Which of Florida's 20 termite species are you likely to have?
Florida has more termite species than any other state, and UF/IFAS puts the count at 20 established with six invasive. For a homeowner, four groups matter. The Formosan subterranean termite is distributed throughout the state, primarily in urban areas with high population density, which describes Miami, Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville. Its colonies are enormous, and FDACS notes a single one can cover an acre beneath a home. Native eastern and southeastern subterranean termites are everywhere in the state, with smaller colonies that enter the same way. The West Indian drywood termite is the wood-dweller. It needs no soil, arrives by flight or in furniture, and leaves six-sided pellets under window frames and attic wood. It is the reason Florida tents houses. Each group gets a different treatment, and a company that quotes before identifying the species is guessing. UF/IFAS offers termite identification services for exactly this reason. In a state with 20 species, the identification step is not a formality.
When do termites swarm across Florida, from Miami to Jacksonville?
Florida's swarm season runs longer than anywhere else because so many species take turns. In southern Florida, the Asian subterranean termite can swarm in March, and Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Hollywood homeowners sometimes see the first flights before spring officially starts. The Formosan window is the one most Floridians recognize. UF/IFAS reports swarms from early April to late June shortly after sunset, peaking in May, and FDACS gives evenings from April through July. In dense neighborhoods of Tampa, Orlando, and Jacksonville, that means clouds of swarmers around porch lights and pool cages on humid May evenings. Drywood termites take summer and fall, flying in daytime and landing on fascia, soffits, and open windows from roughly June into October. With median winter lows of 54F, no species stops feeding between swarms. Treat when evidence appears, and book inspections before the May peak, when Florida schedules fill fastest. Keep porch lights off on April to June evenings to reduce Formosan swarmers landing on the house.
What does an inspection cover on a Florida slab home or condo?
A Florida inspection has to cover three kinds of evidence. On the slab, the inspector checks the exterior slab edge, garage walls, plumbing penetrations, and the base of interior walls near bathrooms for tubes, since FDACS says termites can enter through cracks the thickness of a credit card. For Formosan and Asian subterranean termites, the inspector should probe wall voids for carton material and check upper floors, since those species nest above ground once established. In a dense Miami or Tampa neighborhood, expect questions about neighbors' activity, because a colony can span an acre. For drywood, the attic, window frames, fascia, and wood furniture get checked for pellets. In a condo in Fort Lauderdale or St. Petersburg, shared walls and the building's treatment history matter. You should leave with a diagram, an identification of the species, and a written proposal naming the method and, for Formosan work, which approved method under the FDACS program is being used.
Soil barrier, baits, or tent: how does Florida decide?
The species decides, and in Florida the answer is often more than one method. Native subterranean termites on a slab home in Gainesville or Lakeland get a liquid barrier: trenching the foundation and drilling every attached slab so the treated zone is continuous under credit-card-width cracks. University of Kentucky Entomology notes the label requires at least five years of control. Formosan and Asian subterranean colonies push companies toward combinations. A colony that FDACS says can cover an acre may not be reached by a barrier alone, and carton nests in wall voids survive above the soil. West Indian drywood termites live in the wood, so the treatment goes into the wood: spot injection or heat for an isolated colony, or whole-structure fumigation when activity is widespread. Tenting is priced by cubic volume and leaves no residual. On a Florida home that has both, the proposal should list the drywood plan and the subterranean plan separately so you can see what each covers and what each costs.
Buying, selling, and renting in Florida: who handles the termites?
Florida regulates termite inspections and reports in real-estate sales, so the wood-destroying organism report is part of nearly every closing. Sellers in Orlando, Tampa, or Jacksonville do well to order the inspection before listing, since a May swarm during escrow or a finding of active Formosan termites can stall a deal on a home worth a median $380,000 in our data. Buyers should read the report for what was inaccessible, ask whether an existing liquid agreement or bait program transfers, and find out the renewal cost. FDACS recommends annual inspections, and a lapsed contract is documentation rather than protection. In dense neighborhoods where a Formosan colony can span an acre, ask about the neighbors too. In rentals, the owner handles treatment and the tenant reports evidence and allows access. Renters in Miami, Hialeah, or Pembroke Pines who see an after-sunset swarm indoors should photograph it and notify the landlord in writing. In a state with 74% humidity and 57 inches of rain, damage does not wait for turnover.