Drywood Termite Treatment Cost in 2026

Drywood termites are the second most common termite group in the United States and the dominant termite group in coastal California and southern Florida. The common species are the western drywood (Incisitermes minor), the southeastern drywood (Incisitermes snyderi), and the West Indian powderpost drywood (Cryptotermes brevis), the last of which is a major structural pest in south Florida. All three share one trait that distinguishes them sharply from subterranean termites: they live entirely inside the wood. They get their moisture from metabolizing the cellulose they eat. They never need to touch soil.

This rules out the cheap treatment options that work for subterranean termites. Trenching the foundation with Termidor SC does nothing, because the colony is already above the foundation and has no reason to descend. Sentricon bait stations work only if termites forage to ground level, which drywoods do not. The control toolkit narrows to four options, all of which have to either reach the colony inside the wood (gas, heat, or foam) or saturate the wood preventively (borate residual).

Tent fumigation with Vikane (sulfuryl fluoride) is the gold standard for whole-home drywood treatment because the gas reaches every void in the structure. The contractor erects a tarp tent over the entire house, seals the perimeter, releases Vikane into the interior at a calibrated dose for the cubic footage, and lets the gas penetrate for 18 to 30 hours. After aeration (4 to 6 hours), the home is recertified safe to enter. The 48 to 72 hour total occupancy disruption is real, and so are the food bagging and pet relocation requirements, but the treatment kills 100 percent of all life stages in the structure. The published Vikane label and the Douglas Products / Vikane technical documentation detail the dose calculations and aeration certifications.

XT-2000 (also marketed under brand names like Boracare-XT or related disodium octaborate products) is the no-tent alternative. The crew injects a borate solution directly into wood members. Borate diffuses through the cellulose and remains in the treated wood for the structural life of the lumber, providing both immediate kill on contact and ongoing residual protection. The cost is comparable to or slightly below a tent, and the disruption is much lower (no overnight vacate). The catch is access. If the crew cannot reach a particular wood member (say, a load-bearing post buried in a stucco wall), that wood is not protected.

Heat works on a different principle. Propane heaters raise the structure or the targeted room to 140 to 150 F ambient, holding wood core temperature above 130 F for at least 35 minutes. Every life stage from egg to alate dies at that temperature. Heat is chemical-free, which appeals to homeowners with chemical sensitivities or with finished surfaces that fumigation might off-gas onto. Whole-home heat costs roughly $4,000 to $10,000 depending on structure size and access. Localized room heat is $800 to $2,500.

Spot foam injection with Termidor Foam, Premise Foam, or BoraCare costs $300 to $800 per spot and is appropriate only when an experienced inspector can verify that the infestation is fully contained within an accessible area. The economic temptation is real (spot is the cheapest option by an order of magnitude), but the risk is also real. A missed gallery, even a single cubic foot of infested wood elsewhere in the structure, continues to feed and reproduce. Operators who quote spot treatment for a whole-home drywood infestation are usually doing so at the customer's request against their own professional judgment, and they almost never warrant the work.

Vikane is the trade name for sulfuryl fluoride, marketed by Douglas Products under EPA Reg No. 432-1551. It is a restricted-use pesticide; only state-licensed and certified fumigators may apply it. The molecule (SO2F2) is colorless, odorless, and heavier than air. It is non-flammable and leaves no residue once aerated. Chloropicrin, a tear-gas warning agent, is added at a small percentage during application so that anyone who entered the fumigated structure during the seal-in period would be physically irritated and forced to leave; the chloropicrin clears during aeration along with the Vikane.

The fumigation day is typically structured as a three-day window. Day one: the homeowner vacates by mid-morning. The crew arrives, tarps the entire structure, seals every penetration with tape and clamps, posts the required warning signs, and locks the building. The fumigator calculates the dose based on the cubic footage and the target species (drywood termites require lower dose than dampwood or beetles). Gas is released, allowed to penetrate for 18 to 30 hours, with monitoring. Day two: the crew returns to aerate. Tarps are removed, the home is ventilated, and atmospheric monitoring with a clearance device (Fumiscope or equivalent) confirms the building is below the EPA-set safe re-entry threshold. Day three: certificate of re-entry is issued, the homeowner returns.

Prep work the homeowner must complete before day one: all food, medicine, tobacco, and animal feed in plastic, paper, or thin-foil packaging must be either removed from the home or double-bagged in Nylofume bags supplied by the fumigator. Glass jars and sealed metal cans do not require bagging. Pets and plants must be removed. Mattresses with waterproof covers must be unsealed. The fumigator provides a written prep checklist and walks through with the homeowner.

The reason tent fumigation costs $1 to $4 per square foot, with so much variation, is twofold. First, the structure (single story versus two story, attached versus detached garage, accessibility for the crane that lifts the tarp) materially changes labor. Second, regional market. California, particularly Southern California where drywood pressure is greatest, has the highest median fumigation pricing in the US, with full-tent jobs landing at $3 to $4 per square foot. Florida runs $1.50 to $3 per square foot. Texas and the Gulf Coast run $1.25 to $2.75. The National Pest Management Association annual cost survey aggregates regional fumigation pricing.