Termite Control

Termites In Central Texas

Central Texas has a few kinds of termites, and knowing which one is present changes the treatment. These are the termites Stride deals with most.

Subterranean termites cause nearly all the termite damage in Central Texas, and because they reach a home from the soil, treatment has to break that soil-to-wood path. The Texas A&M AgriLife guide to subterranean termites explains how these colonies work.

Stride treats every termite in Central Texas, and also inspects for them. For your situation, see our dedicated pages: eastern subterranean termites, arid-land subterranean termites, drywood termites, dampwood termites, and termite inspection.

Signs You Have Termites

Termites hide their work, but a few signs give them away:

• Mud tubes the width of a pencil running up the foundation, piers, or walls, the highways subterranean termites use to reach wood.
• Discarded wings in windowsills or along walls after a spring swarm, left behind when winged termites pair off.
• Hollow-sounding or blistered wood that gives way easily when tapped or probed.
• Tight-fitting doors and windows, as termite moisture and damage warp the frames.
• Small piles of pellet-like droppings near wood trim, a sign of drywood termites.

Are Termites Dangerous?

Termites are not a health threat, but they are the most financially damaging pest a home can have. They feed on the cellulose in wood twenty-four hours a day, and a colony works silently inside walls, floors, and support beams long before the damage is visible.

The cost is structural. Left alone, subterranean termites weaken framing, subfloors, and load-bearing wood, and Formosan colonies do it faster because they are so much larger. Termite damage is also usually excluded from homeowners insurance, since it is treated as a preventable maintenance issue.

That combination, hidden feeding plus no insurance coverage, is why termites are handled with ongoing protection rather than a one-time fix. Catching them early is the difference between a treatment and a repair bill.

How We Get Rid of Termites

Stride treats termites through the five-step Stride Forward process, aimed at the path subterranean termites take from the soil into the wood:

1. Inspect. We check the foundation, crawl space, and wood for mud tubes, damage, and the moisture that draws termites in.
2. Identify. We confirm the type, because subterranean termites in the soil and drywood termites inside the wood need different treatments.
3. Recommend. We point out the wood-to-soil contact, leaks, and drainage problems feeding the colony, and the fixes that reduce the risk.
4. Treat. For subterranean termites we establish a liquid termiticide barrier in the soil and set in-ground bait stations. The barrier is non-repellent, so termites pass through it and carry it back to the colony rather than avoiding it.
5. Evaluate. We monitor the stations and the structure on recurring visits, because termite pressure in Central Texas is constant.

Our GreenPro certification guides this reduced-risk approach, and every product is odorless and colorless once dry.

How to Keep Termites Away

Keeping termites out comes down to cutting off the moisture and the wood-to-soil contact they need:

• Keep wood off the soil, holding a gap between the ground and any wood siding, and keeping mulch back from the foundation.
• Fix moisture from leaks, poor drainage, and downspouts that dump against the foundation.
• Store firewood and lumber away from the house and up off the ground.
• Seal cracks in the foundation and around utility penetrations where termites slip in.
• Keep an annual inspection going, since the earliest signs are easy to miss.

Termite Control Frequently Asked Questions

Stride Forward is our Integrated Pest Management program where we partner with our clients in the long-term removal and prevention of pests. Keeping your property free of unwanted insects and rodents works best when we work together.

The program combines habitat manipulation, biological control, cultural behavior changes, and the targeted use of products designed to repel or eradicate pests. Our approach follows five steps, with non-chemical methods prioritized before any product application.

Our Certifications & Awards

Stride Pest Control holds QualityPro and GreenPro certifications through the NPMA’s Foundation for Professional Pest Management, and fewer than 3% of pest control companies nationwide hold both. QualityPro requires background checks on every service member, a drug-free workplace, and 16 standards that exceed state and federal requirements.

Our Austin and Round Rock office operates under Texas Department of Agriculture license TPCL #667951, with Burton Johnston as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our San Antonio office operates under TPCL #827449, with Alex Randall as Responsible Certified Applicator. Our office manager, Michael Honeycutt, is an Associate Certified Entomologist through the Entomological Society of America.

Founded in 2013, we have served nearly 12,000 customers across Central Texas and hold a 4.9-star rating across 2,400+ reviews with an A+ from the BBB.