, and a spray on the surface does nothing to a colony living inside the wood.
- Photograph the pile and the piece and text it to us.
Sources
Common Questions
Quick Answers.
Can termites live in a bed frame or a couch?
In anything with solid wood in it, yes. Drywood termites nest in wood without soil contact, so a bed frame, a headboard, a wooden couch frame or a dresser is enough. Fabric, foam and mattresses have no wood and are not infested; pellets on them fall from wood above.
Can termites spread from furniture to my house?
Yes, on colony time. A drywood colony takes years to mature, and once it does it releases swarmers in summer and fall that can start new colonies in the framing. That is why we inspect the room and the structure, not just the piece.
Should I throw away furniture that has termites?
Not automatically. A piece worth keeping can be treated with a localized injection, the same method we use on window frames and eaves. A piece not worth saving can be removed. Either way, the decision comes after an inspection of the house, because the furniture may not be the only place the colony lives.
Can I treat termites in furniture myself?
The University of California advises that localized termite treatments should be applied only by licensed applicators and that home-use products are not effective. Surface sprays do not reach a colony inside the wood, and you cannot see where the galleries run.
Do termites live in mattresses?
No. There is no wood in a mattress. If you find pellets on the bedding, look at the frame, the headboard, the slats or the ceiling above the bed; that is where the kickout hole is.
About the Author
Joshua A. Westad is the owner and licensed operator of ExterMetro Termite and Pest Control in Arcadia, CA. He holds California SPCB Company Registration #8828 (Branch 2 & 3), is a licensed WDO inspector, and has worked San Gabriel Valley homes and businesses for over twelve years — hands-on in the field on every kind of job the valley throws at him.
Think you just found termite evidence?
Bag a few wings or pellets, snap a photo, and text it to (626) 409-1584 — quotes from photos are free, and your job stays under licensed ExterMetro oversight from inspection through follow-up.