Do-It-Yourself Termite Treatment: What Actually Works in California
Every week someone tells us what they already tried: a can of spray, a bottle of orange oil, a box of bait stakes. Here is what do-it-yourself termite treatment can actually do, and where it stops.
Not the colony itself. The University of California says there are no reliable over-the-counter termite control products for the public in California, that the products needed for drywood termites are not available for homeowner use, and that the most effective termite baits are for professional use only. What you can do yourself, and should: fix leaks and sprinklers that keep the walls wet, break wood-to-soil contact, move firewood and lumber away from the house, keep the crawlspace dry and vented, replace a small, removable piece of infested wood, and check for pellets, mud tubes and wings a few times a year. Sprays, foggers, orange oil and a handful of store bait stakes kill what they touch and leave the colony alone. If you have pellets or mud tubes, the best do-it-yourself move is a bag of samples and a photo.
Local help: Found pellets, mud tubes or wings? Text a photo to (626) 409-1584 and we will tell you what it is and whether it needs an inspection. Quotes from photos are free.
On this page
- What DIY can and can’t do, at a glance
- Why store products miss the colony
- The best do-it-yourself moves
- Drywood termites: what you can and can’t do
- Subterranean termites: what you can and can’t do
- What about store bait stations and stakes?
- Sprays, foggers, orange oil and home remedies
- When to stop and call
- Sources
- Quick answers
What DIY can and can’t do, at a glance
Here is how the usual do-it-yourself options stack up:
| What people try | Does it work? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Spraying the swarmers or the termites you can see | No | Kills a few that would die anyway; the colony is deep in the wood or in the soil |
| Store spray or foam squirted into a kickout hole | Not reliably | The University of California says home-use products for spot-treating drywood termites are not effective, and you can’t see where the galleries run |
| Bug bombs and foggers | No | The mist settles on surfaces; it doesn’t get into wood or soil |
| Orange oil | Not reliably | It only works where it touches termites, and university tests question its effectiveness |
| Store bait stakes | Not as a treatment | A few stakes aren’t a perimeter, nothing tells you when the bait is gone, and the most effective baits are professional-only |
| Wood-treatment products brushed onto bare wood | Prevention at best | No field studies show how preventive wood treatments perform against California drywood termites, and a coating doesn’t reach a colony already inside |
| Replacing a small, removable infested piece | Yes, for that piece | Removing the wood is the one drywood fix the University of California leaves to homeowners; it works if the colony is confined to that piece |
| Fixing moisture and wood-to-soil contact | Yes, as prevention | Takes away the conditions subterranean termites need, and homeowners can do it themselves |
| Checking the house a few times a year | Yes, for early warning | Catches pellets, mud tubes and wings while the problem is still small |
Why store products miss the colony
Termites aren’t where you can spray them. A drywood colony lives deep inside the wood, and the University of California notes colonies can be widely dispersed, with more than one in a house. A subterranean colony lives in the soil, can number in the hundreds of thousands, and several colonies can work on the same building. Whatever you spray reaches the termites it touches and nothing else.
The products that do work are restricted. The University of California is blunt about it: for subterranean termites there are no reliable over-the-counter termite control products available to the public in California, and all effective products are for professional use only. For drywood termites, the products needed are not available for homeowner use, and home-use products for spot treatment are not effective.
There is also a reason general bug sprays disappoint. Many are repellent types, and termites can detect repellent insecticides and avoid them without ever getting a lethal dose. That is why repellent products were phased out of termite treatment, and why the products professionals use now are non-repellent: termites can’t detect them, so they don’t avoid them.
The best do-it-yourself moves
- Dry things out. Fix leaks at the roofline, plumbing and decks, keep sprinklers off the stucco and the foundation, and point downspouts away from the house. The University of California recommends keeping foundation areas well ventilated and dry.
- Break wood-to-soil contact. Wood touching soil is a bridge for subterranean termites. The University of California suggests keeping wood under the house at least 12 inches above the soil, and checking your local building code for the exact minimums. Pull soil and mulch back from wood siding and trim.
- Clear the perimeter. Remove old stumps, stored lumber, untreated fence posts and buried scrap wood near the house, and keep firewood off the ground and away from the walls.
- Watch the stucco line. Stucco that runs down into the soil can let termites travel between the stucco and the foundation unseen, so keep soil pulled back where you can see the bottom edge.
- Keep exterior wood painted and vents screened. Drywood swarmers get in through cracks and bare wood. The University of California lists paint and screens as preventive barriers, though their performance hasn’t been measured in the field, so treat them as good housekeeping, not a guarantee.
- Replace a small infested piece. If pellets come from a single, removable piece (a trim board, a fence picket, a small piece of furniture), replacing or discarding it is a real fix. If the wood holds something up, the University of California says to bring in an architect, engineer or contractor, and permits may apply.
- Check a few times a year. Look at sills, the garage floor, the foundation and the eaves for pellets, mud tubes and shed wings, especially after warm days in spring and late summer. Our signs of termites guide shows what to look for.
Drywood termites: what you can and can’t do
With drywood termites, the University of California’s advice is simple: except for removing the wood, leave treatment to a professional, because the colony is hard to find and its extent is hard to judge. You can still do two useful things.
