Types of Termite Treatments in Los Angeles & How to Choose

You have just gotten a termite inspection report, or maybe you spotted signs of termites on your own. Now you are looking at a list of treatment options and trying to figure out what any of it means.

Fumigation, orange oil, bait stations, heat treatment, soil barriers, it sounds like a lot. But the decision is more straightforward than it appears once you understand two things: which termite species is in your home, and how widespread the infestation is.

Those two factors determine everything. This guide walks through every treatment type used in Los Angeles, explains how each one works, and helps you match the right treatment to your actual situation. If you have not had an inspection yet, start with our termite inspection guide. The treatment decision should always follow the inspection report, not precede it.

Why Species Matters Before Anything Else

Los Angeles has two main termite species, and they live in completely different places. That is why a treatment that works on one does nothing to the other.

Drywood termites live entirely inside the wood of your home. They do not need soil contact. They eat through rafters, door frames, wall studs, and window sills from the inside, often with no visible surface damage until the infestation is well established. Treating drywood termites means targeting the structure itself.

Subterranean termites build their colonies in the soil beneath your home and travel up into the structure through mud tubes along your foundation. According to the UC IPM Statewide Program, subterranean termites cause more structural damage per year in California than any other wood-destroying pest. Treating subterranean termites means targeting the soil barrier around your foundation, not the structure above it.

Here is the quick version of what that means for treatment:

Keep this table in mind as you read through each option below.

Drywood Termite Treatments

Drywood termite treatment falls into two categories: local treatments (targeting specific confirmed areas) and whole-structure treatments (treating the entire home). The right category depends on how widespread the infestation is and whether the affected wood is accessible.

1. Fumigation (Tenting)

Fumigation is the most thorough drywood termite treatment available. A licensed technician covers your entire home with a gas-tight tarp, then injects Vikane (sulfuryl fluoride) gas into the sealed structure. The gas fills every cubic inch: wall voids, attic framing, crawl space, finished walls, inaccessible rafter bays. Every termite inside the structure at the time of treatment is eliminated.

Eradication rate: 100% for termites inside the structure at treatment time.

Who needs it: Homeowners with widespread infestations, multiple infestation sites across the home, or termites inside finished walls or attic framing where no drill can reach them. Also the standard choice when a prior local treatment failed.

What to expect: All residents, pets, and plants must leave for 24 to 72 hours. Food, medications, and items specified on the prep list must be removed or double-bagged before treatment begins. The gas dissipates completely after treatment and leaves no residue.

Important: Fumigation provides no residual protection after the gas clears. New termites can enter your home during the next swarm season. Annual inspections are the most practical defense after fumigation.

California’s Structural Pest Control Board requires a licensed Branch 2 operator to perform any fumigation. Before signing with any company, verify their license at pestboard.ca.gov.

2. Whole-House Heat Treatment

Whole-house heat treatment achieves the same result as fumigation without chemical gas. The technician tents the structure and raises the interior temperature to 130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, holding it there long enough for the core wood temperature to reach lethal levels throughout. Every termite inside the structure is eliminated.

Eradication rate: 100%, equivalent to fumigation.

Who needs it: Homeowners with widespread infestations who prefer to avoid chemical gas. Also a good option for households with certain chemical sensitivities.

What to expect: Most whole-house heat treatments are completed in a single day. Residents typically need to leave for 6 to 12 hours, not overnight. Some heat-sensitive items (certain electronics, vinyl records, candles, some medications) need to be removed beforehand.

One critical point for Los Angeles homeowners: California’s Structural Pest Control Board recognizes only fumigation and whole-house heat treatment as true whole-structure eradication methods for drywood termites. Any company marketing orange oil or other local treatment methods as “whole-structure” solutions is making a claim that California’s pest control law does not support. If you need full eradication with a legal guarantee, these two methods are your options.terior temperature to 130 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, holding it there long enough for the core wood temperature to reach lethal levels throughout. Every termite inside the structure is eliminated.

3. Spot / Local Treatment

Local treatment targets a specific, confirmed, accessible colony. The technician drills small holes into the infested wood members and injects termiticide directly into the termite galleries. The product travels through the gallery system to reach the colony. Common products include Termidor foam, Altriset, and borate-based treatments like Bora-Care.

Eradication rate: Approximately 80% when the infestation is correctly identified and accessible.

Who needs it: Homeowners with a small, confirmed, accessible colony. One window sill. One rafter section. One door frame. Local treatment is the right choice when the inspector can confirm the full extent of the infestation and all of it is reachable.

What to expect: No need to leave your home. The treatment is targeted to the affected wood member only. Residents are not exposed to product outside the treated area.

The honest limitation: Local treatment is only as effective as the infestation is accessible. If the colony has spread into finished walls or attic framing that cannot be drilled, the injection does not reach it. This is why accurate pre-treatment inspection matters so much.

4. Orange Oil (d-Limonene) Treatment

Orange oil treatment uses d-limonene, a naturally occurring extract from orange rinds. When injected into drywood termite galleries, it dissolves the protective waxy coating on the termite exoskeleton. Without that coating, the termite rapidly dehydrates and dies.

Eradication rate: Approximately 80% for termites in the injected area, the same as spot treatment.

Who needs it: Homeowners with a small, confirmed, accessible drywood colony who prefer a non-synthetic option. Orange oil is genuinely effective in the right scenario.

What to expect: No evacuation required. No bagging of food or medications. Treatment is localized to the drilled area.

What it is not: Orange oil is not a whole-structure treatment. It does not penetrate wall voids, attic framing, or areas that cannot be drilled. Any marketing that positions orange oil as equivalent to fumigation is not accurate. If a company is recommending orange oil for a widespread infestation, that warrants a second opinion.

