Subterranean Termites in Boulder County: What CSU Says

What do the Colorado sources say about termites?

CSU’s IPM material says subterranean termites are found in Colorado. Its summary says the aridland subterranean termite may be found across much of the state below about 7,500 feet, especially on the eastern plains, and that structural damage is not very common compared with wetter or warmer states.

Those two statements are the foundation of what can be said for Boulder County. They do not describe an infestation rate, they do not name a Boulder street, and they do not claim that every house is at equal risk. They describe the state and the relative level of structural damage, and a responsible guide keeps to that.

The CSU material is not a single page. It is a set of IPM pages, and the summary of them is what this guide relies on. A homeowner who wants the detail should read the CSU pages directly, which are listed in the sources.

What does the species question look like?

The sources disagree about which subterranean species is the most common structural one. One CSU page is titled for the western species, while the summary names the eastern species as most common, so this guide does not name a local species.

A reader may want a single name for the termite in Boulder. The sources do not provide a single name that all of them support, and a guide that picked one would be guessing. The honest position is that subterranean termites are present in Colorado, and the species is identified by the inspector when the insect is found.

The distribution question is the same. No Front Range termite map was found for this site, and the claim that termites are rare in Denver, made by a commercial firm, is not used here. The guide does not state a distribution it cannot source.

What signs should a homeowner know?

The usual signs are mud tubes running up a foundation or a pier, wood that sounds hollow or crumbles, pellets or sawdust-like frass, and swarmers or their wings near a window or light fixture.

Mud tubes are built by subterranean termites to move between soil and wood while staying out of the air. A tube on a foundation wall or a pier is a reason to call for an inspection, and the inspector follows it to the wood it reaches. An old tube that leads nowhere may be inactive, and the report says so.

Hollow wood and frass are harder to read. A joist that sounds hollow when tapped, or a sill that crumbles along its grain, needs a closer look from an inspector who can probe it without damaging sound wood. Swarmers near a window mean a colony is nearby, and their wings on a sill are a clue worth noting.

How does moisture come into it?

CSU’s prevention advice names moisture at the foundation as a condition to manage. Standing water, a downspout that empties at the wall and a planting bed against the foundation all keep the soil damp where insects can move.

Moisture is the condition that makes a damp foundation attractive, and it is also a condition a homeowner can change. Extending a downspout, regrading a low spot and keeping mulch below the siding are each simple, and each reduces the damp soil next to the wood.

A crawl space with standing water is a more serious condition. The report records the water, its likely source and the recommended fix, and the homeowner can use that to decide on the next step.

What should a homeowner do?

Keep wood off soil, remove waste wood, seal cracks and manage water, as CSU advises. Book an inspection if signs appear, and use a licensed applicator if an infestation is found.

The first step is prevention, because it costs little and it reduces the conditions termites need. The second step is an inspection when a sign appears or when the building has a known condition, such as wood on soil. The third step is a licensed applicator for any treatment, as CSU recommends.

A homeowner should not treat an active colony with a product bought from a shop. The sources recommend a certified applicator for infestations, and the Colorado Department of Agriculture licenses anyone who applies pesticides for pay.

What does the eastern and western species question mean for a homeowner?

It means the sources do not give a single answer about which subterranean species is the most common structural one, and a homeowner does not need that answer to decide what to do. The inspector identifies the insect in the building.

For most decisions, the species name matters less than the finding. Whether a termite is a western or an eastern subterranean species, the signs are the same, the prevention steps are the same and the treatment decision follows the inspection. A guide that named one species as the local one would be claiming more than the sources support.

If a homeowner wants the species named, the inspector can collect a specimen during the visit and identify it. The report records the name and the basis for it, and the homeowner can then ask the inspector how the identification was made.

How do older and newer homes compare on termite risk?

The sources do not give an age-based risk for Boulder County. What can be said is that the wood close to the soil and the moisture at the foundation are the conditions CSU names, and both can be found in old and new homes.

An older house has more wood that has been in contact with soil for a long time, and it may have crawl spaces that are hard to reach. A newer house may have less of that wood, though a deck, a fence or a set of steps can still rest on the ground. The inspection checks each house on its own facts.

The guide does not state that older houses are at higher risk, because the sources do not say so. It states that the conditions are the things to check, in any house.

What would a fair termite inspection report look like?

A fair report lists what was checked, what was seen with its location, what could not be reached, and what is recommended. It does not claim an infestation that was not found, and it does not promise that a treatment will end the problem.

The report begins with the scope: the outside walk, the crawl space or basement, the foundation cracks, the wood in contact with soil and the moisture readings where they were taken. A reader can see at once what was looked at, and what was not.

The findings are listed with their locations and photos where possible. A tube on the north pier and a damp sill on the east wall are each a separate finding with a separate recommendation. Where nothing is found, the report says so and states the limits of the check.

The recommendations are in a separate section and are ordered by urgency. A prevention item and a treatment item are not mixed, so the homeowner can decide what to do first.

How do I read a claim from a company about termites?

Read the claim against the sources. A claim that termites are common, rare or certain to cause damage in Boulder should be checked against the CSU material, and a claim that cannot be checked should be asked about directly.

Some companies make broad claims about termites in Colorado to sell a service. The sources in this file do not support a general claim of heavy infestation in Boulder, and they say structural damage is less common than in wetter states. A claim that goes further should be asked for its basis.

A good provider can explain its reasons for a finding and its recommendation, and will not pressure a homeowner into a treatment before the inspection. The Colorado Department of Agriculture is the place to check a licence, and CSU is the place to check the general state pattern.