Termites near you

Guelph reports that the eastern subterranean termite arrived in Ontario accidentally from the United States and has reached more than 30 municipalities, and Toronto says the insect has been in the city since 1938 and is now established in homes across it. Outside those communities termite damage is uncommon, which is why local knowledge matters as much as the insect itself.

Unlike insects that nest inside the house, this termite keeps its nest underground and travels up to its food. The City of Toronto explains that termites build tubes from the ground to the wood they are eating, and that they feed on dead wood rather than healthy trees. In a house, that food is sill plates, joists, basement stairs, door frames and anything else made of wood or paper that workers can reach from the soil.

Termite activity is easy to miss because the insects avoid light and open air. Check basements, crawl spaces and garages, and walk the outside of the foundation, paying most attention to places where wood is close to the soil.

Both insects damage wood in Canadian houses, but the treatment is different, so identification has to come before any quote. A licensed exterminator can confirm the species, and a few clues help you describe what you are seeing.

Subterranean termites depend on moisture and a connection to the soil, so the houses they reach are usually the ones that offer both. Toronto's forestry guidance names breaking the contact between wood and soil as a key step, and the same logic applies to a house: termites that must build tubes across bare concrete are much easier to spot. These are the conditions an inspector looks for.

Termite control is not a do-it-yourself job. In Ontario, applying pesticides for hire on property you don't own requires an exterminator licence, and the province's licensing guide includes a termite class of structural exterminator licence for preventing or controlling termites. Quebec also requires a provincial certificate for commercial pesticide use. Ask which licence the technician holds before work starts.

Because one colony can forage under several lots, some municipalities treat termites as a neighbourhood problem. Guelph continues to enforce the Ontario Building Code and its Termite Control Bylaw on a property-by-property basis where needed, and it is working with property owners in the Regent Street and Grove Street area to manage termite activity. It also asks residents to manage wood in their yards and to bring infested wood to its Waste Resource Innovation Centre for disposal.

Toronto's guidance for termite-affected trees recommends removing trees that are structurally unsound, pruning out the dead wood termites feed on, breaking wood-soil contact and consulting professionals about chemical treatment. Other towns with a termite history set their own rules, so check your municipality's website or call its building department before planning treatment or a renovation.

Guelph recommends that sellers in affected areas tell prospective buyers about any known termite activity and consider an inspection by a licensed termite inspection company. As a buyer, make your offer conditional on a termite inspection, ask the seller for treatment invoices and any guarantee, and find out whether the street is in an area the municipality has monitored or treated.