Pest Control · Service

Termite treatment, and what the warranty really covers

Liquid barrier or bait system, who does the drilling, and the difference between a bond that retreats your house and one that repairs it. Get competing quotes from licensed termite companies.

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In short

What is termite control?

Termite control means treating the structure so that termites cannot reach the wood, and then keeping that protection in force. There are two main professional approaches: a continuous liquid treatment applied into the soil around and beneath the foundation, and a system of in-ground bait stations that colonies feed on and carry back. Both are sold with an annually renewable warranty — and the single most consequential decision you will make is not which method, but whether that warranty covers retreatment only or also covers damage repair.

Triggers

Signs you need termite control

A swarm of winged insects indoors, usually in spring, often at a window — the most reliable single sign there is
Discarded wings collecting on a windowsill or in a spider web after a swarm
Mud tubes about the width of a pencil running up a foundation wall, a pier or a joist
Wood that sounds hollow when tapped, or a screwdriver that goes in with almost no resistance
Paint or drywall that looks blistered or rippled in a way that does not match any water source
Floors or door frames that have started to sag or stick in a house with no other movement history
A pest inspection or a real-estate report flagged evidence and you now need it dealt with
Your existing termite warranty lapsed, or you bought a house and never checked whether one exists

Seeing something not on this list? Browse pest control problems by symptom →

The job

How termite control actually works

A full inspection before any method is proposed

A proper inspection covers the crawl space or basement, the perimeter, the garage, the attic where accessible, and the plumbing penetrations. The inspector is establishing which termite you have, where the entry points are, and how the structure is built — slab, crawl space or basement changes everything downstream.

Watch for: A quote issued without anyone entering the crawl space. That is where subterranean termite evidence lives. A quote produced from a walk around the outside is a price, not a diagnosis.
Identifying which termite you actually have

Subterranean termites nest in the soil and travel up into the structure, which is why soil and bait treatments work on them. Drywood termites live entirely inside the wood with no soil contact, and a soil barrier does nothing about them. The wrong identification means the right treatment applied to the wrong problem.

Watch for: A company that proposes the same protocol regardless of species. Ask which termite was identified and what the evidence was.
Choosing the approach — liquid, bait, or both

A liquid soil treatment creates a treated zone the termites must cross to reach the structure. A bait system places stations in the ground around the house that are monitored and serviced over time. Liquid acts on the structure; bait acts on the colony. Some houses get both, and some get a wood treatment applied to exposed timbers in addition.

Watch for: Being shown one method because it is the only one the company sells. Ask directly whether they offer both, and if not, whose interest the recommendation serves.
Preparation and access

Liquid work needs a continuous treated zone, so the crew needs access all the way round: shrubs pulled back, stored items moved off the foundation, crawl space hatches clear. Where a slab or a patio meets the house, the treatment has to be delivered through it.

Watch for: Sections skipped for access — behind a deck, under an addition, along a shared wall. A barrier with a gap in it is a barrier with a door in it, and it should be noted on the graph rather than quietly omitted.
Drilling, trenching and application

Along soil, the material is trenched in. Where concrete abuts the structure — patio, driveway, garage slab, porch — holes are drilled through it at intervals, treated, and then patched. This is the visible, disruptive part of a liquid job.

Watch for: Who patches the drill holes and how. Get this agreed in writing before the crew arrives, along with what happens to a patio you care about the look of. Also confirm they have located the well, the septic and any radiant floor tubing first.
Bait station installation and the monitoring cycle

Stations go into the ground around the perimeter at intervals and are checked on a schedule. Bait systems are not instant — they work through colony feeding over time, which is precisely why they only work if somebody actually keeps servicing them.

Watch for: A bait system sold and then serviced erratically. The stations are worthless unmonitored, and the warranty usually depends on the service schedule being kept. If the company stops visiting, you have paid for plastic in the lawn.
The treatment graph and the warranty documents

You should receive a diagram of the structure showing what was treated, where, and what was found — plus the warranty itself. This graph is what a future buyer's inspector, and any future claim, will be read against.

Watch for: No graph. It is standard practice in the trade and its absence makes both the work and any later claim unverifiable.
Annual renewal and re-inspection

Warranties are renewed yearly with an inspection. The renewal keeps the coverage alive; letting it lapse ends it, and reinstating it later frequently requires a new full treatment at full price.

Watch for: Lapsing the renewal because the house seems fine. This is the most expensive small mistake in the category — it is also why a lapsed bond on a house you are buying matters.

Money

What does termite control cost?

Full-structure termite treatment is typically a four-figure job, varying widely with the size of the structure, the foundation type, and whether you are buying a liquid treatment or a monitored bait system. Annual renewal is a separate recurring charge. The Cost Guide breaks down what drives the range.

See the full termite control cost guide — by material, size and region →

Straight answer

When termite control is the wrong call

Everyone else ranking for this is paid when you say yes. Here's when you shouldn't.

