What do termites look like, and which kinds get into houses?
People usually speak of two kinds. Subterranean termites nest in soil and build mud tubes to reach the house; drywood termites live inside a piece of timber and need no contact with the ground. According to the University of Kentucky, a subterranean colony can hold thousands of individuals, mostly wood-eating workers with a few soldiers. The queen stays deep in the nest, so you are very unlikely to see her.
| Caste | How to recognise it |
|---|---|
| Worker | Small and soft-bodied, ivory to off-white, wingless; often taken for a white ant. This is the caste that eats wood and paper. |
| Soldier | Like a worker, with a large yellow-brown head and big jaws. |
| Winged termite | Dark brown to black, with two pairs of wings of almost equal length that drop off easily. It flies in swarms on evenings after rain. |
What are the signs of termites, and where should I look?
Termites eat timber from the inside and avoid light, so most damage shows only after months. They do not eat brick or concrete, but they pass through cracks, mortar joints and electrical conduits to reach wood, paper and plasterboard, so masonry houses and high-rise apartments in Ho Chi Minh City can have them too. Check with a torch once a year, and again after the first heavy rains. The University of Kentucky notes that termites can stay active for years behind walls and floors unnoticed, so not finding a nest proves nothing.
- Brown mud tubes along the base of walls, on door frames, in service shafts or behind cabinets.
- Timber that sounds hollow when tapped; paint that looks intact but gives under light pressure.
- Shed wings in piles on window sills or around lamps after rain.
- Small loose pellets of even size under wooden furniture: drywood termite droppings, which the University of California (UC IPM) and Texas A&M University describe as dry and about a millimetre long.
- Soil in wall cracks or power sockets; books and cardboard eaten from the inside, with soil mixed in.
| Room | Where to look |
|---|---|
| Living room and bedrooms | Skirting boards, door frames, built-in wardrobes with every door open, furniture standing against the wall, timber flooring. |
| Kitchen and bathrooms | Lower cabinets under the sink, behind the fridge, vanity units, pipe shafts, door frames whose base meets a wet floor. |
| Storeroom, attic and garden | Stored cardboard and old paper, roof timbers and any spot that has leaked, planters against the wall, timber fences and decking. |
| Apartment | Service shafts, built-in wardrobes, balcony door frames. Tell building management: the source may be in a common area. |
Flying termites came into the house: is it infested?
Winged termites are adults leaving a mature colony to start new ones. They do not bite, sting or eat wood. They fly on warm, humid evenings after rain and are drawn to light; in southern Vietnam the rainy season usually begins around May, so many households in Ho Chi Minh City see the heaviest flights as the season turns.
Where they came from matters more than how many there were. The University of Kentucky notes that swarmers indoors do no immediate harm, usually live about a day and can be vacuumed up, but that swarmers emerging inside a house almost always mean an infestation that needs treatment. A few that fly in towards a lamp on one rainy night usually come from a nest outside.
Switch off the lights in that room, close the windows, vacuum up the insects and wings, keep a few in a sealed bag and note where they first appeared; no spray is needed. Arrange a survey if they came out of a crack, a door frame, skirting or a timber floor, or if wings collect in the same spot on several evenings. Three checks from the University of Kentucky separate them from flying ants.
| Feature | Winged termite or flying ant |
|---|---|
| Antennae | Termite: straight, like a string of beads. Ant: bent like an elbow. |
| Waist | Termite: even width with no narrowing. Ant: clearly pinched. |
| Wings | Termite: two pairs of nearly equal length, easily shed. Ant: front wings longer than the hind wings. |
What should I do, and not do, when I find signs of termites?
- Leave the mud tubes intact and do not spray them: a disturbed colony can move elsewhere and becomes harder to trace.
- Photograph each location and keep a sample in a sealed bag.
- Do not sign a contract out of alarm. The University of Kentucky notes that termites damage wood fairly slowly, so extra time spent comparing options rarely adds much damage.
What does termite treatment involve?
Treatment at the source is aimed at the whole colony and usually runs in six steps: a survey; identifying the species and its extent; a written plan with the method, product, re-entry time, follow-up schedule and quote; the treatment visit; follow-up checks; and monitoring until termites stop, when you receive a record of the treated locations.
Your part is to leave mud tubes and bait stations alone, keep to the re-entry time and report any new mud tube. No single method suits every house; the provider chooses or combines these after the survey.
| Method | Usually chosen when |
|---|---|
| Bait and bait stations | Mud tubes are active, the house is occupied and the family wants little spraying. Slower, because workers must carry the bait back to the nest; stations must not be opened or moved. |
| Spot treatment | Termites are concentrated at a few points reachable through a mud tube, a crack or a small drilled hole. Quick and contained, but a nest outside the treated zone is untouched. |
| Barrier at the floor slab and base of walls | Termites come up from the soil under a ground floor or garden. In a finished house this can mean drilling the floor and a longer re-entry time. |
| Treatment of a wooden item | Drywood termites are inside furniture or a timber component, which is examined first. |
Is termite treatment safe for children and pets?
