Termites by State

Termites are a local problem. Find your state to see which termites live there, when they swarm, and which rules apply to inspections and treatment.

Termite pressure map

Map of termite pressure by state. Darker means heavier termite activity. Alabama: Very heavy Alaska: None to slight Arizona: Moderate to heavy Colorado: Slight to moderate Florida: Very heavy Georgia: Very heavy Indiana: Moderate to heavy Kansas: Moderate to heavy Maine: None to slight Massachusetts: Slight to moderate Minnesota: None to slight New Jersey: Slight to moderate North Carolina: Moderate to heavy North Dakota: None to slight Oklahoma: Moderate to heavy Pennsylvania: Slight to moderate South Dakota: None to slight Texas: Very heavy Wyoming: None to slight Connecticut: Slight to moderate Missouri: Moderate to heavy West Virginia: Slight to moderate Illinois: Moderate to heavy New Mexico: Moderate to heavy Arkansas: Moderate to heavy California: Very heavy Delaware: Moderate to heavy Washington, D.C.: Moderate to heavy Hawaii: Very heavy Iowa: Slight to moderate Kentucky: Moderate to heavy Maryland: Moderate to heavy Michigan: Slight to moderate Mississippi: Very heavy Montana: None to slight New Hampshire: None to slight New York: Slight to moderate Ohio: Slight to moderate Oregon: Slight to moderate Tennessee: Moderate to heavy Utah: Slight to moderate Virginia: Moderate to heavy Washington: Slight to moderate Wisconsin: None to slight Nebraska: Slight to moderate South Carolina: Very heavy Idaho: Slight to moderate Nevada: Moderate to heavy Vermont: None to slight Louisiana: Very heavy Rhode Island: Slight to moderate

Shading follows the U.S. Forest Service termite infestation probability map that HUD and the building codes use. Click a state to open its guide.

Slight to moderate

Moderate to heavy

Very heavy

How to read the map

The shading follows the termite infestation probability map drawn by the U.S. Forest Service, which HUD uses for mortgage rules and the building codes use for construction requirements. It sorts the country into four levels, from "very heavy" along the Gulf Coast, Southern California and Hawaii to "none to slight" in the far north.

A state's color is its overall level. Conditions vary inside every state, so the state and city guides go into the details: which types of termites are there, when they swarm, which agency licenses pest control, and which inspection report is used when a house is sold.

States in the coldest band don't have a guide, on purpose. There's very little to say about termites in North Dakota, and we'd rather say nothing than fill a page.

Questions people ask

Which states have the most termites?

The heaviest termite pressure is along the Gulf Coast and the Southeast (Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina), in Texas, in Southern California, and in Hawaii. Much of the mid-South and Southwest is moderate to heavy.

Are there states with no termites?

Alaska has essentially none, and termite activity is slight across the northern tier, from Maine and Vermont to the Dakotas and Montana. Even there, a heated building can occasionally host them.