The short version
Most termite problems in Marietta are eastern subterranean termites, and the usual fix is a liquid soil treatment or bait stations. Start with an inspection; $75–$250 is typical.
- Look for mud tubes, shed wings and hollow-sounding wood.
- Swarms usually show up from March through May.
- The usual fix is a soil barrier or bait stations.
- An inspection typically costs $75–$250.
- Insurance usually doesn’t cover termite damage.
Homeowners, landlords and anyone buying or selling a house in Marietta, whether you've spotted something or just want to know what to watch for.
What to look for
Spongy floors or bubbling paint usually mean long-running damage. So it's worth an inspection, even for one or two signs. Termites work quietly. A colony can feed inside a wall for years. Average winter lows near 32°F slow termites near the surface around Marietta, but they move deeper and keep feeding under heated homes.
- 1Live pale insects inside a broken mud tube.
- 2Blistered or bubbling paint on wood surfaces.
- 3Small kick-out holes in exposed wood.
- 4Buckling laminate or warped hardwood flooring.
- 5Layered, honeycombed wood packed with soil.
- 6Doors and windows that suddenly stick.
Why it’s worth acting soon
- Colonies grow and spread every year they go untreated.
- Damage hides behind drywall, flooring and trim.
- Homeowners insurance usually doesn’t cover termite damage.
- An active infestation can complicate a home sale.
Treatment options and typical costs
Termite Inspection and WDI Report
$75–$250
The inspector checks the foundation, garage, attic and damp spots. Bring up anything you’ve noticed.
- Time
- 60–120 minutes
- Best for
- Every job, real estate closings, and yearly peace of mind
Bait Station System with Monitoring
$1,500–$3,500 install, plus $300–$500 per year
Ask how many stations they plan for your Marietta home, how often they'll check them, and what the annual fee covers.
- Time
- 2–4 hours to install; checked quarterly
- Best for
- Colony elimination, wells and slabs, homes near water
Liquid Soil Termiticide Barrier
$1,200–$3,500 (often $3–$16 per linear foot)
Where a slab or porch blocks the trench, the Marietta applicator drills holes and injects underneath. The goal is a continuous treated zone with no gaps.
- Time
- Half a day to a full day
- Best for
- Active subterranean termites; fast knockdown around the foundation
Fumigation for Drywood Termites
$1,200–$4,000 (often $1–$4 per square foot)
Tenting is mainly for drywood termites. Most homes here never need it.
- Time
- 2–3 days including tenting and aeration
- Best for
- Widespread drywood termites throughout a structure
Prices are typical published ranges. Ask what’s included before you compare quotes.
Check under the kitchen sink for dampness and soft cabinet wood. Plumbing walls are a common path for termites coming up from a slab.Which termites live around Marietta.
It needs steady moisture. The termite you're most likely to meet in Marietta is the eastern subterranean termite. It nests in soil and builds mud tubes to reach wood.
Local termites conditions in Marietta.
A provider who works Marietta and Georgia every day can point out the specific conditions that matter most here, and getting the scope, price, and follow-up terms in writing makes it easier to compare options. Marietta sits in a humid subtropical climate, and that sets the pace for termite activity here: spring swarm season (March-May), warmer earlier in the south. Across Marietta, the area is mostly suburban, so termites pressure can differ from one block to the next depending on how tight the entry points are and how much food, water, or shelter is close by. An inspection in Marietta usually starts outside and works inward, checking the foundation, gaps around doors and windows, and any moisture or clutter near the structure first. Knowing Marietta's seasonal timing lets you schedule treatment before the busy stretch rather than after it, which usually means faster service and a more accurate quote.
Subterranean termites don't stop in winter; they just go deeper. A quiet season is a good time for a non-urgent inspection.When termites swarm here.
Save a few in a bag, or snap a clear photo. Swarm season is when termites show themselves. Across Marietta, eastern subterranean termites usually swarm from March through May, typically on a warm, sunny day after rain. A swarm outside means a colony is nearby. A swarm inside usually means it's in the house.
Where to look around your house.
The same advice applies across the area, from Marietta out to Smyrna and Kennesaw. A lot of houses around Marietta are built over crawl spaces, and that's usually where termites start. Take a flashlight underneath. Check the piers, the sill plate and the floor joists. Standing water or a musty smell needs fixing either way.
A year of termites in Marietta.
- Spring: swarm season. Across Marietta, expect it from March through May. Check windowsills and light fixtures for wings. - Summer: with highs around 89°F in Marietta, termites follow moisture, so watch AC drain lines, sprinkler zones and hose bibs. - Fall: with about 53 inches of rain a year in Marietta, make sure gutters and downspouts carry water well away from the foundation. - Winter: a good time to book an inspection in Marietta, before swarm season starts.
What happens at an inspection.
A moisture meter and a probe help them find hidden activity. Afterward, ask them to show you what they found. Photos help. Most inspections take an hour or two. The inspector walks the outside of the house first. They check the foundation, the soil line and nearby wood. Inside, they check the garage, baseboards, plumbing gaps and the attic. They'll also go into the crawl space.
Termites or ants?
- Waist: termites are thick through the middle. Ants are pinched. - Antennae: termite antennae are straight. Ant antennae bend like an elbow. - Debris: termites leave mud. Carpenter ants leave sawdust. - Tunnels: termite galleries are packed with mud. Ant tunnels are clean and smooth. - Wings: termite wings are all the same length. Ant wings aren’t.
Getting ready for treatment day.
Keep kids and pets inside while the Marietta crew applies the product, and ask how long to stay off treated soil. In Georgia, eastern subterranean swarms February–April; dark southeastern April–June; light southeastern July–September; Formosan dusk to about midnight April–July (UGA). Drill holes in slabs or patios get patched afterward. Prep is light for liquid treatments and bait stations. Clear a walking path along the exterior walls. Move boxes away from garage walls. Flag sprinkler heads and buried lines.
