Termites in Utah

Termites in Utah can damage wood inside a home before the problem becomes easy to see. Subterranean termites are the main concern, while drywood and dampwood termites are less common. Each type lives in different conditions and leaves different signs, including mud tubes, shed wings, dry pellets, or damaged wood.

Termite activity can also change with temperature and moisture, so visible signs may appear only during certain parts of the year. Here are the three types of termites found in Utah and the signs that can help tell them apart.

Key Takeaways

• Subterranean termites are the main termite concern in Utah and live in underground colonies that can extend more than 15 feet below the surface.
• Subterranean termites often leave mud tubes, hollow channels that follow the wood grain, blistered wood, or shed wings.
• Drywood termites live directly inside dry wood and can leave small kick-out holes and hard pellets with six distinct sides.
• Dampwood termites need very wet or decaying wood and usually create larger, open spaces inside damaged wood.
• Termite swarms are easier to notice during warmer months, although colonies can remain hidden and active outside the swarming period.

Are Termites Common in Utah?

Yes, termites are common enough in Utah to create a real risk to homes, especially subterranean termites. They can feed inside wood for a long time before the damage becomes easy to see.

Termite risk is higher around homes with:

• Moist soil near wood or foundations
• Wood touching the soil
• Small foundation gaps that give termites access
• Damp areas around crawl spaces, walls, or framing
• Older wood affected by rot or moisture

Termite activity also changes with the season. Winged termites are easier to notice during warm spring weather and into early summer. During colder months, underground termites can move deeper into the soil, while termites inside heated buildings may stay active. This means termites can still be present even when no activity is visible outside.

What Types of Termites Are Found in Utah?

The three types of termites found in Utah are subterranean, drywood, and dampwood termites. Subterranean termites are the main concern for homes, while drywood and dampwood termites are much less common. Each type lives differently and leaves different signs. The differences below can help distinguish each termite type.

1. Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites are the most common termite type in Utah and live mainly in underground colonies. Utah has the eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes hesperus) and the arid-land subterranean termite (Reticulitermes tibialis).

Where Subterranean Termites Live and Travel

Subterranean termites stay close to soil and moisture, while workers travel out of the colony to find wood. Their underground nests can extend more than 15 feet below the surface.

Their travel pattern includes:

• Underground tunnels: Workers can move through soil between the colony and a food source.
• Mud tubes: Termites build covered paths across concrete, brick, foundations, or other exposed surfaces.
• Foundation openings: Cracks, joints, and spaces around pipes or wires can give termites a route toward structural wood.
• Wood near soil: Structural wood or other plant-based materials close to moist soil can provide a food source.

Mud tubes are especially important clues. They protect termites from dry air while allowing them to travel between the soil and wood.

What Subterranean Termite Damage Looks Like

Subterranean termite damage in Utah often develops inside wood while the outside surface still appears fairly normal.

Their damage has several useful identifying features:

• Termites usually eat the softer parts of the wood.
• Their hollow channels commonly follow the direction of the wood grain.
• Soil or mud may appear inside damaged areas.
• Wood surfaces can become blistered or darker over heavily damaged sections.
• Shed wings may appear after winged termites leave the colony.

Winged termites also differ from flying ants. Termites have four wings of about the same length and straight, bead-like antennae.

When Subterranean Termites Are Active in Utah

Subterranean termite colonies can survive throughout the year, although their visible activity changes with temperature and moisture.

Seasonal activity generally looks like this:

• Spring and early summer: Winged termites are more likely to appear above ground.
• Warm, wet periods: Moist conditions can make swarming and above-ground activity easier to notice.
• Cold weather: Activity near the soil surface slows as termites remain deeper underground or in protected areas.

2. Drywood Termites

Drywood termites live directly inside dry wood and do not need an underground nest. They are uncommon in Utah, but their biology makes them very different from subterranean termites. A colony can live entirely within the wood it is feeding on.

How Drywood Termites Live Inside Wood

Drywood termites use the same piece of wood for food, shelter, and colony space.

