Drywood termites
They live inside the piece of wood they eat and need no contact with soil. They push their droppings out through tiny holes, which pile up like small mounds of brown sand at the foot of baseboards and door frames.
Floor pest guide
Termites, carpenter ants and other wood floor pests in Medellín
We are Pisos Pro Medellín, specialists in installing, repairing and restoring wood, bamboo and cork floors for houses, apartments and businesses across the Aburrá Valley. Over more than 900 jobs we have found termites (comején) under baseboards, inside stair treads and in boards that looked perfectly sound from above.
This guide helps you identify each pest, see which floors are at risk and decide what to do next. One important point up front: we do not fumigate; we repair the floor once a specialized pest control company has dealt with the infestation.
- Signs to check at home
- Risk by floor type
- Repair after treatment
Pests that damage floors in Medellín
The Aburrá Valley stays mild and humid, around 22 °C for most of the year, so wood-eating insects never really go dormant. Each one leaves a different trail, and telling them apart changes the treatment.
Subterranean termites
They nest in the ground and climb through cracks in the slab, joints or walls in search of moisture and cellulose. The giveaway is pencil-thick mud tubes on walls, columns or along the edge of the floor. They show up far more often in ground-floor houses and country homes (fincas) than in high-rise units.
Carpenter ants
They do not eat wood; they tunnel into it to build nests and push out fine sawdust mixed with insect parts. They favor damp or already weakened wood, so they almost always point to a leak nearby.
Wood-boring beetles (gorgojos)
Their larvae bore galleries inside the wood, and the adults exit through round holes of 1 to 2 mm, leaving a very fine powder behind. They mainly attack untreated bamboo and wood that was poorly dried or never treated with preservative.
Warning signs: frass, wings, tunnels and hollow sounds
Use a flashlight to inspect baseboards, door frames, stairs, closet interiors and corners against exterior walls. Tap the boards with a screwdriver handle: healthy wood sounds solid, while hollowed-out wood sounds like cardboard.
Watch for any of these clues:
- Dry pellets that keep reappearing in the same spot after you sweep.
- Clear wings, all the same size, near windows or lamps, especially when the rainy season starts.
- Mud tubes where the floor meets the wall.
- Boards that give underfoot, or lacquer that blisters for no obvious reason.
- Tiny round holes surrounded by fine powder.
- Sawdust with insect legs or heads near a damp area.
If you spot even one of these signs, do not wait for damage to show on the surface.
Which floors are vulnerable and which are not
Risk depends on how much cellulose the floor contains and whether it sits in contact with moisture. Wooden baseboards (zócalos) and door frames can be attacked even when the floor itself is immune.
| Floor | Risk | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Untreated solid hardwood | High | Exposed cellulose; a prime target for drywood termites and beetles |
| Preservative-treated solid hardwood | Low to medium | The treatment protects, but untreated cuts and moisture let pests in |
| Engineered hardwood | Medium | Wood veneer over a plywood or fiber core, both made of wood |
| Bamboo | Medium to high | Its starch attracts beetles; well-sourced strand-woven bamboo holds up better |
| Laminate (HDF core) | Low to medium | Wood fiber bonded with resins; subterranean termites can chew through it |
| Cork | Low | Unappealing to these insects; its real risk is moisture |
| SPC and vinyl | None | Stone and PVC core with no cellulose |
| Porcelain, ceramic tile and microcement | None | Mineral materials; just watch for cracks that subterranean termites could climb through |
Preventing pests when you install a wood floor
- 1
Insist on treated, properly dried wood
Ask for the treatment data sheet: preservatives such as borate salts protect the inside of each board. The wood should also arrive at a stable moisture content, because damp wood attracts ants and fungi.
- 2
Treat every cut made on site
Cutting a board exposes wood the factory treatment never reached. We apply preservative or sealer to those edges before laying them.
- 3
Seal cracks and joints in the subfloor
Cracks in the slab and gaps along the walls are a highway for subterranean termites. We close them with mortar or sealant before the first board goes down.
- 4
Control moisture from below
We measure the moisture of the subfloor (contrapiso) and, if it reads high, install a moisture barrier. A dry base discourages carpenter ants.
- 5
Clear wood scraps from the job site
Forgotten formwork, wedges and offcuts left under a floor or in a crawl space are food for a colony. They leave the site before anything is closed up.
What to do if you find termites
- 1
Do not sweep or spray yet
Household sprays never reach the inside of the wood, and they wipe out the evidence the technician needs. Photograph the pellets, wings or tunnels and mark the spot.
- 2
Call a pest control company
Treatment is done by a company that specializes in fumigation and wood-destroying insect control. Ask which product they use and how long you must wait before work on the floor can begin.
- 3
Wait for confirmation that the pest is controlled
Repairing too early risks the new boards becoming infested as well. Ask for a written statement that the infestation is under control.
- 4
Have a flooring specialist assess the damage
We test the floor board by board, remove only the affected pieces and inspect the battens or subfloor underneath. Then we decide whether replacing pieces is enough or whether it makes more sense to redo the whole room.
Let us repair the damage once the pest is under control
We replace boards with the same wood species, match the color and even out the floor with hardwood floor sanding and refinishing. If the attack compromised the entire floor, we can quote a new solid hardwood floor or a pest-proof alternative such as SPC flooring.
Pisos Pro Medellín
Tv. 6 #45-115, El Poblado, Medellín, Antioquia, Colombia
Monday to Saturday: 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m.