While termites infest homes within every region of Texas, infestations are more common in the south where a greater number of species can be found. The termite species responsible for the greatest amount of property damage in the United States, the native eastern subterranean termite, is abundant throughout the state, particularly in the cooler north. This is the only termite species out of several in Texas that may be more abundant in the northern half of Texas than in the south. Despite this, the eastern subterranean termite is actually more destructive in the south, as the state’s largest and most populous cities are located in the south where timber-framed structures are in greater number and are more densely located. This allows the ground-dwelling termite to move from house-to-house in suburban and urban southern areas. However, the significant disparity between the north and south concerning termite infestation rates largely stems from the fact that the south is home to several highly destructive termite species, most notably the invasive Formosan subterranean termite, which is the most structurally devastating termite species in the world next to the Asian subterranean termite, which has established an invasive habitat in the state of Florida only. Luckily, the Formosan’s invasive habitat in the US is limited to the southeast where the insects are particularly abundant near the Gulf Coast. This puts the largest city in Texas, Houston, right in the center of the most active Formosan subterranean termite zone.
While the Formosan subterranean termite has been found in counties in every area of Texas, this species maintains a permanent habitat within 31 counties in the southeast and into the central portion of the state. The native eastern and invasive Formosan subterranean termites are usually the only two subterranean termites in Texas that are mentioned by experts, but another subterranean species, the arid-land subterranean termite, can be found all over Texas, but infestations are almost exclusive to the west and southwest portion of the state only. Although this species is highly damaging, it is often overshadowed by the far more destructive eastern and Formosan subterranean termite species. Another native subterranean termite species, R. virginicus, also maintains a small population in eastern Texas. A Drywood species, the desert drywood termite, is the most destructive drywood termite in the United States, and it is abundant in the west and southwest region of the state. The desert dampwood termite is the only dampwood species in Texas, and it can be found in the southwest, west and even the northwest portion of the state. This species is of little concern in the state, as it does not infest structures often.
Have you ever heard of anyone’s home becoming infested with dampwood termites
