What Formosan Termite Signs Look Like in Duval County

Which signs does the Extension brochure name for Duval County?

The UF/IFAS Extension brochure for Duval County names mud tubes and cotton-like material on bark as the signs to look for, and it places Formosan termites as concentrated in Riverside. Those named signs are the reference point for a homeowner's own search.

The brochure is short and practical. It tells residents what the signs look like and where the species is concentrated, and it leaves the detailed diagnosis to a trained inspector. That is the right division: a homeowner can recognize a sign, while the question of how big the colony is needs the inspection.

Mud tubes are the sign most homeowners see first. They are thin, earthen tubes that run from the soil to the wood, and they are built by the workers to keep moisture in and light out. A tube on the foundation is evidence that the workers are using that route at the moment the tube was built.

Cotton-like material on the bark of a live tree is the sign the brochure singles out for trees. It is a fibrous mass in a crack or a wound, and it is a sign that the colony is using the tree, not only passing it. A homeowner should report it rather than decide what it is.

How can a homeowner tell a termite tube from other debris?

A termite tube is a continuous, earthen tube that runs from soil to wood and is often thin and crumbly. Debris, old mortar or a fallen leaf stuck to a wall looks different: it does not connect the soil to the wood and does not rebuild when broken.

The test is continuity. A tube runs from one point to another without a break, and it is often attached to a surface that the workers use. A piece of mortar or a clump of soil that sits on a wall but does not connect anywhere is not a tube.

Texture helps too. A termite tube is made of soil and debris held together with saliva, and it is fragile. Crush a small section gently and the tube will break; a clump of soil will often break differently, and a tube that is rebuilt within a day or two is almost certainly active.

When in doubt, photograph the spot with a coin for scale and call. A technician can tell the difference in a minute, and a photograph is enough to start the conversation. Do not test the object by breaking it, because the test ruins the evidence and can push the colony to a new route.

• Look for a continuous line from soil to wood.
• Check whether the line is attached to a surface the workers use.
• Photograph it with a scale object before touching anything.
• Call a technician rather than breaking the tube to test it.

What do swarmers mean for a Duval home?

Swarmers are the winged reproductive termites that leave an established colony in spring. Finding them inside a home or near a light means a colony is nearby, and the inspection should start with the structure and the trees close to where the swarmers were found.

A swarm is a sign of a mature colony and of a point in its life cycle when new colonies are formed. The swarmers fly out to mate and then try to start new nests, which is why they are drawn to lights and to windows at certain times of the year.

Wings left on a sill, on a windowsill or in a corner are often the clearest evidence. A homeowner who finds them should collect a few in a bag and photograph the spot. Wings alone are not proof of a termite, since other winged insects shed wings too, and the technician can confirm the species.

A swarm inside the house means the workers may be in a wall or a ceiling nearby, and the inspection should check the walls, the attic and any soft wood close to the spot. A swarm outside, near a tree, points to the tree and the stumps as the place to start.

What does damaged wood look like, and how is it checked?

Damaged wood can be hollow, soft or blistered, and often looks sound from the surface. The inspector sounds the wood and takes moisture readings, and any damage inside a wall is found by a small, recorded access point, not by guessing from the outside.

The surface can be misleading. A joist or a sill that looks sound may have lost much of its wood inside, and the only way to know is to sound it with a tool and listen for a hollow or soft response. A homeowner can tap a suspect piece with a screwdriver handle and listen for the same difference.

Blistered paint or a small ridge on a trim board can be a sign of moisture and activity beneath. A homeowner who sees it should check the wood below and note whether the wood is soft, and should not assume the paint is the problem.

Once the inspector has found damage, the next question is the repair. Structural damage is a carpenter's job, and the pest work closes the route that caused it. A report that names both is the most useful one a homeowner can receive.

What should a homeowner do after finding a sign?

Leave the sign in place, photograph it with a scale object, note the date and location, and call a technician the same day. Do not spray, scrape or seal the sign, and do not open a wall to look without help.

The first step is to stop. A homeowner who scrapes a tube or sprays it can destroy the evidence and push the colony to a new route, and the next inspection is harder to read as a result. Leaving the sign in place is the right first action.

The second step is to record it. A dated photograph with a scale object, a note of where the sign is and whether it has been seen before, is the most useful thing a technician can receive. A list of several signs with dates is better than a single observation.

The third step is the call. Describe the sign, say where it is and send the photographs. The technician can then decide whether an inspection is needed the same day or a scheduled visit is enough.

• Leave the sign in place and do not spray or scrape it.
• Photograph it with a coin or a ruler for scale.
• Note the date, the location and any earlier sightings.
• Call a technician and send the photographs.

Why do Duval signs sometimes go unnoticed?

Termite signs often sit in places nobody looks: behind a bed, under a sink, in a crawlspace or high in a tree. The colony also keeps its workers out of sight, so a quiet house is not always a clean one.

Most of the signs that matter are inside, behind furniture or out of sight of an ordinary walk. The base of a wall, the sill and the joist ends are checked by an inspector, and they are easy to miss in a normal week.

The outside is also a common blind spot. A tree at the back of the lot, a stump near the fence and a woodpile against the house are seldom examined by the people who live there. The Extension finding that nests are split between buildings and trees means those places belong in the check.

A homeowner who checks the same few places each season has a good chance of catching a sign early. The check does not need to be thorough. It needs to be regular, and it needs to include the trees.