What To Expect After A Termite Treatment – Increased Activity?

Last Updated December 25th, 2022: If you just had your first termite treatment completed, whether you hired a professional or did it yourself, don’t be alarmed if you notice additional termite activity in the days following the treatment. In this guide, we’ll be covering what to expect after a termite treatment!

what to expect after a termite treatment

What To Expect After A Termite Treatment:

In the days following a termite treatment or after you spray for termites, it is quite common that you’ll see increased termite activity around your home and around the treatment site.

Post-Treatment Termite Swarm:

After a treatment, termites do something called “post-treatment swarm”. Most residential termite treatments involve creating a barrier between the soil outdoors and your home. Once this barrier has been created the treatment then works to dry out termites and kill them.

termite activity after treatment

After the treatment for the next 2-4 weeks it’s possible for some termites in the colony to continue trying to reproduce and finding moisture (which has been treated). This means it’s possible for a few weeks of frantic activity by the rest of the colony as they continue to be slowly killed out.

Post-Treatment Termite Swarm is relatively common and it’s nothing to worry about. You should always expect to wait 1-2 months for the entire termite colony to be eliminated and your home to be 100% protected.

If you choose a termite treatment method that offers protection for years to come, then your home will still be safe!

Termite Droppings:

Post termite treatment you might be concerned to termite droppings around the treatment area. Although this might be concerning that the treatment didn’t work, these are generally droppings leftover from pre-treatment.

Termites tend to leave their droppings in the holes they dig and in hard-to-reach places, so it’s not uncommon for these to be knocked loose days after your treatment.

Read our guide on what does termite poop look like!

Signs Of Other Pests:

After a termite treatment, some should expect to see slight signs of other pests around their home for a few days after the treatment.

Many times a home after a termite treatment might see a few more ants than usual. This is because these ants are looking for food, and they’ve found all the dead termites from your treatment as their next food source.

By vacuuming and sweeping up any dead termites and debris you find, you’ll drastically decrease your chances of attracting any other pests.

How Long Does It Take For Termites To Go Away After Treatment?

Depending on the type of termite treatment, it usually takes between 1-2 days for termites to start dying after treatment. But depending on the severity and size of the termite infestation, it might take longer.

Do Termites Become More Active After Treatment?

Yes, it’s not uncommon for post-treatment termite swarmers to show up after termite treatment. And you might see increased termite activity for up to 4 weeks post-treatment.

How Do You Know Termites Are Gone?

After a termite treatment, you should diligently be looking for signs of termites. Look for signs of termite swarmers as well as continued mud tube activity. You should destroy part of the mud tubes and see if termites repair the damage in the mud tubes.

Final Thoughts On Post-Termite Treatment Activity:

Unfortunately, after a termite treatment, you might notice increased termite activity as the termites are impacted by the termiticide. Although this can be alarming, this is perfectly natural and usually is a sign that your treatment has been successful!

I hope you’ve enjoyed this guide on what to expect after a termite treatment! I hope this helps keep you home termite free!

Resources:

https://entomology.ca.uky.edu/ef605

About The Author:

David Floyd has 20 years of experience working as a pest control technician as well as running his own pest control company. His main goal is to provide accurate and helpful DIY tips to keep your home pest-free and how to identify different types of household pests!