St. Louis Termite
Exterminators
Mud tubes on the foundation, discarded wings on a windowsill, wood that sounds hollow when you knock. Termites work out of sight, and the longer they work, the more the repairs cost. We inspect, treat, and protect St. Louis homes and businesses, backed by 35+ years of hands-on experience. The on-site inspection and treatment estimate are free, no obligation.
Book a Free Inspection
Pick a time that works. We’ll call to confirm within an hour during business hours.
You’ll see the evidence
before you see the insect.
Live termites stay inside the wood and the colony, so most homeowners never see one. What you see instead is what they leave behind. Any one of these is worth a call the same week you spot it.
Mud Tubes
Pencil-width tunnels of dried soil running up foundation walls, support piers, or floor joists. Termites build them to travel between the soil and the wood they’re feeding on.
Swarmers & Shed Wings
Winged termites emerge in spring to start new colonies, then drop their wings, often on windowsills. The swarm lasts days, but the colony that sent it stays behind all year.
Hollow or Blistered Wood
Termites eat wood from the inside out. Floors feel spongy, paint blisters, doors and windows start sticking, and damaged wood sounds hollow when you knock on it.
Droppings
Small wood-colored pellets that look like coffee grounds or sawdust, collecting below infested wood. A sign the feeding has been going on for a while.
What termites actually are.
At first glance, termites pass for ants. Same size, similar bodies, and both live in large colonies built around a queen, a king, and workers who handle everything else. A mature colony can number from a handful of individuals to well over a million.
In nature they’re useful, breaking down dead wood and plant material. Of the 2,600+ known species worldwide, about 50 live in North America, and in Missouri the one that matters is the eastern subterranean termite. It works around the clock, in every season, and it doesn’t announce itself.
Quick ID: Termite or flying ant?
Antennae: straight on a termite, bent (elbowed) on an ant.
Waist: uniform and thick on a termite, pinched on an ant.
Wings: both pairs equal length on a termite, front pair longer on an ant.
Not sure? Save a few in a zip-top bag or take a close photo, and we’ll identify them during your free on-site inspection and treatment estimate.
Three types, one priority.
Knowing which type you’re dealing with tells us where to look and how to treat. In St. Louis, the subterranean termite does nearly all of the damage.
Subterranean Termites
The most common termite in the U.S. and the one St. Louis homes deal with. They nest underground, need steady soil moisture, and build mud tubes up into the structure to feed. Everything on this page about mud tubes and foundations is about them.
Dampwood Termites
These live in decaying, water-damaged wood and need high humidity to survive. Finding them usually means finding a moisture problem too: a leak, poor drainage, or wood sitting in contact with wet soil.
Drywood Termites
Less common in Missouri but just as destructive where they take hold. They don’t need soil contact at all, nesting directly in dry wood, and spread when winged swarmers fly to new structures.
Find the colony’s path.
Cut it off. Keep watch.
Termite work rewards thoroughness, not speed. Here’s how we approach it, from the first walk-around to long-term monitoring.
Free On-Site Inspection
A licensed Titan applicator checks the foundation, crawl space, sill plates, and high-risk wood for mud tubes, damage, and the conditions termites need. You get a written treatment quote before any work starts.
Same day or next dayTargeted Treatment
Depending on what we find: a soil treatment around the foundation, bait stations, or both, applied per label directions. Where wood-to-soil contact or ventilation is feeding the problem, we’ll tell you how to correct it.
Scheduled promptlyMonitor & Protect
Bait stations get checked on a schedule, and follow-up visits confirm the activity has stopped. Ongoing coverage is available through Home Shield Premium, which includes termite and carpenter ant protection.
Ongoing protectionWhat people ask about termites.
How do I know it’s termites and not ants?
Look at three things: antennae (straight on termites, elbowed on ants), waist (thick and uniform on termites, pinched on ants), and wings (equal length on termites, unequal on ants). Carpenter ants also damage wood, but they dig into it rather than eat it, so the treatment is different. If you’re not sure, save a few in a bag and we’ll identify them on-site.
Is the termite inspection really free?
Yes. It’s a free on-site visual inspection paired with a written treatment estimate, so you know what’s happening and what fixing it costs before you commit to anything. One note: this is not a formal wood-destroying-insect report for a real estate closing. If that’s what you need, call us and we’ll point you in the right direction.
How urgent is a termite problem really?
It’s not a same-hour emergency like an animal in the living room, but it compounds. A colony feeds around the clock in every season, and the damage is structural: sill plates, joists, framing. The difference between treating this month and treating next year is usually measured in repair costs. If you’ve seen mud tubes, wings, or hollow wood, book the inspection now.
Once treated, are termites gone for good?
Treatment is designed to stop the active infestation, and monitoring is how you keep it that way. Missouri soil holds termite pressure everywhere, so we verify results with follow-up visits and scheduled bait station checks rather than promises. For year-round coverage, Home Shield Premium includes ongoing termite protection.
Don’t give them another season.
Free on-site inspection and treatment estimate. No obligation. A St. Louis applicator who knows exactly where these houses get hit.