Termite swarm season in Central NC runs from late April through mid-June, peaking right around the first warm rainy day in May. A WDO (wood-destroying organism) inspection in the Triad or Triangle costs $75 to $150 as an add-on to a regular home inspection, or $125 to $200 standalone. Annual termite treatment runs $300 to $500. Repairing active damage runs $3,000 to $15,000 and up. If you see a swarm of winged insects in your home this June, get an inspection within the week.
Central North Carolina sits in what the USDA classifies as a "Heavy" termite infestation zone, the highest rating on the federal map. The combination of subterranean termite species, our humid subtropical climate, clay soil that holds moisture, and the heavy tree cover across Guilford, Wake, Durham, and Forsyth counties means that termite season Central NC homeowners experience is more aggressive and longer than almost anywhere else in the state.
We do hundreds of WDO inspections every year across the Triad and Triangle, and the pattern is brutal. Roughly 1 in 4 homes we inspect over 20 years old shows past or present termite activity. Roughly 1 in 10 has active damage the homeowner had no idea about.
If you own a home in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Burlington, Concord, or Asheboro, this is your guide to getting through the 2026 swarm season without becoming one of those statistics.
In the Triad and Triangle, eastern subterranean termites swarm on the first warm, humid afternoon after a spring rain. That's usually the second or third week of April in Wake and Durham counties, and a week or two later in the higher elevations of Guilford and Forsyth.
By June 1st, the bulk of the swarm activity is winding down, but secondary swarms continue throughout the warm months. We respond to "I just saw winged things in my living room" calls from May through August every single year.
A swarm inside your home is the single clearest sign of an active infestation. Termites that swarm outside your home are looking for a new colony location. Termites that swarm inside the wall cavity already have one.
This catches a lot of Central NC homeowners. The two look similar at first glance, but the differences matter:
Termite swarmers
Flying ants
If you find a pile of identical, equal-length wings on a windowsill, in a basement, or near a sliding door, that's a termite swarm. Bag a sample, take photos, and call us. Don't spray, don't vacuum the area, and don't disturb anything. We need to see what you saw.
After thousands of inspections across the Triad and Triangle, here's what we look for:
1. Mud tubes on the foundation. Pencil-thick tubes of dirt running up the exterior brick or block from soil level. Subterranean termites build these to travel from the ground into your home. We see them on at least one inspection a week in Greensboro and High Point.
2. Hollow-sounding wood. Tap baseboards, door frames, deck framing, and crawlspace floor joists with the back of a screwdriver. Termite-damaged wood sounds papery and hollow.
3. Frass (termite droppings). Tiny pellets that look like coffee grounds or sawdust, often near windowsills, baseboards, or in the attic. More commonly a sign of drywood termites, which are less common in Central NC but not unheard of.
4. Sticking doors and warped trim. Termite damage causes wood to swell as moisture builds up. If a door starts sticking that wasn't sticking last year, it's worth checking.
5. Bubbling or peeling paint. Looks like water damage but is sometimes termite damage with moisture trapped behind. We use a moisture meter to tell the difference on every inspection.
6. Swarmers or shed wings indoors. The big one. If you see this, call the same day.
Termites need three things: wood, moisture, and access from soil. The Central NC home gives them all three in spades. The hot spots:
Crawlspace floor joists and sill plates. The single most common location. We crawl under thousands of homes a year in Wake, Guilford, Forsyth, and Durham counties. Subterranean termites build mud tubes up the foundation piers, into the sill plate, and out through the floor joists. By the time you can see damage from above, the joists are usually already soft.
Door frames and exterior trim. Anywhere wood touches soil or stays consistently wet. Wood-to-soil contact at door frames, deck posts, or porch columns is an open invitation.
Bathroom and laundry walls. A slow leak behind a wall keeps the framing damp enough for termites to thrive.
Garage door frames. Especially attached garages with concrete slabs that crack over time.
Mulch piled against siding. Mulch is a termite buffet that doubles as a hidden tunnel up to your wall framing. Keep it 6 to 12 inches off the siding.
Firewood stacked against the house. A second termite buffet. Keep it 20 feet away and elevated.
Termite treatment cost in North Carolina varies by company, square footage, and method. Here's the realistic 2026 pricing across the Triad and Triangle:
Annual termite treatment contract
Initial liquid termiticide treatment (Termidor or similar)
Bait station system (Sentricon or similar)
Spot treatment for active infestation
Damage repair
We're not a pest control company, so we have no incentive to oversell. If we find termites or damage during an inspection, we tell you what we see and recommend you get two or three quotes from licensed pest control companies in your area.
A WDO (wood-destroying organism) inspection is a separate, focused inspection that covers termites, carpenter ants, powderpost beetles, carpenter bees, and wood-decaying fungi. It's required for most VA loans in North Carolina and recommended any time you're buying a home over 10 years old in our region.
We include a full WDO check on every standard home inspection at no extra charge. If a lender requires the official NPMA-33 form, we provide it for $75 to $125 as an add-on. Standalone WDO inspections (no other inspection) run $125 to $200.
If you own a home in the Triad or Triangle, here's what genuinely cuts your termite risk:
When is termite season in Central NC? Primary swarm season runs late April through mid-June across the Triad and Triangle. Termites stay active year-round in our climate, so damage can happen any month, but the visible swarm is concentrated in spring.
How much does a termite inspection cost in Greensboro NC? A standalone WDO inspection in Greensboro and the rest of the Triad runs $125 to $200. Add-on to a full home inspection runs $75 to $150.
What does termite treatment cost in the Triad? Initial liquid treatment runs $1,200 to $2,500. Annual contracts run $300 to $500 per year. Bait station systems run $1,500 to $3,000 to install plus $300 to $500 per year to monitor.
How long do termites take to cause damage? A mature colony of 60,000 to 250,000 termites can consume about 1 pound of wood per month. In our climate, you can have a colony established within 18 months of construction and visible damage within 3 to 5 years. Damage we see in 30-year-old Greensboro homes is often from a colony that's been in residence for a decade.
Will my homeowners insurance cover termite damage? Almost never. Termite damage is considered a maintenance issue, not a sudden loss. This is why annual inspections matter.
Are termites worse in older homes? Yes. Older homes in Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Durham, and the Triangle often have wood-to-soil contact, less effective vapor barriers, and decades of cumulative moisture exposure. But new construction isn't immune. We find termites in 5-year-old homes in Cary and Apex regularly.
Do you treat termites? No. We're a home inspection company, not a pest control company. We identify the problem, document it, and recommend you get quotes from licensed local pest control companies. That separation is on purpose. We have no financial reason to overstate or understate what we find.
If you've seen a swarm, found mud tubes on your foundation, or you just want a clean WDO report before the summer's over, we're here. The Inspection Co serves Greensboro, Winston-Salem, High Point, Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, Burlington, Concord, Asheboro, and 22 counties across Central North Carolina. Call (336) 989-8185 or schedule online. We can usually get out within a few days, and the report lands in your inbox within 24 hours of the inspection.
We find them before you sign — on your side, not the deal's.