Florida leads every state in termite damage — the USDA estimates $300 million in annual losses statewide, and Hillsborough County sits squarely in the highest-pressure zone. Tampa deals with two distinct species: the eastern subterranean termite (Reticulitermes flavipes), which builds mud tubes and attacks from soil contact, and the drywood termite (Cryptotermes brevis and related species), which flies in and colonizes wood directly with no soil contact required. Most homeowners have never seen either until it is expensive.
The problem is that termites feed from the inside out. By the time a floor feels soft or a doorframe crackles, a colony has been working that wood for months, sometimes years. The early signs are subtle enough that a standard home inspection misses them regularly — we have found active infestations in homes that received clean reports two years prior.
Subterranean signs
Mud tubes are the most reliable indicator — pencil-diameter earthen tunnels running up foundation walls, piers, plumbing penetrations, or interior framing. Subterranean termites build them because they must stay moist; breaking open an active tube will expose pale, soft-bodied workers. But tubes are not always visible: in crawlspace homes, the tubes are often on the backside of piers or on floor joists where no one looks. Swarmers — winged reproductives — emerging from walls or around light fixtures in spring and fall are another reliable sign. If you find shed wings on a windowsill, a colony is established somewhere in the structure.
Drywood signs
Drywood termites leave frass — tiny, hexagonal pellet droppings — that accumulate in small piles below infested wood. Check window frames, door headers, crown molding, and attic framing. The pellets are distinctive once you know what they look like: uniform, faceted, and about the size of a salt grain. Another indicator is hollow-sounding wood — tap suspect framing with a screwdriver handle and listen for the papery echo of galleries beneath the surface.
What our crawlspace camera finds
Most of the serious termite damage we document in Tampa homes is in the crawlspace — floor joists, sills, and girders that homeowners never see. We run a camera through every crawlspace on every inspection and photograph every mud tube, every damaged member, and every moisture condition that creates termite habitat. You see the footage and the photos before we make any recommendation.
The honest reality is that early detection is cheap. A WDO inspection is $0 with any treatment plan. If we find active termites in a joist before significant structural damage, a liquid barrier treatment and exclusion typically runs $1,500–$2,500. If we find it after — after the sill plate has been consumed, after the floor has gone soft — we are talking structural repair on top of termite treatment. The inspection is always the better investment.