Termite Control & Treatment: Methods, Cost & What Works

Effective termite control means matching the method to the termite. Most whole-home jobs run $1,300–$2,500 for a liquid barrier, $1,500–$3,000/year for a bait system, or $1,200–$4,000 for fumigation of drywood termites — with localized spot treatments starting around $230. The right choice depends on whether you have subterranean or drywood termites, how far the colony has spread, and your home’s construction.

Termites are quiet, patient, and expensive to ignore. They don’t swarm your kitchen like ants or bite like bed bugs — they eat structural wood from the inside out, often for years before anyone notices. The good news: termite control is a mature, well-understood field. Once you know which species you have and how much of the structure is involved, the treatment options are clear, and the pricing is predictable. This guide walks through the methods that actually work, what each costs, and where do-it-yourself efforts help versus where they fall short.

Subterranean vs. drywood termites: why the difference decides everything

Before you can choose a treatment, you have to identify the enemy. In the United States, two groups cause nearly all the damage, and they live completely different lives.

Subterranean termites

Subterranean termites nest in the soil and need constant moisture. They reach your home’s wood by building pencil-width mud tubes up foundations, piers, and slab cracks. They’re the most destructive and most common type in North America, and because their colony lives in the ground, the winning strategy is to treat the soil and the colony — not just the wood they’ve reached. Formosan termites are an especially aggressive subterranean subgroup found across the Gulf states.

Drywood termites

Drywood termites live entirely inside the wood they eat and need no contact with soil. They’re common in coastal and southern regions and often infest attics, framing, furniture, and hardwood. Because the colony is sealed inside the structure, soil treatments do nothing. Instead you either treat the wood directly or, when the infestation is widespread, fumigate the whole building.

The main termite treatment methods and how they work

There are three proven approaches plus a few targeted add-ons. Each is built for a particular situation, and a good pro will recommend based on species, spread, and construction — not on whatever they happen to sell.

Liquid soil barrier (termiticide)

The workhorse for subterranean termites. A technician trenches and, where needed, drills through concrete to apply a liquid termiticide in a continuous zone around and under the foundation. Non-repellent products such as fipronil (Termidor) don’t scare termites off — they pass the active ingredient through the colony via contact and grooming, so foragers carry it home. A properly installed barrier can protect for roughly 5–10 years. Expect $1,300–$2,500 for a typical whole-home application, less for localized work.

Bait systems

Bait stations are installed in the soil around the home’s perimeter. Termites feed on a slow-acting insect growth regulator (IGR) and share it colony-wide, gradually collapsing the population. Baiting is less invasive than trenching, avoids broad soil application, and includes ongoing monitoring — but it works over months, not days, and the cost is recurring: about $1,500–$3,000 per year including inspections and station servicing. Sentricon and Trelona are common brand systems.

Fumigation (tenting)

Reserved for widespread drywood infestations. The structure is sealed under tarps and filled with a fumigant gas (sulfuryl fluoride) that penetrates all the wood, killing termites throughout the building. It’s highly effective for whole-home drywood problems but requires the household to vacate for 2–3 days and offers no residual protection afterward. Budget $1,200–$4,000, roughly $1–$4 per square foot depending on home size.

Spot and localized treatments

For a contained drywood pocket or an accessible section of framing, technicians can inject foam or liquid termiticide, apply borate wood treatments, or use heat or cold on isolated areas. Spot treatments run about $230–$950 and are far cheaper than fumigation — but only when the pro is confident the infestation is truly localized. Guess wrong and the colony survives out of reach.

How much termite control costs — and what drives the range

The single biggest cost driver is how much of the structure is involved. A localized drywood pocket in a windowsill is a few hundred dollars; a subterranean colony working the entire slab is a whole-home job. After that, home size (fumigation and barriers both scale with square footage), foundation type (a full basement or a slab-on-grade with a lot of drilling costs more than a crawlspace), region, and species all move the number.

Many companies also offer a termite bond — an annual warranty (about $300–$1,000/year) that covers re-inspection and re-treatment if termites return. For subterranean termites, which can re-invade from the soil, a bond is often worth it. Compare specifics with our exterminator cost guide before signing anything long-term, and weigh a monthly, quarterly, or one-time plan against the level of protection you actually need.

The cheapest termite job is the one you catch early — annual inspections cost a fraction of a whole-home treatment.

DIY vs. professional termite control: where the line really is

Honesty first: termites are one of the few pests where do-it-yourself has hard limits. You can absolutely handle prevention and monitoring yourself, and over-the-counter products exist. But eliminating an established colony is a different job.

Homeowner-grade products — foaming termiticides, retail bait stakes, borate sprays on bare wood — can knock back a small, visible, accessible problem and are useful for prevention. Where DIY fails is reach and verification: a subterranean colony lives in soil you can’t see, and a proper liquid barrier requires trenching, sub-slab drilling, and hundreds of gallons of precisely placed termiticide. Fumigation is licensed-professional-only by law — the gases are restricted-use. And with drywood termites, the hardest part isn’t killing them; it’s knowing whether you got all of them.

Our rule of thumb: do the prevention yourself, but bring in a licensed pro for diagnosis and any structural treatment. For the full framework, read DIY vs. professional pest control, and when you’re ready to hire, use our 10-point checklist for choosing a company.

Preventing termites (this part is genuinely DIY)

Prevention is where homeowners have real power, and it costs little more than attention. Termites want moisture and wood-to-soil contact — take those away and you make your home a hard target.

• Cut off moisture. Fix leaks, direct downspouts away from the foundation, and keep gutters clear. Subterranean termites can’t survive in dry soil.
• Break wood-to-soil contact. Keep siding, deck posts, and door frames off the dirt. Store firewood and lumber away from the house, never against it.
• Ventilate crawlspaces and attics. Reducing humidity discourages both termite groups and the fungus-softened wood they favor.
• Keep mulch and soil low. Maintain a few inches of clearance between soil or mulch and any wood or stucco.
• Inspect yearly. Walk the foundation each spring looking for mud tubes, and watch for swarmers (winged reproductives) and shed wings around windows.

Prevention pairs naturally with a broader year-round pest prevention routine and knowing the early signs of an infestation. If you prefer lower-toxicity approaches, borate wood treatments and bait-based systems keep chemical exposure to a minimum while still working colony-wide.

Frequently asked questions