Subterranean termite treatment typically involves either a liquid chemical barrier applied to the soil around your home or a baiting system installed at ground level, and most homeowners spend between $500 and $2,500 depending on which method they choose. Both approaches work, but they operate on very different timelines and principles. The right choice depends on whether you’re dealing with an active infestation, trying to prevent one, or both.
Signs You Have an Active Infestation
Before spending money on treatment, you need to confirm termites are actually present. Subterranean termites build mud shelter tubes, pencil-width tunnels made of soil and moisture, that run up foundation walls, support piers, or plumbing under the house. If you find one, break off about an inch of the tube and check back over the next few days. If you see live termites inside or the tube gets repaired, the infestation is active.
Other telltale signs are easier to miss. Small BB-sized dots of dried mud on interior walls or ceilings are “pinholes,” spots where termites accidentally broke through the surface and sealed it back up. Narrow sunken lines or trails beneath paint or wallpaper can mean termites are feeding on the cardboard backing of drywall. Mud tubes that appear high on walls, on soffits, or on fascia boards often point to a Formosan termite infestation, which is more aggressive and harder to control. If you have spray foam insulation, check it carefully: termites won’t eat the foam, but they’ll tunnel straight through it to reach wood behind it.
Liquid Soil Barriers
The most common professional treatment is a liquid termiticide applied to the soil around and beneath your home’s foundation. A pest control company trenches along the perimeter, drills through concrete slabs where needed, and pumps termiticide into the soil to create a continuous chemical zone that termites can’t cross without exposure.
Modern liquid termiticides fall into two categories. Repellent products create a wall termites avoid. Non-repellent products are undetectable to termites, so workers pass through the treated soil, pick up the chemical, and carry it back to the colony. Non-repellent formulas are generally considered more effective because they exploit how termites share food and groom each other, spreading the toxin throughout the colony rather than just blocking entry at one point.
The active ingredients in non-repellent products bind much more strongly to insect nerve receptors than to mammalian ones, which gives them a wide safety margin for people and pets. Once applied, the chemical stays in the upper six inches of soil and doesn’t move laterally or leach into groundwater in any significant way. In aerobic soil, the half-life is roughly four months, but the treatment zone remains effective much longer because the product binds tightly to soil particles. A well-applied liquid barrier typically provides protection for 8 to 12 years or longer before reapplication is needed.
Whole-home liquid treatment costs $500 to $2,000, or roughly $3 to $20 per linear foot of foundation, depending on soil conditions, foundation type, and severity of the infestation.
Baiting Systems
Bait stations take a different approach. Instead of blocking termites, they let termites find and feed on cellulose laced with a slow-acting growth disruptor. The chemical interferes with molting, the process termites go through to shed and regrow their exoskeleton. Workers carry the bait back and share it with nestmates. Within weeks of ingesting it, affected termites die when they attempt to molt, and over time the entire colony collapses.
The tradeoff is speed. Colony elimination through baiting can take several months or longer, and some feeding and wood damage may continue while the bait takes effect. Stations are installed in the soil every 10 to 15 feet around the perimeter of your home, and a technician checks them on a regular schedule to replenish bait and monitor activity.
Installation runs $1,000 to $2,500 for a whole home ($7 to $12 per linear foot), with an ongoing annual monitoring fee of $200 to $400. That recurring cost is a key difference from liquid treatments: baiting is a subscription, while a liquid barrier is a one-time application that lasts years.
Borate Wood Treatments
Borate-based products work differently from both soil barriers and bait stations. Instead of treating the ground, they’re applied directly to wood. Borates soak into lumber and turn the wood itself into something toxic to termites. When termites feed on borate-treated wood, the mineral disrupts their ability to process food, and they slowly starve. Because the effect is delayed, termites often carry borate-laden material back to the colony before dying, which amplifies the impact.
In practice, termites that encounter treated wood don’t tunnel far before recognizing something is wrong and moving on. This makes borates most useful as a preventive measure during construction, when floor joists, sill plates, studs, and floor beams are still accessible. Applying borates to an existing home is harder because the vulnerable wood is usually hidden behind walls and finishes. If you’re building new or doing a major renovation that exposes framing, borate treatment adds a layer of protection that lasts as long as the wood stays dry (borates can leach out if wood gets consistently wet).
Combining Treatment Methods
Many pest control professionals recommend using more than one approach, especially for confirmed infestations. A liquid soil barrier stops new termites from entering while a baiting system works to eliminate the colony over time. Borate-treated wood adds a third line of defense if accessible framing can be reached. For mild infestations caught early, a single method is often sufficient. For heavy infestations or homes in high-risk areas (warm climates, high water tables, heavy clay soils), layering treatments reduces the chance of reinfestation.
The choice also depends on your property. Liquid barriers work best when the full perimeter is accessible for trenching. Homes with wells nearby, extensive landscaping tight against the foundation, or complicated slab construction may be better candidates for baiting systems, which require less disruption to the soil.
Prevention After Treatment
Treatment solves the immediate problem, but subterranean termites live in the soil and will probe your home again if conditions invite them. The single most important preventive step is controlling moisture around your foundation. Make sure the ground slopes away from your house, not toward it. Direct air conditioning drainage lines and irrigation heads away from walls. Fix leaks promptly. Install gutters to manage roof runoff. Don’t store rain barrels, compost bins, or anything that holds moisture at ground level within two feet of your foundation.
Wood-to-ground contact is the other major risk factor. Eliminate it wherever possible. Remove wooden debris, old lumber, and branches from your property. Stack firewood well away from the house. Avoid using wooden landscape timbers for garden edging. Keep at least six inches of clearance between the bottom of your siding and the soil or mulch line so you can spot mud tubes before they reach wood.
Landscaping matters too. Place plants at least two feet from exterior walls, and trim tree and shrub branches away from walls and rooflines. Keep soffits in good repair and screen attic vents to prevent termite swarmers from entering. Move stored items out of garages and crawl spaces periodically to check for new mud tubes.
An annual inspection by a licensed pest control professional is the standard recommendation for homes that have been treated or are in termite-prone regions. These renewal inspections catch early activity before it becomes a full reinfestation, and they’re especially important if you’re relying on a baiting system that needs regular monitoring to stay effective.