The short version
Most termite problems in Savannah 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 Savannah, whether you've spotted something or just want to know what to watch for.
What to look for
Termites work quietly. A colony can feed inside a wall for years. Average winter lows near 40°F slow termites near the surface around Savannah, but they move deeper and keep feeding under heated homes. Spongy floors or bubbling paint usually mean long-running damage. So it's worth an inspection, even for one or two signs.
- 1Layered, honeycombed wood packed with soil.
- 2Termite tubes hanging down from ceilings or joists.
- 3Piles of identical shed wings on windowsills.
- 4Small kick-out holes in exposed wood.
- 5Sagging or spongy floors near exterior walls.
- 6Termite activity reported at a neighbor's home.
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.
- Formosan colonies are large and can do serious damage quickly.
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Termite activity through the year in Savannah
Spring
swarm season. Around Savannah, expect it from March through May. Check windowsills and light fixtures for wings.
Summer
with highs around 92°F in Savannah, termites follow moisture, so watch AC drain lines, sprinkler zones and hose bibs.
Fall
with about 49 inches of rain a year in Savannah, make sure gutters and downspouts carry water well away from the foundation.
Winter
a good time to book an inspection in Savannah, before swarm season starts.
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
Liquid Soil Termiticide Barrier
$1,200–$3,500 (often $3–$16 per linear foot)
This is the workhorse treatment for subterranean termites in Savannah. Applicators trench, drill through slabs where needed, and saturate the soil.
- Time
- Half a day to a full day
- Best for
- Active subterranean termites; fast knockdown around the foundation
Bait Station System with Monitoring
$1,500–$3,500 install, plus $300–$500 per year
Bait systems around Savannah homes need ongoing monitoring to keep working. Skip the yearly service and the stations go unchecked.
- Time
- 2–4 hours to install; checked quarterly
- Best for
- Colony elimination, wells and slabs, homes near water
Localized Wood, Foam, and Borate Treatment
$250–$1,500
For new decks, additions, or repairs in Savannah, borate on the framing is cheap insurance. Ask to have the wood treated before it's closed in.
- Time
- 1–3 hours
- Best for
- Small drywood spots, wall voids, and exposed framing
Prices are typical published ranges. Ask what’s included before you compare quotes.
Drywood termites can fly straight into attic framing through vents, so attics belong on the inspection list in warm climates.How treatment works on a typical Savannah home.
With a crawl space, the crew treats soil outside and underneath. They also treat around piers and plumbing. Fix any moisture under the house too. Bait stations are the other main option. They're spaced every 10 to 20 feet. Termites carry the bait back to the colony. The stations are checked on a schedule, often every few months.
Which termites live around Savannah.
Inspectors take them seriously. Their colonies dwarf native ones. Formosan termites have spread into parts of Georgia too. It needs steady moisture. It nests in soil and builds mud tubes to reach wood. The termite you're most likely to meet in Savannah is the eastern subterranean termite.
Sealing the gap where pipes enter the house takes away one of the easiest routes in. It won't replace treatment, but it helps.When termites swarm here.
Save a few in a bag, or snap a clear photo. A swarm inside usually means it's in the house. A swarm outside means a colony is nearby. Look for them on warm, humid evenings around porch lights. Formosan termites in Georgia swarm later, from late April into June. Around Savannah, eastern subterranean termites usually swarm from March through May, typically on a warm, sunny day after rain. Swarm season is when termites show themselves.
Where to look around your house.
Standing water or a musty smell needs fixing either way. Check the piers, the sill plate and the floor joists. Take a flashlight underneath. A lot of houses around Savannah are built over crawl spaces, and that's usually where termites start.
A year of termites in Savannah.
- Spring: swarm season. Around Savannah, expect it from March through May. Check windowsills and light fixtures for wings. - Summer: with highs around 92°F in Savannah, termites follow moisture, so watch AC drain lines, sprinkler zones and hose bibs. - Fall: with about 49 inches of rain a year in Savannah, make sure gutters and downspouts carry water well away from the foundation. - Winter: a good time to book an inspection in Savannah, before swarm season starts.
What happens at an inspection.
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. A moisture meter and a probe help them find hidden activity. Afterward, ask them to show you what they found. Photos help.
Termites or ants?
