What is termite season?
What is termite season? And when is it? While termites can cause damage or infest a home at any time of the year, they have specific swarming seasons when the odds of an infestation are higher. Most subterranean termite species will swarm in the spring and early summer months, particularly on days with warm weather after a rainfall. Drywood termites on the other hand will prefer late summer or fall, swarming from the month of August through the month of November.
Different subspecies of subterranean, dampwood, and drywood termites will swarm at different times, which means that you will have swarms spread out throughout the year, based on conditions which are favorable to a particular subspecies. Some will prefer moisture more than others for example.
Swarms are sometimes linked to various vegetation. The Eastern subterranean species is a good example of this, because these termites will typically swarm when the buds and flowers of the dogwood tree start to appear.
Termite activity during the summer
Subterranean termite species have the biggest swarms, so most homeowners will observe swarm activity during the spring. However, smaller swarms from other species will start to ramp up during the summer, while subterranean termites start to build up their colonies. Summer weather is very predictable, meaning less rains and flooding for the termites. This allows them to forage and the queen is able to lay more eggs safely. At this point, termite colonies will start to grow faster.
Fall and winter
While you have mostly dampwood and drywood species swarming in the fall, the light Southern subterranean termites will swarm in the fall as well, and they are sometimes confused with ant species that also choose this time of year to build new colonies. During the winter months however, you are very unlikely to see any swarming termites, unless you live in a state like Florida, where the winters are very mild.
Have you seen swarmers in your home?
Swarmers are often a sign that you have or will soon have an infestation, and it’s important to call a pest control specialist for an inspection. Catching an infestation early on can save you a lot of money and headache, and taking care of existing infestations as quickly as possible is essential, because large termite colonies can cause damage very rapidly. If you have spotted termites in your home, or if you suspect that you have an infestation, contact us today.