Mulch and termites.
Pull mulch back from the foundation and keep the layer thin. A dry gap along the house makes mud tubes easier to spot, and with roughly 53 inches of rain a year in Marietta, keeping that strip dry takes real grading and gutter work. Wood chips touching the siding trap the moisture termites are after.
Questions to ask before you sign.
- What product or system will you use? - Is the whole foundation treated, or just one spot? - What does the warranty cover, and for how long? - What does the yearly renewal cost? - What do I need to do before and after treatment? - Which termites did you find, and where?
What affects the price
- Cubic footage under the tent for fumigation.
- Local labor rates and licensing requirements.
- Number of bait stations required.
- Extent of existing damage needing repair.
- Time of year and how booked up local companies are.
- Slab, crawl space, or basement construction.
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What's your biggest concern about termites?
When to call for help
Lenders often ask for one. It's also the cheapest termite service. Carpenter ants leave clean tunnels and sawdust. Termites leave mud. Call if you see mud tubes, pellets or an indoor swarm. Hollow-sounding wood is another clue. Buying or selling? Get a wood-destroying insect (WDI) report either way.
What you can do yourself
Store-bought sprays usually kill only the termites you see. It also needs even coverage around the entire foundation. The product has to reach the whole colony. Treating an active colony is harder. Keep firewood away from the house. Fix leaks and clear gutters. Pull mulch back from the foundation. Some of the work is yours.
Termites in Marietta
A typical home in Marietta is worth around $385k, which puts a few hundred dollars for an inspection and prevention in perspective. Marietta has a humid subtropical climate, and termites activity here tends to pick up spring swarm season (March-May), warmer earlier in the south. Across Marietta, most of the housing is suburban, so the usual entry points, moisture spots, and sheltered areas near the structure are what an inspection checks first. Across Marietta, take a minute to note where you have seen activity and when it appears, so the inspection is faster and the quote more accurate. A local provider who knows Marietta and Georgia can point out the specific conditions that matter most here before you commit to a plan. Marietta gets about 53 inches of rain a year, and average humidity sits near 70%, so the soil around foundations rarely dries out. Georgia is one of the most termite-active states in the country. An annual inspection is common sense here. With summer highs around 89°F, Marietta's humid subtropical climate decides when local termites are busiest.
Local research
Termites in Marietta, GA: what the public record shows
Before you compare quotes, it helps to know which termites actually live in Georgia, when they are busiest around Marietta, and what the state figures look like. Everything below links to the agency or university page it came from.
Georgia spending on remedial termite control
Georgia homeowners collectively spend hundreds of millions on treating existing infestations.
University of Georgia ExtensionTermite species recorded in Georgia
- Eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes) — UGA calls it 'the most widely distributed subterranean termite, and it is the most common termite found in the eastern United States'; it swarms February through April in Georgi…
- Formosan subterranean termite (Coptotermes formosanus) — FDACS lists it in Florida, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, Texas, Arizona, California and Hawaii. Colonies contain…
- Dark and light southeastern subterranean termites (Reticulitermes virginicus; Reticulitermes hageni) — UGA: both are 'generally less economically important when compared to R. flavipes'; R. virginicus swarms April–June and R. hageni July–September. Part of the Reticulitermes comp…
When termites are busiest around Marietta
Eastern subterranean swarms February–April; dark southeastern April–June; light southeastern July–September; Formosan dusk to about midnight April–July (UGA).
UGA lists Georgia among states with patchy Formosan distribution. Georgia requires written contracts 'for all structural pest control services such as termite treatments', and the Official Georgia Wood Infestation Inspection Report ('termite letter') is used in home sales.
Rules that apply in Georgia
Sources: Biology of Subterranean Termites in the Eastern United States (B1209); University of Missouri Extension; Formosan Termite Program. Figures are quoted as the source prints them. How we check our sources
Simple ways to keep termites away
- Caulk gaps around plumbing and utility penetrations.
- Address wood-to-soil contact at steps, fences, and trellises.
- Install a vapor barrier over crawl space soil.
- Never leave form boards or scrap lumber in the soil.
- Trim shrubs so foundation walls stay visible and dry.
- Fix leaking hose bibs, faucets, and pipes promptly.
Keep the inspection diagram, treatment record and warranty together. Buyers and inspectors will ask for them later.Did you know?
Across Marietta, some tropical termites grow fungus gardens inside the nest and eat the harvest.
Some African termite mounds stand more than 25 feet tall.
Questions people ask
Can termites damage a house on a concrete slab?
They come up through expansion joints, plumbing gaps and small cracks. Inspectors check those spots first. Yes.
Will termites come back after treatment?
Treatments wear down and new colonies move in. That's what yearly inspections and renewal plans are for. They can.
How long does termite treatment take?
Bait stations take a few hours to install. Fumigation takes two to three days. A liquid barrier takes half a day to a day.
What is the difference between subterranean and drywood termites?
Drywood termites live inside the wood and leave tiny pellets. Around Marietta, the subterranean kind causes most problems. Subterranean termites live in soil and build mud tubes.
How do I know if I have termites or ants?
Across Marietta, termites are best caught early through inspection, because the damage is hidden inside wood until it is far along. Across Marietta, a professional inspection looks for mud tubes, damaged wood, and swarming activity, and treatment targets the soil and the colony rather than just the visible wood.
Are termites common in Georgia?
Around Marietta, the usual culprit is the eastern subterranean termite.
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Sources (11)
The facts in this article come from the public sources listed above. Every home is different, so ask the company you talk to about pricing and what’s included. Published by Termite Exterminator · Updated September 11, 2026 · How we write these guides