Los Angeles County Termite Library
Termites, Signs and Lookalikes
Western drywood termite
Incisitermes minor
Just under 1/2 in. with wings
Daytime, summer and fall
Spot it: Swarmers have an orange-brown head, a dark brown to black body, and smoky gray-black wings with three heavy veins at the base. The whole colony lives inside dry wood, with no soil contact.
Signs: Small piles of hard, six-sided pellets below holes smaller than 2 mm.
Western Subterranean Termite
Reticulitermes hesperus
About 3/8 in. with wings
Spring or fall, after rain
Spot it: Swarmers are dark brown to nearly black, with brownish-gray wings and two heavy veins at the base. Soldiers have long, light-brown heads and curved jaws with no teeth.
Signs: Mud tubes on foundations, slabs and garage walls, and wood damage that follows the grain.
Pacific dampwood termite
Zootermopsis angusticollis
About 1 in. with wings
Wet or rotting wood
Spot it: The biggest termite here. Swarmers are yellowish-brown with dark brown, heavily veined wings. Soldiers have reddish-brown heads and long black jaws.
Signs: Oval pellets up to 2 mm without six sides, and large open galleries in damp wood. Finding them means a leak or soil contact needs fixing.
Formosan subterranean termite
Coptotermes formosanus
1/2 to 5/8 in. with wings
At dusk, toward lights
Spot it: Yellowish-brown swarmers with pale, see-through wings. Soldiers have oval, light-brown heads.
Why it matters: One of the most destructive structural pests in the U.S. Formosan subterranean termites have been detected in limited parts of Southern California, including locations in Los Angeles, Riverside, and San Diego counties. Seen yellowish swarmers at a porch light after dark? Save a few in a sealed bag and call us.
Swarmers
Winged reproductives, or alates
3/8 to 1 in., by type
Two pairs, same length
Spot it: The only termites with wings, on a yellow-brown to black body. They leave the colony to start new ones and drop their wings once they land.
What it means: A swarm inside, especially hundreds at once in a kitchen or bathroom, points to a colony close by.
Soldiers
The colony’s guards
Big head, big jaws
None
Spot it: Wingless, with large amber or brown heads and oversized jaws. Head shape and jaw teeth are how an inspector tells drywood, subterranean, and dampwood soldiers apart.
What it means: You’re most likely to see them where damaged wood or a mud tube has been broken open.
Workers
Workers and nymphs
Light caramel
None
Spot it: Wingless, soft-bodied, and light caramel in color, a little smaller than the swarmers. People often call them white ants.
What it means: Pale insects moving inside damaged wood or a broken mud tube mean an active colony.
Termite Pellets
Frass, or droppings
About 1 mm long
Six flat sides
Spot it: Hard, oval pellets with six flat sides, a bit like coarse sand. They pile up under the holes termites use to push them out of the wood.
What it means: They point to drywood termites. Pellets alone don’t show whether the colony is still active or how far it has spread, so an inspection comes next.
Mud tubes
Shelter tubes
Soil, saliva, wood bits
Foundations, slabs, walls
Spot it: Earth-colored tunnels that let termites travel between the soil and your wood out of sight.
What it means: Working tubes run from soil to wood. Exploratory tubes rise and stop short. Drop tubes hang from wood back to the soil, and swarm tubes let swarmers out.
Kick-out holes
Pellet exit holes
Under 2 mm
Right above pellet piles
Spot it: Tiny round holes drywood termites open to push pellets out of the wood.
What it means: Each hole sits on a gallery behind the surface. Holes and pellets don’t show how far the galleries run, and that’s what the inspection finds out.
Shed wings
Left behind by swarmers
All the same
Sills and floors
Spot it: Small piles of wings, every one the same length. Ant wings come in two different sizes, which is the quickest way to tell them apart.
What it means: Wings indoors point to a swarm inside the house. Save some in a sealed bag for the inspection.
Damaged wood
Galleries and tunnels
Across the grain
Along the grain
Spot it: Drywood termites carve chambers and tunnels across the grain. Subterranean termites follow it. Dampwood termites leave large, open galleries in wet wood.
What it means: The pattern tells an inspector which termite did the work, and that decides the treatment.
Flying Ants
Winged ants
Thin and pinched
Two different sizes
Spot it: Flying ants have a thin waist, elbowed antennae and two pairs of wings of different lengths. Termite swarmers have a thick waist, straight antennae and four equal wings.
What it means: Not a termite problem. If you can’t tell which you have, save a few in a sealed bag, and we’ll check at the inspection.
Carpenter ants
Camponotus species
1/4 to 1/2 in. workers
Black, or red and black
Spot it: Big ants that hollow out wood for nests but don’t eat it. California’s most destructive kinds are black with dark red legs, or red and black.
What it means: They leave fibrous sawdust, not six-sided pellets, often near water-damaged wood, wall voids, or hollow doors.
Powderpost Beetles
Wood-boring beetles
Tiny, round, same size
Fine as flour
Spot it: Their larvae tunnel through hardwoods like oak, ash, walnut and mahogany, and through bamboo. Adults chew out tiny round exit holes, all the same size.
What it means: Dust as fine as flour or talcum powder, not the gritty, ridged pellets drywood termites leave.
Can’t Identify What You Found?
Call (310) 504-4555, Monday to Friday 8 to 5 and Saturday 8 to noon.
How do I save a sample for identification?
Are Formosan termites in Los Angeles County?
How can I tell termite pellets from sawdust or beetle dust?
Which termite does the most damage in California?
Want Us to Take a Look?
Tell us what you saw and where. We’ll inspect, show you photos of what we find, and quote the treatment that fits before any work starts.
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