Desert Termite Control: How To Get Rid of Desert Termites

Desert termites are a subspecies of the subterranean termite and commonly live in underground colonies where they create mud tubes to safely travel and forage for food and protect themselves from being out in the open. As their name suggests, desert termites thrive in the desert where the temperatures are high and the humidity is low. They also are known to live in desert plants like dead cactus.

Desert termites are almost exclusively found in the dry desert areas of the Southwest such as southern California, southern Arizona and some of the lowest deserts of northwestern Mexico. However, in recent years these termites have been going beyond the desert and have been reportedly found in parts of South and west Texas and going as far as appearing in Houston, Texas, which while hot and humid, is not a desert region.

What is different about the desert termite compared to other subterranean termites is that the desert termite doesn’t normally invade homes, tunnel into wood nor looks to damage the wooden structure of homes to satisfy their appetite. Instead, these termites typically feed on live, dead or decomposed plant materials for cellulose and are actually quite helpful for agricultural farmers who work on pastures and grasslands because their consumption of plant materials helps with rainfall filtration and promotes plant growth.

If you suspect that your property has a desert termite infestation, our DIY treatment guide below may help. Our termite control experts put together step-by-step instructions which will show you exactly what you need to do to rid the desert termite infestation for good. Follow the steps carefully and use the recommended products to the side and you are guaranteed to wipe out the desert termite population.

Identification

Before you can proceed with a treatment program, you will need to be sure that the pest you are facing is indeed a relatively harmless desert termite from other destructive subterranean termites like the formosan termite. Misidentification can lead you to using the wrong treatment products and be a waste of your time and money. 

• Desert termites are usually smaller in size to typical subterranean termites. Their body is a pale yellowish brown with a rectangular head and their body is flat and almost as wide as the head.
• The biggest distinguishing factor is looking at the swarmers. Desert termite swarmers measure between 1/2 to 5/8 inches long, whereas subterranean termites alates are less than a 1/2-inch long.
• The swarmer wings and bodies are light brown but subterranean termites have black bodies and transparent wings with veins.
• Desert termite soldiers are also different in that they have slender and straight mandibles compared to the thicker and more curved mandibles of Formosan or Eastern subterranean termites.

Use the description and image above to help you in correctly identifying desert termites on your property. If you are having trouble properly identifying the termite, you can always reach out to us for help. We will respond back to you as soon as we can with the proper identification and give you tips and product recommendations for control.

Inspection

Where To Inspect

Desert subterranean termites are usually found out in the forage production area and prefer to forage in shaded soil or areas made wet by irrigation. 

On rare occasions, desert termites will hang around structures in their search for timber and you may see narrow, free-hanging tubes from ceilings, shelves and overhangs. Arm yourself with a flashlight and take a look around to see if you have an infestation and where the highly active areas are.

What To Look For

What you also should look for during inspection of the areas that you suspect are infested are mud tubes. Desert termites will readily construct mud tubes up, over or around solid objects in order to reach a timber food source.

These mud-tubes are slender, solidly built and pale yellow to tan in color.

Treatment

Desert termites again are rarely ever a threat and they can in fact be beneficial to have around so there isn’t a true solid management option which targets desert termites. For desert termites you known are residing in the soil in turfgrass, the best way to control them is by treating the soil with a high-quality insecticide, such as Supreme IT.

Supreme IT does a great job of killing termites and is a residual repellent. A great thing about this insecticide is that they stay effective for a long-time for up to 90 days.

Step 1 - Termite Trench Treatment

Dig a trench around your property 6 inches deep and 6 inches wide. Mix 5 fl. oz. of Supreme IT with 4.9 gallons of water in 5-gallon bucket to have a 5 gallon emulsion.

Pour the mixture into the trench and immediately fill it back with dirt until it is turned into mud.

Repeat the process for each side of your home until the entire perimeter of your home is covered.

Step 2 - Red Eye Monitoring Stations & Fipro

Place Red Eye Monitoring Stations in areas conducive to termites.

Place them anywhere from 8 to 10 feet apart and at least 5 feet away from the drip edge.

Monitoring the Red Eye is simple; There is a clear view window on the top of the station with a painted red eye on a wooden dowel. As desert termites come up through the bottom of the station, they will begin to feed on the wood. The red eye then drops letting you know that there is termite activity.

Take FiPro Foaming Aerosol and inject it into the station. The neat thing about this product is that its a foam so the longer you inject, the deeper it travels through the galleries in the ground, providing a direct kill.

Step 3 - Indoor Treatment With Fipro

Using the same Fipro Aerosol, apply the product in areas where there is termite activity such as voids, cracks and crevices found around doors, windows, fireplaces, where plumbing meets the wall and also in holes in the sheet rock which may lead to termite galleries.

Prevention 

After you have successfully eliminated desert termites from your property, you will want to ensure these pests do not return. Here are some preventative measures we suggest following to keep desert termites from returning:

• To prevent desert termites from coming back after they have been eliminated during the control process, we recommend using a product called Supreme IT and apply it using a handheld pump sprayer around those areas which were infested. Supreme IT is a repellent and will keep desert termites from coming back.
• Along with this we also recommend using Termite bait stations around your property to be used as a monitor for termite activity.
• Using these tools along with cultural methods such as practicing normal lawn care by using sufficient amounts of water and fertilizer, will overcome any future problems of infestations caused by desert termites.

Key Takeaways

What Are Desert Termites?

• Desert termites are a subterranean termite species that are primarily found around desert regions of the United States.

How to Get Rid of Desert Termites

• Our top recommendations for desert termite control is performing a trench treatment with Supreme IT around the perimeter of your property and using Fipro Foaming Aerosol to treat cracks and crevices. Red Eye Monitoring Stations are also useful for checking for infestations and treating any active termites.

Preventing Desert Termite Reinfestation

• A barrier treatment of Supreme IT can help you with long-time prevention of desert termites and protect your property from future invasions.