Inspection and treatment for the tropical Asian subterranean termite, which UF/IFAS confirmed as established in South Tampa.
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Asian subterranean termite control targets Coptotermes gestroi, a tropical species UF/IFAS confirmed as established in South Tampa in 2023. The researchers called Tampa the northernmost known Florida site for the species at that time. Control starts with a careful inspection, because a colony may have spread well beyond the first place it was seen.
The Asian subterranean termite, Coptotermes gestroi, is a tropical species. UF/IFAS confirmed in March 2023 that it had become established in South Tampa, found through pest control operators who used the UF/IFAS Termite ID service. The researchers suspected the first infestation had begun seven to ten years earlier, which means the colony had time to spread before it was identified.
A 2026 UF/IFAS study of records from 1990 to 2025 reports the Asian species moving into central Florida counties, Hillsborough among them. The same work notes the Formosan subterranean termite showing up across most of Florida's urban centers. Hillsborough is therefore not a place to assume termites are someone else's problem, and an inspection is the only reliable way to learn which species a house has.
Identifying the species matters for treatment. A technician who finds termite activity should record it, and the species should be confirmed from a sample rather than assumed from a house's age or its address. Ask what the written report says about the species found, not only whether termites were present.
Do not break open a mud tube or cut into a wall to look for termites, because the disturbance can spread colony members and destroy the evidence the technician needs. Store wood, cardboard and mulch away from the foundation. If a swarm appears inside the home, close the door to that room and call (855) 974-4733.
Where it is safe and practical, the technician takes a sample for identification. A confirmed species changes which treatment options make sense for the home, and the identification is a record the homeowner can keep.
Activity is traced along the foundation, through the crawl space and into any wood that touches the soil. Because a colony can reach well beyond the first wall where it was seen, the survey covers the whole structure.
Pipe chases, conduit and the joint between a slab and a wall are common routes for termites. Each one is checked and photographed, and the findings are placed on a simple sketch of the house.
The options, and what each one asks of the home, are written out. The price is explained and approved before any work starts, and the homeowner chooses the method.
Follow-up visits look for new activity and check that the treatment is still doing its job where it was applied. The first survey is used as the comparison point.
This page does not rank one termite species against another, because the sourced record does not support a ranking for Tampa. What is documented is that the Asian species is established in South Tampa, so any survey in that area should look for it by name.
A house in South Tampa is not automatically infested, and a house elsewhere in the county is not automatically clear. The useful question for a homeowner is whether the inspection checked for the species UF/IFAS has documented, and whether the report says which species was found. Ask for that wording in the report.
The sourced record does not say how the infestation arrived. UF/IFAS researchers suspected it began seven to ten years before 2023, but no route is documented. A technician looks at the building in front of them, not at the history of the neighborhood, when deciding what to treat.
Pest control operators who saw the species in the field are the reason it was confirmed. A homeowner can help the same way: a photograph, a swarm date or a sample of wings is the kind of detail that lets a species be confirmed.
Across Florida, UF/IFAS reports that Asian subterranean termite flights peak in March and April, and swarmers fly at dusk. Tampa-specific swarm dates are not in the sourced record, so treat that window as a statewide guide rather than a local calendar.
A swarm is the moment most homeowners notice termites, usually a few winged insects near a light or on a window sill after dark. A swarm does not confirm the species on its own, but a photograph and a sample of the wings can help. Keep both, and call a technician rather than sweeping the wings away.
Usually yes. A plan should include monitoring after treatment, because a colony can be active in parts of a structure the first survey did not reach. The follow-up schedule should be written into the plan, with the price explained before any work starts.
Ask which areas the follow-up covers, how the technician will record the results, and what should prompt an earlier visit. A homeowner who sees new mud tubes, swarmers or sagging framing after a plan is in place should report it, and the service should look again.
Treatment is applied in the soil around the building, meant to make the ground along the foundation hard for termites to use. It fits homes where the activity runs along the foundation line.
Stations placed in the ground around the house are checked on a schedule, and bait can be delivered to foraging termites. It suits sites where soil access is limited, or where the homeowner wants monitoring in place from the start.
Where activity is found inside walls or in the framing, the plan pairs treatment with a structural review. Repairs are made by a contractor, and the technician's record shows where they are needed.
Palma Ceia, part of the South Tampa area, was largely built between about 1900 and 1940, and older wood framing close to the soil is the condition an Asian termite survey checks first. The South Tampa page describes the neighborhood and its housing in more detail.
A finding in South Tampa is a reminder that the species is not confined to a single lot. Confirming it in one part of the neighborhood means it is worth naming in any survey in the area, not only in the house where it was first recorded.
Rain and wet ground during the rainy season, roughly late May to early October, keep the soil around foundations damp, and that helps any subterranean termite move. Gutters that overflow, irrigation that runs against the house and mulch piled on the wall are the moisture conditions worth correcting before the next season. The guide on Asian subterranean termites in South Tampa goes into the detail.
Tell us what's happening and we'll tell you honestly whether it's a quick fix, and what asian subterranean termite control should cost.
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Inspection and treatment for subterranean termites in Tampa homes, from the soil line up through the wood framing.
Inspection and treatment for drywood termites, which live inside dry wood above the soil line and swarm in a different season.
Soil treatment for new slab-on-grade and other new construction, applied before the concrete is placed.
Florida termite swarms follow a calendar that depends on the species.
Asian subterranean termites are a tropical species that UF/IFAS has confirmed as established in South Tampa.
The species is identified from a sample, which a technician takes when it is safe and practical. A photograph of the swarmers or soldiers helps, but a confirmed identification comes from the sample itself.
No, they are different species. UF/IFAS reports that the Formosan subterranean termite has shown up across most of Florida's urban centers, but the sourced record does not place it in Tampa specifically. Ask the technician which species was identified.
Not before an identification. A do-it-yourself product applied to the wrong species, or in the wrong place, can leave the colony inside the structure and make the professional job harder to plan.
UF/IFAS reports that swarmers fly at dusk, and that Asian subterranean termite flights are most common in March and April across Florida. Check near lights after dark during that window.
Policies differ, and the wording of your policy decides the answer. Ask your insurer how it treats termite damage before you rely on it, and keep your inspection and treatment records in case you need them.