Every termite product is designed to harm insects, so what matters is how the risk is controlled. According to the University of Kentucky, on current knowledge registered termiticides pose no significant hazard to people, pets or the environment when applied according to the label. Safety at home rests on three things: a product permitted for use in Vietnam, used as its label directs, and a family that keeps to the re-entry time given in writing. That time varies with the method.
- Young children, pregnant women, older people and anyone with a respiratory condition should stay away for the longest period the provider recommends; mention asthma or allergies in advance.
- Put food, dishes and toys in closed cupboards, take pets elsewhere, cover aquariums and ask about the air pump.
- On return, ventilate and wipe food-contact surfaces as instructed, but do not wash the points you were told to leave, or move bait stations.
- If anyone feels dizzy, nauseous or short of breath, or has skin or eye irritation, move them to fresh air and contact a medical facility, with the product information.
What should I ask a termite control company before I sign?
A quote worth relying on is drawn up after a survey and put in writing. The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) advises getting quotes from two or three providers and comparing them on value, not on price alone. In Vietnam, under Decree 91/2016/ND-CP and its amendments, a business providing pest-control services with chemical products must declare its eligibility to the Department of Health where it is based, which publishes the declaration on its website. Ask to see it, then ask:
- Which species is it, how far has it spread, and which method do you propose?
- What is the product and its registration number, and may I see the label?
- Which areas does the warranty cover, and what voids it? The EPA notes that a termite warranty can lapse if the structure is altered without telling the provider.
- How many follow-up checks are included, and is the price all-inclusive?
| Warning sign | What to do |
|---|---|
| A price fixed before anyone has seen the house | Ask what assumptions it rests on. |
| No product named | Ask for the name and registration number; a lawful product carries both on its label. |
| Claims of absolute safety, or a long warranty with no conditions | Ask what is covered, what is excluded and where that is written. |
What UpClean does, and how to book a survey
UpClean surveys the house free of charge, then sends a written, all-inclusive quote with the method, re-entry time, follow-up checks and warranty terms; nothing is added unless you agree in writing. UpClean's own pest-control technicians carry out the treatment with products that hold a valid registration number in Vietnam. Up specialists, UpClean's identity-verified and trained staff, cover cabinets, timber, floors and food beforehand, watch each working point and clean up afterwards.
After each visit you receive an Up Report by WhatsApp or Zalo: a record with the treated locations, before-and-after photos and the dates of the follow-up checks. UpClean has declared its eligibility to provide pest-control services as required by regulation; the declaration and product information are available on request.
To book, send photos of the mud tubes or damaged timber to 0968 726 135 on WhatsApp or Zalo, or call between 7:00 AM and 8:00 PM on any day. Enquiries, quotes and the Up Report can all be in English.
- Termite control
- What the service includes and the areas covered.
- Termite control in District 2
- For Thao Dien, An Phu, Thu Thiem and Sala.
- Pre-construction termite protection
- For a house being built or heavily renovated.
- Woodworm treatment
- For small round holes and fine wood dust with no soil.
- Book a survey
- Send the request online.
- Up Report
- What the report contains.
Frequently asked questions
Do termites bite or harm people?+
Workers do not sting and do almost no direct harm to people, and winged termites neither bite nor sting. The damage is to timber and paper.
Can termites get into a high-rise apartment?+
Yes. They travel along service shafts and electrical conduits or arrive in wooden furniture, then settle in built-in wardrobes and door frames.
Do we have to leave the house during termite treatment?+
It depends on the plan. With bait or spot treatment the family usually only keeps away from the area being worked on; wide-area treatment indoors can need longer. Follow the re-entry time given in writing.
How long does termite treatment take?+
The treatment visit usually lasts from a few hours to a full day. Stopping the colony takes longer: spot treatment can show results early, while baiting usually needs several weeks to several months of follow-up. These are common ranges, not commitments.
We still see termites after treatment. Has it failed?+
Not necessarily. With bait, termites can keep appearing in the first weeks while the colony carries the bait back to the nest. Photograph what you see, leave the spot alone and tell the provider.
How much does termite treatment cost in Ho Chi Minh City?+
There is no single figure. Cost depends on the species, its extent, the size and construction of the house, the method, the follow-up checks and the warranty, and most of that can only be established on site. Rely on a written quote prepared after a survey.
