Termites in Michigan?

Question

Hi all,

I was curious if anyone has experienced termite trouble in Michigan. There is a pest control company that is recommending protection against them, but I wanted to know how much of a problem they truly are. Generally speaking, it seems to be more problematic for warmer/more southern states from what I have heard. Any input is welcomed!

Scott Mac · Answer

Actual security cam footage of termites (it appears to be somewhere in Northern Michigan): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAcNZo7-f0g

Erin Anderegg · Answer

Thank you all for the insight, very helpful! I won't worry about preemptive protection and just inspect for damage on a regular basis.

Tracy Butcher · Answer

As mentioned before, yes we do have termites here in Michigan, it is not something we typically have to worry about with most houses though.

I wouldn't think a "pretreatment" for them would be necessary, though having a property you're not occupying inspected for and treated for pests semi-regularly isn't a bad idea, I would be more concerned with carpenter ants, bees/wasps, roaches, and bedbugs in a property in Michigan than termites.

Bruce Woodruff · Answer

Although termites can do serious damage, just also know that the typical fix of throwing a tent over the house and gassing them is just a short term fix. They will come right back and re-infest quickly. Keep your eyes open, but don't freak out too much either....

Drew Sygit · Answer

@Erin Anderegg as @Greg Scott stated, not a big problem in Michigan due to winter frost killing most. FHA used to require a pest inspection on their loans in Michigan, but stopped decades ago.

With warming climate, they may become a bigger problem in the future.

Would ask the pest company for proof of an infestation before going with their "sales pitch".

Greg Scott · Answer

Yes there are termites in Michigan but not as prevalent / destructive as you get in the South.

In our apartments we had a pest control company come regularly looking for bugs and once in a long while they would spot termite activity so we would go through a treatment.  We only treated after evidence of termites.

I'm not sure what is meant by "protection against them", if they are selling you some proactive program, it may be overkill.

Dylan Thrift · Answer

I can get see about getting the source if needed, but I was informed by a pest control company themselves that termites do not live in Michigan and that you are most likely encountering carpenter ants or flying ants.

Termites in Michigan?

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