What Is Drywood Termite Frass? A Tampa Homeowner's Guide

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If you're a homeowner in Tampa Bay, chances are you've either dealt with termites or you know somebody who has. It kind of comes with the territory down here — warm, humid, and surrounded by wood-framed homes. One of the most common things we get calls about is frass. People find these tiny little pellets on a windowsill, along a baseboard, or piled up on the floor, and they immediately think the worst.

So let's break it down. What is frass, what does it tell you, and — maybe most importantly — when should you actually be worried about it?

So What Exactly Is Frass?

Frass is basically termite droppings. Yeah, it's termite poop. But it's not what you're picturing — it's not wet or mushy or anything like that. Drywood termite frass looks like tiny, hard, six-sided pellets. Think coffee grounds or fine sawdust. If you looked at it under a magnifying glass, you'd see that each pellet has a little elongated shape with ridges on it. Pretty distinctive once you know what you're looking at.

Drywood termites live inside the wood they eat. They don't need contact with the soil like subterranean termites do. As they chew through your wood, they carve out galleries — basically a network of tunnels and chambers. They're very neat about their living space (gotta give 'em that), so they kick the frass out of their galleries through little "kick-out holes." That's why you find tiny piles of it showing up on flat surfaces below where the colony is living.

Why Is My Frass a Different Color Than My Neighbor's?

Here's something a lot of people don't realize: frass color depends on the type of wood the termites are eating. It makes sense when you think about it — what goes in has to come out, right?

• Light-colored wood (like pine or light oak) = lighter frass, often tan or pale brown
• Dark-colored wood (like walnut, mahogany, or dark-stained trim) = darker frass, sometimes almost black
• Mixed colors? That can happen too, especially if termites are eating through wood that has different layers or stain on it

So if your neighbor's frass looks different from yours, it doesn't mean you have a different kind of termite. It just means they're munching on different wood. The species is most likely the same — here in Tampa Bay, we're almost always dealing with Cryptotermes brevis, the most common drywood termite in Florida.

I Got Treated — Why Am I Still Seeing Frass?

This is a big one. We get this call all the time: "We had the house tented six months ago and I'm still finding frass. Did the treatment not work?"

Deep breath. Here's the deal.

Think of it like this: if you get rid of the ants in your kitchen, the crumbs they left behind don't disappear on their own. Same idea here. That frass is sitting in the galleries, and it's going to stay there until something shakes it loose.

Vibrations Can Shake Old Frass Loose

And that brings us to the next thing homeowners need to understand: vibrations.

Old frass sitting in abandoned galleries can get shaken loose by all kinds of everyday vibrations. We're talking:

• A door slamming
• Kids running around upstairs
• Heavy trucks driving by
• Construction in your neighborhood
• Even a jet flying over — and living near Tampa International or MacDill, that's basically a daily event

When those vibrations hit, old frass trickles out of the kick-out holes that the (now dead) termites left behind. It piles up on your windowsill, and you panic. We get it. But finding frass after a successful treatment is not the same as finding an active colony.

That said — we never want you to just assume everything's fine. If you're seeing frass, it's always smart to have someone take a look. That's what we're here for, and it doesn't cost you a dime.

Drywood Termite Colonies Are Sneaky

Here's something that catches a lot of people off guard: drywood termite colonies take about five years to fully mature. That means a pair of swarmers (the winged termites you see flying around in the spring) can land on your home, find a crack or a piece of exposed wood, start a colony, and quietly chew away for years before you ever notice a thing.

In those early years, the colony is small — maybe a few dozen termites. They're not producing much frass, and they're not causing visible damage. It's only after the colony grows into the hundreds or thousands that you start seeing the tell-tale signs: frass piles, swarmer wings on your windowsills, or hollow-sounding wood when you tap on it.

That's why regular inspections matter so much down here in Tampa Bay. You can have termites for years and have absolutely no idea. By the time the signs are obvious, the colony is well-established and the damage can be significant.

Quick Recap: What Every Tampa Homeowner Should Know About Frass

• Frass = drywood termite droppings. Looks like tiny coffee grounds or fine sawdust pellets.
• Color varies — it matches the wood being eaten. Light wood = light frass, dark wood = dark frass.
• Treatment kills termites, not frass. Old pellets stay inside the galleries.
• Vibrations (even jets flying overhead) can shake old frass loose — doesn't mean live termites.
• Colonies take ~5 years to mature. You can have termites and not know it for a long time.
• When in doubt, get an inspection. That's always the right call.