5. Radar and Camera-Guided Treatment

Standard local treatment has one practical problem: the technician has to locate the colony before treating it. Traditionally, that means drilling speculatively into walls based on surface signs, which damages your walls and may miss the actual colony.

My Termite Company uses radar and camera-guided inspection technology to confirm colony location and extent inside walls and ceilings without drilling. Once the infestation is precisely mapped, local treatment targets exactly where termites are confirmed.

Why this matters for treatment outcomes: The main reason local treatment fails is missed sub-colonies. When the inspection confirms the full scope first, treatment is applied to the actual infestation rather than a guess. This raises the effectiveness of local treatment significantly.

What to expect: No speculative drilling. No wall patching after the inspection. Treatment is applied only where termites are confirmed present..

Subterranean Termite Treatments

Fumigation and heat do nothing for subterranean termites. Their colony is in the soil, not in the wood. Treating subterranean termites means treating the ground, not the structure.

6. Chemical Soil Barrier (Termidor Trenching)

Termidor is the industry benchmark for subterranean termite treatment. A trench is dug around your foundation perimeter and the soil is drenched with Termidor (active ingredient: Fipronil). Termidor is non-repellent, meaning termites cannot detect it. Worker termites pass through the treated soil, pick up the product, and carry it back to the colony through normal grooming and feeding behavior. The colony is eliminated over weeks.

Eradication rate: Very high. Termidor’s “transfer effect” means termites that were not directly exposed still receive a lethal dose through colony contact.

Who needs it: Any homeowner whose inspection report shows subterranean termite activity, evidenced by mud tubes at the foundation or subterranean termite damage in the subfloor or lower framing.

What to expect: Minimal disruption. Exterior trenching only, no need to leave home. Termidor remains active in the soil for 10 or more years when properly applied.

Slab foundation note: Homes without a crawl space (common in North Hollywood, Canoga Park, and Sherman Oaks) require rod injection through the concrete slab at intervals rather than open perimeter trenching. It is the same product, different application method, and typically costs more per linear foot. See our termite treatment cost guide for current pricing.

The California Department of Pesticide Regulation oversees all termiticide products used by licensed California operators, including Termidor application standards.

7. Termite Bait Stations (Sentricon)

Bait stations work with termite behavior rather than against it. Stations are installed around the perimeter at intervals in the soil. Worker termites forage, find the bait, feed on it, and carry it back to the colony. The active ingredient is an insect growth regulator that disrupts the molting process. The colony weakens and declines over 30 to 90 days.

Eradication rate: High, with ongoing prevention built in.

Who needs it: Homeowners with active subterranean infestations, homeowners who want long-term prevention after chemical treatment, and properties with recurring subterranean pressure.

What to expect: No disruption to daily life. Stations sit flush with the soil. Annual monitoring is required to refresh bait and confirm continued protection. Fair market rate for annual monitoring in Los Angeles is $250 to $350 per year.

8. Foam and Dust Injection for Subterranean Access Points

When subterranean termites have accessed the structure above soil level through wall voids, pipe chases, or interior framing, foam or dust termiticide fills the gap that soil trenching cannot directly reach. Foam expands to coat all available surfaces. Dust adheres to termites and transfers through grooming contact.

Who needs it: Used alongside soil barrier treatment when subterranean termites have established access points inside the structure, not as a standalone primary treatment.

What to expect: Minimal disruption. Targeted to specific locations. This is a supplemental method that closes the gaps in a combined treatment plan.

What If You Have Both Drywood and Subterranean Termites?

This situation is more common in Los Angeles than most homeowners realize. Pre-1950 wood-frame construction, which is widespread in Pasadena, South Pasadena, Highland Park, Eagle Rock, and Alhambra, is particularly prone to dual infestations. The older wood is attractive to drywood termites, and aging foundations with moisture issues create the conditions subterranean termites need.

Your WDO report will document both if both are present. The treatment approach for a dual infestation is a combined plan, not a choice between the two.

When whole-structure drywood treatment is needed alongside subterranean treatment, the typical sequence is fumigation first, then Termidor soil application after the gas has cleared and residents have returned. Fumigation does not affect the soil, and the soil treatment does not address the wood. Both are necessary.

When drywood termites are localized and a spot treatment is appropriate, local drywood treatment and the soil barrier can often be completed simultaneously or in close sequence, depending on site conditions. Your inspector will outline the plan based on what the report shows.

If your WDO report shows findings for both species, do not let any company talk you into treating one and waiting on the other. Both require treatment. Delaying one while managing the other allows continued structural damage on the untreated side.

When Is Local Treatment Enough, and When Do You Need Whole-Structure?

This is the question most homeowners wrestle with after reading their inspection report. Here is a straightforward framework.

Local treatment is appropriate when:

• The inspection confirms a small, contained colony
• Every infested wood member is fully accessible for drilling and injection
• Radar and camera inspection has mapped the complete extent of the infestation, and it is limited to accessible areas
• The infestation has not spread to finished walls, ceiling voids, or attic framing

Whole structure treatment is necessary when:

• The infestation has spread to multiple areas, multiple rooms, or the attic
• Infested wood is inside finished walls or ceiling voids where no drill can reach
• A prior local treatment failed or the infestation returned shortly after treatment
• The WDO report shows widespread Section 1 findings across different areas of the structure
• A lender or escrow requires guaranteed full clearance for a real estate transaction

The honest answer from California’s own pest control regulation: only fumigation and whole-house heat treatment fully guarantee whole-structure eradication. Local treatments are legitimate for the right situation. They are not a substitute for whole-structure treatment when whole-structure is what the infestation requires.

If a company is recommending spot treatment or orange oil for an infestation that has spread through multiple wall voids and the attic, get a second inspection before agreeing to anything.

FAQ’s About Termite Treatment Types