Drywood termites in San Francisco attics, trim and roof framing: how they are found and the options for treating them.
Fastest: call (855) 974-4733. Or send this and we call you back.
Drywood termites live inside dry wood, with no need for contact with the soil, and show themselves through small hard pellets and tiny holes. Treatment is either local, aimed at a few boards, or whole-structure. San Francisco Pest Control connects San Francisco callers with a technician who inspects first and confirms the price on site.
A drywood termite colony can sit in a single rafter for years and give almost nothing away. What you may find instead is a scatter of tiny, ridged pellets on a window sill, a basement shelf or the top of a stored box, as though someone had spilled coarse pepper. Those pellets are droppings, pushed out through small holes the colony keeps open to clear its tunnels.
Unlike their subterranean cousins, drywood termites do not need a link to the ground. They can start in attic framing, eaves, fascia boards, window and door trim, picture rails and even furniture. This page explains how a technician searches for them, how local and whole-structure treatments differ, and what moves a quote. San Francisco Pest Control is a call line that connects you with an independent local pest-control company; phones are answered 24/7, and a same-day visit is offered only when a technician is free.
Drywood termite pellets are tiny, hard, ridged droppings about the size of a grain of coarse sand, often with six shallow sides. They fall from small holes the colony opens and can pile into little mounds. Pellet colour often follows the wood the colony is eating.
Pellets are the clue most owners see first. Sweep up a sample into a sealed container or tape a few to a card so a technician can look at them. A pile that returns after cleaning usually means an active colony above.
Sawdust, insect frass from beetles and debris from a dried-out wood joint can look similar from a distance. That is part of why identification belongs to someone who has seen the difference many times.
We do not have a sourced swarm month for drywood termites in San Francisco, so we do not give one. Winged termites indoors at any time of year, along with shed wings, are a reason to have a technician look rather than wait for a particular date.
Subterranean termites have a documented pattern in the Bay Area, which is covered on the subterranean termite control page. Drywood termites do not share it, and guessing would send people looking at the wrong time.
What helps more than a calendar is the evidence: wings, pellets and holes. Photograph them where you found them and note the room.
Spot treatment can be enough when the activity is limited and every infested board can be reached. Fumigation tends to be discussed when termites are found in several areas or in hidden framing. Only an inspection can show which fits, and a second opinion is reasonable.
The honest limit of spot treatment is what cannot be seen. A technician can treat the boards they find, but a colony in an enclosed wall or a closed-in ceiling may not be among them.
The honest limit of fumigation is that it does not repair damage and does not stop termites from returning later. Ask what each company would do about both before you choose.
Older buildings tend to have more places for them: large attic spaces, exposed rafter tails, original window trim and fascia, and decorative woodwork. That is a pattern of opportunity, not proof that any particular house has them.
San Francisco has a great many wood-framed buildings from before 1940, and roofline details on Victorian and Edwardian houses often involve generous amounts of exterior trim. Paint that has been renewed many times can hide small exit holes.
Newer wood is not immune. Furniture, picture frames and imported wooden items can carry a colony indoors, which is why a technician looks at movable wood as well.
Do not cut into suspect framing or spray an oil or insecticide into small holes yourself. It can scatter the colony into other boards and make the real extent harder to find. If you see activity in an attic, wear a dust mask and avoid disturbing insulation.
A technician checks attic framing, eaves, fascia, trim, decks, window frames and any exposed beams, with a flashlight and a probe. Drywood termites hide inside the wood, so the search is for the clues they leave on the outside.
Pellets are examined and compared with the wood nearby. The technician works out whether the activity looks current, whether it is in one place or several, and whether another insect or a fungus is the real cause.
If activity is confined to a few accessible boards, local treatment may be an option. If it appears in several parts of the building, or in framing that cannot be reached, the discussion moves toward whole-structure methods.
Local treatment is carried out on the day or booked. If fumigation is the better route, the technician explains what it involves and refers you to our termite fumigation page for preparation and logistics.