- Tunnels: termite galleries are packed with mud. Ant tunnels are clean and smooth. - Debris: termites leave mud. Carpenter ants leave sawdust. - Antennae: termite antennae are straight. Ant antennae bend like an elbow. - Waist: termites are thick through the middle. Ants are pinched. - Wings: termite wings are all the same length. Ant wings aren’t.
Getting ready for treatment day.
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. Keep kids and pets inside while the Savannah 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.
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; in Savannah that means extending downspouts and pulling mulch back from the slab. Wood chips touching the siding trap the moisture termites are after.
Questions to ask before you sign.
- What do I need to do before and after treatment? - What does the yearly renewal cost? - What does the warranty cover, and for how long? - Is the whole foundation treated, or just one spot? - What product or system will you use? - Which termites did you find, and where?
What affects the price
- Number of bait stations required.
- Whole-house fumigation versus spot treatment.
- Time of year and how booked up local companies are.
- Species: subterranean, drywood, or Formosan.
- Slab, crawl space, or basement construction.
- Annual renewal and monitoring fees.
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What's your biggest concern about termites?
When to call for help
Termites leave mud. Carpenter ants leave clean tunnels and sawdust. It's also the cheapest termite service. Lenders often ask for one. Get a wood-destroying insect (WDI) report either way. Buying or selling? Hollow-sounding wood is another clue. Call if you see mud tubes, pellets or an indoor swarm.
What you can do yourself
Treating an active colony is harder. The product has to reach the whole colony. It also needs even coverage around the entire foundation. Store-bought sprays usually kill only the termites you see. Some of the work is yours. Pull mulch back from the foundation. Fix leaks and clear gutters. Keep firewood away from the house.
Termites in Savannah
A local provider who knows Savannah and Georgia can point out the specific conditions that matter most here before you commit to a plan. Around Savannah, take a minute to note where you have seen activity and when it appears, so the inspection is faster and the quote more accurate. Around Savannah, most of the housing is urban, so the usual entry points, moisture spots, and sheltered areas near the structure are what an inspection checks first. Savannah has a humid subtropical climate, and termites activity here tends to pick up spring swarm season (March-May), warmer earlier in the south. A typical home in Savannah is worth around $290k, which puts a few hundred dollars for an inspection and prevention in perspective. With summer highs around 92°F, Savannah's humid subtropical climate decides when local termites are busiest. An annual inspection is common sense here. Georgia is one of the most termite-active states in the country. Savannah gets about 49 inches of rain a year, and average humidity sits near 73%, so the soil around foundations rarely dries out.
Local research
Termites in Savannah, 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 Savannah, 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 Savannah
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
- Fix leaking hose bibs, faucets, and pipes promptly.
- Paint or seal exposed exterior wood.
- Ventilate crawl spaces and control humidity.
- Keep six inches between soil and siding or wood.
- Extend downspouts so water drains away from walls.
- Trim shrubs so foundation walls stay visible and dry.
In an apartment building, termites travel through shared walls and slab joints, so one unit's problem is the whole building's problem.Did you know?
Some African termite mounds stand more than 25 feet tall.
Questions people ask
What does a WDI report include?
It only covers areas the inspector could reach. It also notes conditions that invite them, like wood touching soil. It lists any termites or damage found.
Will termites come back after treatment?
That's what yearly inspections and renewal plans are for. Treatments wear down and new colonies move in. They can.
Does fumigation kill subterranean termites too?
It doesn't reach a colony living in the soil. Tenting clears termites inside the house. Not reliably.
Are mud tubes always a sign of active termites?
If it's rebuilt, they're active. Break off a piece and check back in a week. Old tubes can stay on a wall for years. Not always.
Do I need a termite inspection when buying a house?
Ask your agent when it's due. Either way, it's cheap peace of mind. Many lenders ask for a wood-destroying insect (WDI) report. Usually, yes.
How often does a termite treatment need a callback?
Rarely, according to the professionals themselves. For a homeowner, a 1.8% average callback rate, as professionals reported in PCT magazine's 2025 termite market report (about 145 pest-control professionals, 2024 operations), suggests return visits after termite treatment are uncommon.
Do most pest control companies treat existing homes for termites?
Around Savannah, termites are best caught early through inspection, because the damage is hidden inside wood until it is far along. Around Savannah, 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 Savannah, 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