First, the pellet test. Sweep up the pellets under a kickout hole and look again in a few days. New pellets mean the colony is active; building vibration can shake a few loose, so look for a fresh pile, not a few grains. Second, make sure it is termites: six-sided pellets are diagnostic for drywood termites, while wood-boring beetles and carpenter ants leave different debris. Our termite droppings guide shows the difference, and the western drywood termite page covers the termite itself.
What doesn’t work is squirting a store product into one hole. Even professionals get variable results with spot treatment, and the University of California says effectiveness is high only when the treatment is put directly on the termites. If pellets keep coming back, or show up in more than one spot, it is time for an inspection; limited, accessible activity is often treatable without a tent (spot treatment vs. tenting).
Subterranean termites: what you can and can’t do
The University of California says it is unlikely homeowners can control subterranean termites on their own, but that you can replace termite-damaged wood and correct the conditions that invite them. That is the moisture and wood-to-soil work above, and it matters: a colony that loses its moisture source and its easy bridge into the house has a much harder time getting in.
Mud tubes are the evidence to watch. Take a photo before you touch one, and don’t scrape them off: the pattern of tubes shows an inspector where the colony is getting in. If you want to know whether a tube is active, break open one small section; a tube that is repaired within a few days means the colony is active. Breaking or scraping tubes does nothing to the colony itself, which is in the soil.
Treatment in the soil or with baits is professional work, and in California it starts with an inspection by a licensed inspector. Here is how subterranean termites are treated, and why we choose bait stations over a fipronil soil treatment.
What about store bait stations and stakes?
Bait is how professionals handle many subterranean jobs, so it is fair to ask whether the store version works. As a treatment, usually not. A few stakes pushed into a flowerbed aren’t a perimeter, nothing tells you when the bait inside is gone, and the University of California notes the most effective bait products are for professional use only. A professional program rings the house with stations and checks every one of them on a schedule. The full comparison is in do termite bait stations work?
Sprays, foggers, orange oil and home remedies
Foggers fill a room with mist that settles on surfaces, and termites aren’t on surfaces. General bug sprays kill what they touch. Orange oil only works where the liquid physically reaches the termites, and university lab and field tests question its effectiveness (more in does orange oil work for termites?). Vinegar and other kitchen remedies don’t reach a colony either; our natural and DIY pest control guide covers what those do and don’t do.
When to stop and call
- Pellets come back after you clean them up
- Pellets show up in more than one spot
- You find mud tubes anywhere on the house
- Swarmers are coming out of a wall, frame or ceiling (here is when flying termites are worth worrying about)
- Wood is soft, hollow or blistered, especially if it holds something up
Text a photo to (626) 409-1584 for a free read. If it turns out to be a single board you can replace, we will tell you that too.
Sources
Common Questions
Quick Answers.
What is the best do-it-yourself termite treatment?
There isn’t a store product that reliably kills a termite colony in California; the University of California says the effective products are for professional use only. The best do-it-yourself moves are prevention and early warning: fix moisture, break wood-to-soil contact, clear wood away from the house, replace a small infested piece, and check for pellets, mud tubes and wings a few times a year.
Can I treat termites myself?
You can treat the conditions, not the colony. The University of California says homeowners are unlikely to control subterranean termites on their own, and that the products needed for drywood termites are not available for homeowner use, apart from removing infested wood. Professional termite treatment in California starts with an inspection by a licensed inspector.
Do store-bought termite bait stations work?
Not as a treatment. A few stakes aren’t a perimeter, nothing tells you when the bait inside is gone, and the University of California notes that the most effective bait products are for professional use only. A professional program rings the house with stations and checks every one of them on a schedule.
Does termite spray from the hardware store work?
It kills the termites it touches. The colony is deep in the wood or in the soil, out of reach, and many general insect sprays are repellent types, which termites can detect and avoid without getting a lethal dose. Professional termite products are non-repellent for that reason.
Do termite repellents work?
Not as a way to keep termites out of a house. The University of California notes that repellent termite products were phased out because termites avoid them without dying. Pressure-treated and naturally resistant wood help in the right places, but their performance varies.
Does orange oil work as a DIY termite treatment?
Only where the liquid physically reaches the termites, and university lab and field tests question its effectiveness. It leaves the rest of a drywood colony, and any colony you can’t see, untouched.
Can I just replace the wood that has termites in it?
Sometimes. If the activity is confined to a small, removable piece, such as a trim board, a fence picket or a small piece of furniture, replacing or discarding it removes that colony with it. Drywood colonies can be spread through more than one board, so watch for new pellets afterward. Load-bearing wood is a job for a contractor, and permits may apply.
Should I break the mud tubes?
Photograph them, and leave most of them alone; the pattern shows an inspector where the colony is getting in. To check whether one is active, break open one small section and see whether it is repaired within a few days. It is a test, not a treatment: the colony is in the soil.
How can I keep termites away myself?
Dry things out, break wood-to-soil contact, remove stumps, stored lumber and buried scrap wood near the house, keep firewood off the ground and away from the walls, keep exterior wood painted and vents screened, and check a few times a year for pellets, mud tubes and wings.
When should I stop trying DIY and call a professional?
When pellets come back after you clean them up, show up in more than one spot, or you find mud tubes, swarmers coming out of a wall or frame, or wood that is soft, hollow or blistered. Text a photo for a free read.
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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.