Termites in Arizona mostly live underground. They get into your house through thin tubes of dried mud, usually where the foundation meets the dirt. The University of Arizona Cooperative Extension calls termites Arizona's number one urban pest. This guide covers the kinds you're likely to meet around Casa Grande, what they look like, when they fly, and what to check first.
Are termites common in Arizona?
Yes. The University of Arizona's guide for homeowners, Termite Management for Homeowners (AZ1356), ranks them as the state's number one urban pest. At least 17 kinds of termites live in Arizona. Only a few of them damage homes.
The ones that matter most live in the soil. They're called subterranean termites, which just means they live underground. A 2024 University of Arizona newsletter calls them by far the most common and most destructive termites in the arid Southwest.
Finding termites is not an emergency. The same homeowner guide says termites often take years to do real damage to a house. You have time to look closely, get an inspection and compare quotes.
Types of termites in Arizona
Four kinds come up most often around Casa Grande. Three can damage a house. The fourth mostly eats dead plants in the yard.
Drywood termites do show up in Arizona, and they can be costly where they settle in. But the University of Arizona's guide to Arizona termites of economic importance says they aren't a widespread problem across the state the way the underground kinds are.
- Desert subterranean termite: the most common and most destructive kind in Arizona. It lives in the soil and builds mud tubes. Winged adults are pale yellowish brown.
- Arid-land subterranean termite: another underground kind. It lives in open desert eating creosote and other shrubs. When houses replace that desert, it can move on to the houses.
- Drywood termites: live inside dry wood and never touch the soil. They make no mud tubes. The sign is small piles of hard, dry pellets, often under door and window sills.
- Desert termites: they coat dead grass, twigs, fence boards and palm trunks with a thin crust of mud. The University of Arizona says they generally aren't pests and don't need treatment unless they turn up inside the house.
What do termites look like in Arizona?
Most people never see the termites themselves. The workers stay inside mud tubes and wood. They're soft and pale, which is why people sometimes call them white ants.
The ones you're more likely to see are the winged adults, called swarmers. A swarmer has four wings of the same length that fold flat over its back. Its body is straight, with no pinched waist like an ant's.
Color depends on the kind. Desert subterranean swarmers are pale yellowish brown. Arid-land swarmers are dark brown to black with nearly clear wings. Both are about half an inch long with their wings on.
Not sure if you're looking at a termite or a flying ant? The flying ants vs termites guide walks through the three things to check.
Termite season in Arizona
Each kind of termite flies at its own time of year here. The desert subterranean termite, the most common kind here, flies after monsoon rains from July to September.
The arid-land kind flies from January to March in low desert areas like Casa Grande, which sits at about 1,400 feet. Drywood termites fly on sunny summer days. The flying termites guide lists each window.
Swarms are just when termites are easiest to notice. Underground, they're working all year.
Why Casa Grande homes get termites
If your home sits on a concrete slab with stucco walls, as many Arizona homes do, termites don't have to chew through anything. They squeeze through cracks in the slab, the gaps where pipes come up through the concrete, and the joint where the slab meets the foundation wall.
Water helps them. Termites need damp soil. Drip lines, sprinklers and plants right against the house keep the dirt wet in the one spot you want dry. The University of Arizona suggests keeping shrubs, trees and main irrigation lines at least 18 inches from the foundation wall, with water draining away from the house.
Stucco that runs down into the dirt hides the foundation. Termites can build tubes behind it where nobody sees them. The same guide recommends about 4 inches of bare foundation between the soil and the bottom of the stucco.
The soil treatment put down when a house is built wears off. The University of Arizona notes that liquid termite treatments break down in Arizona's hot, dry weather. A home more than about five years old may have lost its original treatment. Digging next to the foundation for a patio or new plants can break up treated soil too.
What to do if you think you have termites
Take photos and leave it alone. Get one close shot and one from farther back that shows where it is on the house. Don't spray it or knock it down yet.
Have a licensed inspector look. Send your photos when you request an inspection so they know where to start.
Get what they found in writing, including any spots they couldn't check.
Then compare termite treatment quotes. Look at what each one includes and what happens if termites come back. The University of Arizona also suggests getting estimates from more than one company.