How Drywood Termites Sneak Into Homes Through Furniture and Wood Trim

Drywood termites sneak into homes inside the wood itself: a secondhand dresser, an antique frame, a crate or a piece of trim can already hold a living colony when you carry it through the door. Because these termites need no soil and very little moisture, UF/IFAS notes that people spread them easily by moving infested wood, furniture and other goods.

Once inside, a colony keeps feeding quietly and eventually sends out swarmers that start new colonies in your baseboards, window frames and attic. This guide explains how that happens, which items carry the most risk, how to inspect wood before it comes home and what to do if you find pellets.

How Drywood Termites Live Inside Wood

Drywood termites spend almost their entire lives inside a single piece of dry wood. They eat it, nest in it and never need contact with the ground. Colonies infest hardwoods and softwoods shielded from rain, including building lumber and furniture, and the West Indian drywood termite prefers the softer sapwood (UF/IFAS).

Two features make them perfect hitchhikers:

• They carry their water with them. Needing little moisture, they survive in furniture moved between homes, cities or countries.
• They seal themselves in. Workers stay inside the galleries, opening small holes only to push out droppings. The surface can look normal for a long time.

South Florida is the center of the problem. The West Indian drywood termite was first recorded in Florida in Key West in 1918, has spread through coastal regions and is the main drywood pest of wooden articles in southern Florida, with the largest populations in older buildings, according to UF/IFAS.

How Infested Furniture and Wood Get Into Your Home

UF/IFAS notes that the West Indian drywood termite commonly attacks small furniture such as table legs and picture frames, which makes it easy to carry from place to place. The usual ways a colony arrives:

• Antique and vintage furniture from estate sales, consignment shops and online marketplaces
• Used dressers, desks, cabinets, bed frames and headboards
• Picture frames, mirrors with wood backing, carved décor and wooden boxes
• Reclaimed wood for shelves, accent walls and tables
• Wooden crates, pallets and packing material
• Salvaged doors, shutters and trim reused in a remodel

Swarmers Can Also Fly In

Furniture is not the only route. Mature colonies release winged swarmers that fly to new wood, enter through cracks and openings and start colonies of their own. UF/IFAS lists different flight seasons for the three drywood termites found in the Southeast:

West Indian drywood swarmers fly from dusk to dawn and are drawn to lights, according to UF/IFAS Extension in Pinellas County. Swarmers or shed wings near windows and light fixtures can come from a colony in your furniture, your trim or a neighbor’s house. The broader calendar for all termites is in when is termite swarming season.

How a Colony Spreads From Furniture to Trim

A newly arrived colony does not take over the house overnight. UF/IFAS entomologists describe drywood colonies as small and slow to cause damage. The danger is time:

1. Early on: The colony grows inside the piece, and signs are few.
2. Years 2 to 3: Soldiers appear in the colony, according to UF/IFAS.
3. Around year 5: The colony matures and begins producing swarmers.
4. After that: Swarmers start new colonies in baseboards, crown molding, window and door frames, cabinets and attic wood. Colonies can persist for more than ten years.

So a single infested chair, left alone, can become several colonies in the structure. That is when treatment shifts from a single piece to the whole house.

Signs of Drywood Termites in Furniture and Trim

Look for these signs on any wood item, especially after you buy something used:

• Pellets (frass): small, hard, six-sided droppings about 1 to 2 mm long, cream, red or black, often in a pile below the wood or scattered on the floor or shelf
• Kick-out holes: tiny round holes where workers push out pellets
• Blistered or peeling surface: thin wood or paint bubbling over galleries near the surface
• Hollow or papery sound: when you tap the wood with the handle of a screwdriver
• Swarmers or wings: especially on windowsills and near lights

One caution from UF/IFAS: old pellets can be shaken loose by vibration, so a few pellets do not always mean an active colony. Clean them up and check whether new ones appear. For the full picture of why this damage hides so well, see why drywood termite damage is harder to spot.

How to Keep Drywood Termites From Hitchhiking Into Your Home

Inspect Before You Buy or Move

• Turn the piece over and check legs, joints, drawer backs and unfinished surfaces with a flashlight.
• Look on the floor or in the drawers for pellets.
• Tap suspicious areas and listen for a hollow sound.
• Ask the seller where the piece was stored and whether it was ever treated.

Seal and Protect Your Own Wood

UF/IFAS recommends these steps to make your home less inviting to swarmers:

• Paint or seal bare wood. Swarmers start colonies in cracks and openings in wood.
• Caulk joints and small cracks in trim, eaves and window frames.
• Screen vents and larger openings with fine mesh; UF/IFAS suggests 20-mesh screening.
• Use treated wood for repairs where possible. Even naturally resistant woods such as bald cypress, mahogany and Spanish cedar lose resistance as they age, and UF/IFAS notes that complete exclusion is nearly impossible.

Treated lumber has its own limits; read can termites eat pressure-treated wood before counting on it.

Keep Infested Items Contained

If a piece shows fresh pellets, do not move it into a bedroom, a closet or a storage unit with other furniture. Keep it where it is, or in the garage away from other wood, until a professional sees it.

How Drywood Termites in Furniture Are Treated

Treatment depends on how far the termites have spread, according to UF/IFAS:

• Local or spot treatment works when the colony is confined to one piece or one accessible area, such as a chair, a door frame or a section of trim. Termiticide is injected into the galleries, or the infested piece is replaced. The limitation: survivors can rebuild the infestation if the whole colony is not reached.
• Whole-structure fumigation is used when colonies have spread through the house or sit in places no one can reach. A UF/IFAS entomologist calls tenting the most cost-effective option when colonies are spread through a structure. Fumigation treats all the wood at once, including furniture.

Because drywood colonies are slow, you can usually schedule treatment at a sensible time rather than in a rush, but do not leave it for years. To understand the trade-offs, read how difficult termites are to treat and fumigation myths South Florida homeowners should know.

Toro’s termite control begins with a free inspection to confirm whether you have drywood termites and how many areas are affected. Localized colonies, such as one piece of furniture or a section of trim, can be treated with TORO-GUARD, Toro’s non-tenting injection treatment, so you do not have to leave your home. When drywood termites have spread through the structure, tent fumigation treats walls, trim and furniture together. Toro has protected South Florida homes since 1969, and if the bugs come back, so will Toro, at no additional cost to you.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Educational content. This article is for general information about pests in South Florida and is not medical, legal or professional advice. If you have a bite, sting or allergic reaction, contact your doctor; in an emergency, call 911. Pest problems vary from home to home, so a licensed professional should inspect before treatment. When using any pesticide, always read and follow the product label.

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