Winter Termite Activity in Kentucky

Modified/Edited Transcript from the Video “Are Termites Active in the Winter” with pest expert Matthew S. Hess.

Are Termites Active in the Winter In Kentucky?

Many homeowners may not know that termites are active year-round. Even in the coldest months, termites can still be feeding on the wood products within your Kentucky home, potentially causing thousands of dollars in damage that won’t be covered on your homeowner’s insurance policy. Although they may go undetected for years, and even decades, the damage they cause occurs day-by-day as the termites work around the clock to extend their colony and start new ones. This means that termite control in Kentucky, including Somerset, is crucial to protect your home.

What Is A Termite’s Purpose?

Termites were intelligently designed and have an appetite for decaying wood and wood products. Although it may seem like they purposefully target our homes, it simply is not true. Termites are foragers in search of decaying wood and wood matter. In the natural environment for which they were created, they play a pivotal role in the ecosystem, which helps decompose wood and turn it into fertile soil. In turn, this aids in the repopulation and growth of forests.

Besides their role in the ecosystem, termites also serve a secondary and less attractive purpose to many human populations across the world. Not only have they been used for medical purposes, but also serve as a source of high protein in both human and livestock diets.

What Does Kentucky Termite Activity Look Like in the Winter?

Of course, like everything else, termites may slow down in the winter. However, contrary to popular belief, termites do not go dormant or hibernate in cold weather. Across the world, some species may slow down while others remain active, but none go dormant. A better description of termite activity in winter is known as diapause. Diapause is a physiological state that allows the termite to survive during harsh environmental conditions.

Termites living in the natural environment will be exposed to much colder conditions than those living within your home. In their natural environment, diapause will likely slow down their activity for short periods of time during severely cold weather. On warmer days, however, they will likely be active.

On the other hand, termites living within your home have a much more controlled environment and many times will not need to enter diapause due to cold weather conditions. As a Kentucky homeowner, this means that despite what you may have previously believed, your home is at risk of termite damage 365 days a year, and 366 days in Leap Year!

When Are Termites Most Active in Kentucky?

Termites are cold-blooded insects and, therefore, depend on environmental conditions to flourish. While cold weather in the natural environment may hinder their activity, inside your home is a safe and climate-controlled environment where they will continue to thrive year-round, even if their activity is somewhat reduced in the winter. With the warmer winters we have, it’s common to see plenty of active termites inside Kentucky homes in the winter.

Once winter has passed, spring comes along, and suddenly, termites appear to begin their activity. We often refer to this as “termite season” even though there is no actual termite season. Instead, their behavior patterns change with the environmental conditions, and as nature would have it, spring is their reproduction season. During this time, termite colony workers prepare termite alates to begin their nuptial flight as they leave their colony in search of new ground to begin a brand new colony. When this happens in your home, you probably won’t care that there’s no “real” termite season!

Once termites swarm in or around your Kentucky home, you’ll know that they have been there and been active, even through the winter. But, you don’t have to wait until the swarm to find out they are present. In fact, you can completely eliminate unseen infestations or prevent them from ever occurring with the Sentricon Total Colony Elimination System!

The Nuptial Flight

This nuptial flight is often referred to by the pest control world as “swarm season”! Termite swarm season in Kentucky begins in late January and can extend beyond late June, peaking sometime around the middle. Depending on their environment, colonies may swarm at different times during this period. The workers prepare a “swarm castle” for the alates to exit the colony (see tips for identifying termite mud tubes). The alates are winged reproductive “queens and kings” ready to begin new colonies. Of the thousands that may swarm from any given colony, only about 1% to 2% of them are likely to survive. Once the survivors reach new ground, they drop their wings, making them dealates, and begin to reproduce and start the cycle over again. When searching for termite control in Kentucky, it’s important to find a company you can trust . The wrong company could misidentify your infestation if they do not know the difference between flying termites and flying ants.

Here at Four Seasons Pest Solutions’ main headquarters in Kentucky, we have live termite displays that swarmed as early as mid-January while a foot of snow was on the ground. Additionally, some colonies have swarmed for more than 8 days in a row! These live displays help us better understand termite behavior and how to eliminate them from structures like your home or business. Unlike a homeowner, when our colonies swarm, we get excited! Of course, they are in a controlled environment with no chance of escape! However, this observed behavior reinforces the importance of termite inspection in your kentucky home!

Swarmer termites fly out of their colony to begin new ones.

Termite Swarm activity

How Can I Protect My Kentucky Home or Business From Termites Year-Round?

When you see termite swarmers in your home, a state of panic may get the better of you for at least a few moments. However, the truth is that the swarmers are only a sign that an underlying infestation has been present and silently eating away at your home, potentially for decades! In fact, with even a quick termite inspection, it’s likely to reveal termite mud tubes you never knew were present!

So what can you do to stop termites? Or better yet, how can you prevent them from ever getting started? With Sentricon! Sentricon is a reduced-risk termite baiting system with year-round active ingredients that are safe for your family, safe around your pets, safe for the environment, and deadly to termites! In fact, we prefer Sentricon over liquid termite treatments in almost every case. You can find out here if Sentricon is right for your home.

Sentricon is a standalone termite solution with a baiting matrix is called Recruit HD. Recruit HD contains noviflumuron as it’s active ingredient. Noviflumuron is a chitin Synthesis inhibitor that works on termites by preventing their ability to molt. If a termite cannot molt, they die, and dead termites mean a protected home! That makes Sentricon the preferred choice in termite control!

With Four Seasons Pest Solutions on your side and Sentricon in the ground, your Kentucky home or business will be protected from termites all year long, spring, summer, fall, and winter, for as many years as you’d like.

Give us a call at

1-877-999-2849