Do Termites Go Away On Their Own?

In the United States, termites are known to cause damage worth billions of dollars each year. They can consume crops and infest buildings, making them dangerous to live in and even more troublesome if you want to sell or buy a building.

The damage termites can cause include:

Feeding on wood
Damaging insulation, books, and pool liners
Wreaking havoc on your trees and shrubs, especially the ones in bad health

If you’ve got an infestation, you might be wondering: do termites go away on their own? When they’re done feeding, do they up and leave?

Well, the answer is not that simple. Sometimes termites can go away on their own, but unfortunately, they have a habit of returning. And you cannot be sure when this might happen.

Do Termites Go Away on Their Own?

Waiting for termites to go away on their own is extremely risky, as they end up causing damage to your home or business.

If you have a termite infestation at your business or home, do not assume they will eventually leave on their own, you need to be on top of this situation and likely hire a professional to remove them.

They can cause structural damage to buildings.

Even if termites do vacate an area, there might be another colony close-by ready to come in and re-infest your home or wooden business structures.

Getting professional pest control to handle the problem is the best way to go about remedying termite infestation.

If you are selling or purchasing a house where termites were once, you will need thorough documentation that the house was properly treated, and likely a report from a structural engineer that the building is sound.

The Fuss on Termites

Termites have existed for over 200 million years. They have been active contributors to our environment and are found everywhere in the United States except for Alaska.

In the U.S alone, around 45 species exist all over the country.

They are incredible survivors and have a surprisingly long lifespan (they are related to roaches, after all!). Termites can survive for up to two years in your home or business before they die on their own.

Although their colonies can consist of a couple of thousand termites to millions, single termites cannot survive independently.

Even though they are known to cause damage, they serve a purpose in the environment. The termites help in breaking down rotting wood into the soil. Termites also break down animal feces and decompose dead trees, making the soil fertile and growing forests faster.

They also aid in aeration, helping nutrients and water reach the trees better. Overall, they improve the soil quality.

How to Rid Your Home of Termites?

Despite the benefits termites bring to the environment, they can destroy your home, rental property, or business. You shouldn’t want to eliminate them from the environment completely, but you can get rid of the colonies in your residence.

Despite the benefits termites bring to the environment, they can destroy your home or business. You shouldn’t want to eliminate them from the environment completely, but you can get rid of the colonies in your residence.

You might consider doing this yourself, but it is almost always best to get a professional to handle it, and document the process.

Professionals are recommended because they are skilled at termite identification, know their behavior, and know how to prevent, treat and control the infestation.

Termites can be tough to kill compared to other household pests, which is why you should call a professional. They will understand the species type, the locations they have invaded and are likely to invade, and the damage of the infestation.

Using all of this, the professionals might opt to use more than one treatment method, most of which require special techniques and tools. For example, you might need to apply soil treatments through rods put under your house for soil infestations.

Documentation

If you’re a property owner that is dealing with termites, you’re going to need to disclose that termites were on the property, and provide proof that they are gone. You also may need to provide proof that a structure is habitable.

Buyers and renters aren’t going to be keen on your word, they’re going to want solid third-party evidence (as will the banks involved!).

Ways of Spotting a Termite Infestation

Termites are naturally good at staying hidden. It takes just one termite to taste your delicious wood and invite a colony into your home! And you might not even notice this until it’s too late. To help you spot them sooner, keep an eye out for the following signs:

Termites are naturally good at staying hidden. It takes just one termite to taste your delicious wood and invite a colony into your home.

Swarmer termites. If you spot a swarm of termites around your residence, it is an obvious indicator that there is a colony around.
Mud Tubes help termites travel. They use their saliva to make these tunnels. If you see these veiny-looking mud tubes around your home, take caution.
Termite droppings. If you spot sawdust-looking droppings, they might be around too (but this is easy to confuse with other things like roach droppings).
If you suspect they are in your furniture, tap on the wood. It might be a sign they are there if it is hollow.

Can Termites Survive Long Without Food or Water?

Termites eat cellulose found in shrubs and trees. They can go for around two weeks without food. However, they will not last longer than a few days without moisture and water. Accumulated moisture might help keep them alive in a dry situation but not for long.

A lot of water can also be detrimental to them. Termites will drown and die if put under water for around 30 hours.

Can Termites Survive in Open Air?

Termites build tunnels in trees, furniture, or wood to protect themselves from the elements. They do well in complete darkness except when they swarm off during the summer.

Termites will die much faster if exposed to sunlight or open air for longer than a few minutes because they tend to dehydrate.

Are Termites Active in the Winter?

Many people believe that termites migrate during the winter, hibernate, or die off. But this is inaccurate.

Termites are active all year round, even though you might not notice any of their activity. They do not die because of low temperatures.

However, some termites, mainly the subterranean termite colonies, will locate much deeper into the ground to access more heat. The heat will help them survive throughout the harsh season.

What Temperatures Are Considered Harsh for Termites?

In most cases, it is rare for termites to die due to high temperatures. They can survive in hot indoor environments like your attic, for instance. As long as there is strategic ventilation and the temperature never gets to 180°F, termites will do just fine.

If you want to kill the termites with high temperatures, you would need to raise the room temperature to about 140°F and 120°F in the wood they are in for a little over 30 minutes. Not easy!

The same case applies to low temperatures. It is tough to kill them with cold because they are cold-blooded. However, very low temperatures can kill them. Termites usually count on their tunnels to bring them the warmth they need to survive.

If the temperatures are below freezing, termites must seek shelter; otherwise, they will die. Any temperature below 25°F will kill them in just a few minutes. If you locate their nest, try cooling the air around it to below 20°F for about 30 minutes.

This will kill them.

Conclusion

If you have a termite problem, you should not anticipate that they will go away on their own. You need to tackle the problem head-on and fix it ASAP. This will almost certainly involve the assistance of a professional.

Good luck!