Their colony pattern is different in several ways:

• No soil connection: The colony can remain entirely above ground.
• No mud tubes: They do not need covered paths leading back to an underground nest.
• Several possible locations: Colonies can develop in structural lumber, wall framing, roof wood, furniture, and other dry wood.
• Separate colonies: More than one colony can develop in different pieces of wood within the same structure.

Drywood colonies also grow slowly. Individual colonies are often relatively small, so visible evidence in one area does not show how much of a building is affected.

Signs That Point to Drywood Termites

Small piles of hard, dry pellets are one of the most useful signs of drywood termites.

The pellets have several distinctive features:

• They are very small, dry, and hard.
• Each pellet has six flattened or slightly curved sides.
• Their color can vary with the type of wood being eaten.
• They may collect below tiny openings where termites push waste out of the wood.

These openings are known as kick-out holes and can be less than 2 millimeters wide.

How Drywood Termite Damage Is Different

Drywood termites can create connected chambers that run both with and across the wood grain.

The combination of pellets, small openings, shed wings, and internal chambers gives a much clearer picture than wood damage alone.

When Drywood Termites Are Active in Utah

Drywood termites can stay hidden inside wood for most of the year, while winged adults are easier to notice during their swarm period. Utah’s dark western drywood termite can produce mating swarms from August through September, often around dusk.

Activity is easiest to notice when:

• Winged termites leave established colonies to form new ones.
• Shed wings appear near wood, windows, or other nearby surfaces.
• Small piles of dry pellets become visible below infested wood.

3. Dampwood Termites

Dampwood termites live in wood that stays very wet or has already started to decay, and they are uncommon in Utah. They are more closely linked with rotting wood than with dry structural lumber inside homes. Their need for high wood moisture helps separate them from other termite types.

Why Dampwood Termites Need Wet Wood

Dampwood termites live and feed inside wood that contains a high amount of moisture.

They are most often connected with:

• Wood affected by long-term moisture
• Decaying or rotting timber
• Wet wood touching damp soil
• Logs, stumps, or other dead wood that stays moist

Thus, their presence around a building can point to both termite activity and an existing moisture or wood-decay problem. Winged dampwood termites generally swarm most often in late summer and early fall, usually around dusk.

What Dampwood Termite Damage Looks Like

Dampwood termites make large, open spaces inside wet or decaying wood. These spaces are generally larger and more open than the narrow channels often associated with subterranean termites.

Other clues can include:

• Soft or badly weakened wood
• Large internal chambers
• Termite pellets inside or near damaged wood
• Winged termites during periods when colonies produce swarmers

Their pellets also differ from drywood termite pellets. Dampwood pellets are usually longer with rounded ends and lack the clear six ridges found on drywood pellets.

Protect Your Utah Property From Termite and Pest Problems With Stewart’s

Stewart’s helps Utah homeowners protect and care for their properties with professional lawn, tree, shrub, and home pest services. Since 1972, Stewart’s has provided scheduled services based on local conditions and the needs of each property.

Stewart’s services include:

• Lawn care and aeration
• Tree and shrub care
• Home pest control
• Mosquito, flea, and tick control
• Flowerbed weed control
• Plant health services for insects and diseases

If you notice termite signs, lawn problems, tree concerns, or pest activity around your home, contact Stewart’s Lawn to discuss the right professional service for your property.

FAQs

Are termites common in Utah?

Yes, Termites are common in Utah and can create a real risk to homes, especially subterranean termites. Drywood and dampwood termites also live in the state, although they are much less common and prefer different wood and moisture conditions.

What types of termites are found in Utah?

The three types of termites found in Utah are subterranean, drywood, and dampwood termites. Subterranean termites live mainly underground, drywood termites live inside dry wood, and dampwood termites are closely linked with very wet or decaying wood.

When is termite season in Utah?

Termite season in Utah generally becomes more noticeable in spring and summer, when winged termites leave established colonies to swarm. Subterranean termite swarms are more common in spring and early summer, while drywood termite swarms can occur from May through August.

Are termites active during winter in Utah?

Yes, termites can remain active during winter in Utah even when very little activity is visible outside. Subterranean colonies can stay deeper in the soil, while termites living inside protected or heated parts of a building may continue feeding.