Drywood vs. Subterranean Termites: Which One Is More Common in San Jose Homes?
- Jameson Elam
- Apr 14
- 5 min read
About the Author: Jameson Elam is the owner and operator of Good Sense Termite, serving Alameda, Santa Clara, San Mateo, and Santa Cruz counties. With over 14 years of hands-on experience in the termite control industry, Jameson specializes in thorough inspections, accurate diagnostics, and long-term solutions tailored to California homes. His deep knowledge of local termite behavior and building structures has made Good Sense Termite a trusted name for homeowners and real estate professionals alike.
If you've started looking into termite control for your Bay Area home, you've probably come across two names that keep popping up: drywood termites and subterranean termites. They sound similar, but they behave very differently — and understanding the difference matters a lot when it comes to treatment.
So which one should you be more worried about in San Jose? Honestly, both. Here's why.
The Short Answer
San Jose and the greater Bay Area are home to both drywood and subterranean termites. They're both common, they're both destructive, and they require different treatment approaches. Knowing which type of termite you're dealing with is one of the first things a termite inspector will determine — because the wrong treatment for the wrong termite is a waste of time and money.
Drywood Termites: The Quiet Invaders
Drywood termites live entirely inside the wood they eat. They don't need contact with soil, and they don't need a moisture source — they get everything they need from the wood itself. This makes them sneaky. A colony can live inside a door frame, a piece of furniture, or a wall beam for years without any obvious signs.
How they get in: Drywood termites typically enter a home during swarming season (late summer to fall in the Bay Area) when winged reproductives fly in and squeeze through small cracks, gaps around window frames, attic vents, or any exposed wood on the exterior of your home.
Signs of drywood termites:
Small, sand-like pellets called frass (termite droppings) near wood surfaces — often described as looking like salt and pepper
Discarded wings near windows or light fixtures after a swarm
Wood that sounds hollow when tapped
Small kick-out holes in wood where they push out frass
Common locations in Bay Area homes: Attic framing, window and door frames, eaves, hardwood floors, and wooden furniture.
Treatment: Drywood termites are typically treated with either localized spot treatments (for contained infestations) or whole-structure fumigation (tenting) for widespread activity.
Subterranean Termites: The Underground Threat
Subterranean termites are a different beast entirely. They live in the soil and travel up into your home through mud tubes — pencil-thin tunnels they build to protect themselves from open air as they travel between their underground colony and their food source (your home).
They need moisture to survive, which is why the Bay Area's wet winters and crawl space environments are so hospitable to them. A mature subterranean termite colony can contain hundreds of thousands — sometimes millions — of individual termites, and they can cause significant structural damage faster than most homeowners expect.
How they get in: Through foundation cracks, wood-to-soil contact, gaps around plumbing penetrations, or crawl space framing that sits close to the ground.
Signs of subterranean termites:
Mud tubes running along your foundation, concrete walls, or crawl space piers
Wood damage that follows the grain (they eat the soft wood and leave the harder grain behind, creating a layered, honeycomb-like appearance)
Sagging floors or soft spots in wood near the foundation
Swarmers emerging in late winter or spring, often after rain
Common locations in Bay Area homes: Subarea (crawl space) framing, sill plates, floor joists, wooden fence posts, and any wood with direct soil contact.
Treatment: Subterranean termites are treated with liquid termiticide applied to the soil around and beneath your home, creating a treated zone that eliminates termites as they travel. Some companies also offer bait systems as another option for ongoing monitoring and control.
Which Is More Common in San Jose?
Both species are active throughout the Bay Area, but subterranean termites tend to be more widespread — particularly in older neighborhoods with crawl space foundations, which are extremely common in San Jose and surrounding cities like Campbell, Los Gatos, and Santa Clara. The combination of aging wood, proximity to soil, and Bay Area moisture levels creates ideal conditions.
That said, drywood termites are extremely common in attic spaces and are frequently found during inspections — sometimes alongside a subterranean infestation in the same home. Finding both at once isn't unusual, and it does affect how treatment is approached.
Why This Matters for Treatment
This is the key takeaway: the treatment for drywood termites won't touch a subterranean colony, and vice versa.
A soil treatment applied for subterranean termites does nothing to address a drywood infestation living in your attic. This is exactly why a thorough inspection that identifies the species — and the extent of the infestation — is so important before any treatment begins.
At Good Sense Termite, we never recommend a treatment plan until we know exactly what we're dealing with. That means a complete inspection of your attic, crawl space, exterior, and interior before we suggest anything.
The Bottom Line
If you're in San Jose or anywhere in the Bay Area, both drywood and subterranean termites are a real risk. They look different, behave differently, and require different solutions. The best first step is always a professional inspection — so you're treating the right termite, in the right place, with the right approach.
Give us a call or text at (408) 418-9152 or request your free inspection online. We'll tell you exactly what's in your home and what it takes to get rid of it.
It's just good sense.
Frequently Asked Questions: Drywood vs. Subterranean Termites
Q: Which is worse — drywood or subterranean termites?
A: Both can cause serious damage, but subterranean termites are generally considered more destructive because their colonies are much larger and they feed more aggressively. However, drywood termites left untreated for years can cause significant structural damage as well. The "worse" one is really whichever one is in your home and going unaddressed.
Q: Can you have both drywood and subterranean termites at the same time?
A: Yes, and it's more common than most homeowners expect — especially in older Bay Area homes. We frequently find evidence of both species during a single inspection. This affects the treatment plan, since each species requires a different approach.
Q: How do I know which type of termite I have?
A: The most reliable way is a professional inspection. Visual clues like frass (drywood) vs. mud tubes (subterranean) can point you in the right direction, but a trained inspector can confirm the species, locate the activity, and assess the extent of any damage.
Q: Do drywood termites live in the ground?
A: No. Unlike subterranean termites, drywood termites live entirely within the wood they infest and have no contact with soil. This is why they can be found in upper areas of a home like attics and wall framing, far from the ground.
Q: Can I treat termites myself?
A: Over-the-counter termite products exist, but they're generally not effective for established infestations. Drywood termite treatment often requires fumigation or specialized equipment for spot treatments. Subterranean termite treatment requires proper soil application techniques and licensed products. DIY approaches typically delay professional treatment and give termites more time to cause damage.
Q: How much does it cost to treat termites in the Bay Area?
A: Treatment costs vary depending on the species, the extent of the infestation, and the treatment method. At Good Sense Termite, we offer free inspections and will provide you with a clear, honest quote before any work begins. Contact us at (408) 418-9152 to get started.
About Good Sense Termite Good Sense Termite has been protecting Bay Area homes for 14 years. Based in San Jose, we serve homeowners throughout Santa Clara County and the surrounding areas. Licensed, bonded, insured, and committed to honest communication every step of the way.
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