You should leave with a list of where termites were found, what was treated and what was left as is. Keep it for any later sale or inspection report.
Product is injected into galleries or applied to infested boards, sometimes combined with replacing badly damaged pieces. It is quicker and does not involve leaving the building, but it only works where the technician can see and reach the activity.
Some companies offer heat treatment for a room or section of a building. Ask which parts of the structure it can reach, how the wood is checked for temperature, and whether a company that offers it also tells you when it would not be enough.
The building is sealed and filled with a gas for a set period, which reaches wood inside walls and framing that no one can open. It needs preparation, time out of the house and a plan for plants, food and medicines. It is a separate service under the Structural Pest Control Board, covered on its own page.
No San Francisco price for drywood termite work was confirmed in sources, so no dollar figure is printed. These are the things that move a quote.
| Job | Typical range | What it includes |
|---|---|---|
| Extent of the activity | Set on inspection | One infested trim board is a small job; evidence in several rooms is not |
| Treatment route | Local, heat or whole structure | The method decides how many visits, how much preparation and how long you are out of the building |
| Size and layout of the building | Scales with the property | Stories, attic access and the number of units matter |
| Access to framing | Varies by site | Finished ceilings, shared walls and tight roof spaces take more labour |
| Repairs to damaged wood | Often a separate trade | Treating termites does not replace a rotted or tunnelled board |
These are cost drivers, not prices. A technician confirms the price with you on site before any work begins.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent drywood termite control, send the form and we'll call you back.
Drywood termites live in dry wood, which sounds out of place beside a city of sea fog. But exterior fog and dry attic air are different things. An attic or a roof overhang can stay dry enough for a colony even when the street outside is damp, and dry summers give the wood time to dry out between rains.
Rooflines on San Francisco's older houses often include fascia, bargeboards, brackets and decorative trim in wood that has been painted many times. Each of those is a place a technician looks with a flashlight and a probe. Paint can mask exit holes, so a surface that looks sound is not always sound.
In attached flats and row houses, the attic or roof space may run across several units. Activity found in one home can reach a neighbour, and a fumigation or a local treatment can involve more than one owner. Ask early whether the building has a shared roof structure.
Many buildings here are tight to the lot line, with narrow side access. That affects how a technician reaches eaves and fascia, and whether a ladder, scaffolding or a roof visit is needed. Mention any known access problems when you call.
Whole-structure termite fumigation in San Francisco: what it is, what preparation involves and what to ask first.
Termite inspection for San Francisco houses and flats: swarms, sales reports and what a technician looks at.
Dry rot and other wood damage in San Francisco homes: telling fungus from termites, finding the moisture and what comes next.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
According to UC IPM, western subterranean termites swarm in calm, sunny periods right after the first autumn rains, and the effect is especially pronounced in the San Francisco Bay Area.
A Wood Destroying Pests and Organisms report is the written findings of a California Branch 3 inspection: termites, wood-boring beetles, dry rot and fungus.
Dry rot is a wood-decay fungus, not an insect, and it needs moisture to grow despite the name.
No. They get what moisture they need from the wood and the air, which is why they can live in attics, trim and furniture. Subterranean termites differ, because they need soil or another moisture source.
Yes, they can live in dry wood furniture and frames and be carried into a building that way. If you see pellets beneath a single piece, tell the technician, who can look at the piece as well as the building.
Paint can seal small holes and make a surface look sound, which hides activity rather than preventing it. A technician probes wood under paint to learn what is behind it.
It depends on the method. Spot work is often done during a visit, while whole-structure fumigation involves preparation, a sealed period and re-entry steps over several days. The technician explains the schedule before you agree.
Treatment kills termites but does not repair damage. Boards that are tunnelled enough to lose strength may need to be replaced by a carpenter. A technician can point out which pieces look structural.
San Francisco Pest Control is a call line that connects you with an independent local pest-control company. Phones are answered 24/7, and a same-day visit is offered only when a technician is free. Call (855) 974-4733 and describe where you found pellets.