Nobody has confirmed the insect is a termite. Winged carpenter ants swarm in spring too and are frequently mistaken for termites. The treatments are unrelated and the price difference is large. Get an identification, not a diagnosis over the phone from a photo.
You have drywood termites and are being quoted a soil barrier. Drywood colonies live inside the wood with no soil connection. A perimeter liquid treatment addresses a route they do not use.
You are being sold treatment when the evidence is old and inactive. Mud tubes and damage persist long after a colony has gone. There is a real judgement call here and reasonable inspectors differ — but "evidence found" and "active infestation" are different findings, and you are entitled to know which one you have.
The moisture problem that brought them is still there. A leaking hose bib, a downspout discharging at the foundation, a crawl space with standing water or wood in direct soil contact. Treat the structure and leave the conditions, and you are buying the treatment again later.
The quote is priced on a partial barrier. If access forces gaps around an addition or a shared wall, the protection has a known weak point. Sometimes that is genuinely the only option — but it should be disclosed and reflected in the warranty, not discovered when a claim is refused.
You want damage repair covered and are being offered a retreatment bond. They are not close to the same product. A retreatment-only warranty obliges the company to treat again; it obliges them to pay for nothing your house needs afterwards.

Your options

Types of termite control

Bait vs liquid termite treatment

The core method decision, compared properly.

Termite treatment methods

Liquid soil treatment and baiting systems explained.

Termite products and wood treatments

Termiticides and borate wood treatments as a category.

Termite species

Subterranean and drywood termites, and why it matters.

Compare pest control options side by side →

Before you sign

What to check when hiring for termite control

Is this warranty retreatment-only, or does it include repair of new damage?

The most financially significant question anyone asks a termite company. Repair coverage costs more and is often subject to caps, conditions and exclusions for pre-existing or hidden damage. Read the exclusions, not the headline.
Which termite species did you identify, and what was the evidence?

It determines whether the proposed method can work at all. "Termites" is not an identification.
Will I get a treatment graph showing exactly what was treated?

It is the record any future inspector, buyer or claim gets read against. Ask for it as a deliverable in the contract.
Are there any areas you cannot treat, and how will they be recorded?

Untreatable sections are normal on real houses. Undisclosed untreatable sections are how a claim gets declined years later.
What does the annual renewal cost, and what voids the warranty?

Renewals rise, and coverage is commonly voided by lapsed payment, structural alterations, added landscaping over the treated zone, or another company treating the house. Know the list.
If I sell, does the warranty transfer, and what does that cost?

A transferable bond is a real asset at closing. Some transfer free, some for a fee, some not at all. Ask now, because it changes what the paperwork is worth.
Who drills and who patches the concrete, and what will the patches look like?

Drill-and-patch through a finished patio or garage floor is the part homeowners are most often surprised by. Agree the finish before the crew arrives.

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Local pros

Termite Control near you

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Related work

Often done at the same time

Termite Inspection

The report a lender or buyer asks for

Pest Inspection

General inspection, different scope

Ant Control

Carpenter ants get mistaken for termites

Pest Control Service

General plans do not include termites

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FAQ

Termite Control — questions people ask

Still have a question? Talk to our team →

What is the difference between a retreatment warranty and a repair warranty?

A retreatment (or "retreat-only") warranty means that if termites return during the term, the company treats again at no charge. It does not pay for the timber they ate. A repair or damage warranty additionally covers repairing new damage that occurs after treatment, usually subject to a cap, an exclusion for pre-existing or concealed damage, and conditions such as keeping the renewal current. The premium difference is real, and so is the gap in what you are protected against.

Do bait systems work as well as a liquid barrier?

They work differently rather than worse. A liquid treatment protects the structure immediately by making the soil around it a zone termites must cross. A bait system works on the colony over a longer period as workers find the stations and carry material back, so it is slower but is not dependent on achieving a continuous barrier around a complicated foundation. The trade-off is service dependency: a bait system that is not monitored on schedule is not doing anything. Our comparison page covers the decision in detail.

How long does a termite treatment last?

Manufacturers and companies describe treated soil zones as lasting years rather than months, but the honest answer is that it depends on the product, the soil, drainage, and whether anyone has since dug, landscaped or built over the treated zone. This is exactly why the industry sells the annual renewal and re-inspection rather than a one-off job — the renewal, not the chemistry, is what actually keeps you covered.

Do I need to leave the house during treatment?

For conventional liquid and bait work, generally no — most of the work is outside and below. Whole-structure fumigation, which is a different and much more disruptive treatment used mainly for drywood termites, does require vacating for days. Whichever applies to you, the product label carries the binding directions on occupancy and re-entry, so ask for the label and the safety data sheet, and tell the company in advance about pets, fish, poultry and any well on the property.

Can I treat termites myself?

Realistically, no, for the structural job. A continuous soil treatment requires trenching and drilling around and through the foundation with equipment homeowners do not have, and the professional products involved are restricted. What you can genuinely do yourself is remove the conditions: get wood out of soil contact, fix the downspout discharging at the foundation, ventilate and dry the crawl space, move the firewood stack off the wall. That work materially reduces pressure and no company will do it for you.

The house I am buying has a termite bond — do I get it?

Only if it is transferable and the transfer is actually done. Ask for the existing warranty document, the treatment graph, the most recent inspection report, and confirmation from the company that it is current and will transfer to you. A lapsed bond and a transferred bond look identical in a listing description and are worth completely different amounts.