CWLee wrote:
Doing my homework on getting rid of my
termites, I learn there are two types of concern
here in the Southern California area: drywall
termites, which live in the house and eat the wood, and
subterranean termites, which live in the soil adjacent to
the house and visit the house daily for breakfast, lunch,
and dinner.

I know I have the drywall type, based on their droppings
on the second floor of the house and in the attic crawl
space. I plan to have the house tented to get rid of
them. I wonder about subterranean termites.

Fumigation is supposed to kill all the drywall termites, and
practically none of the subterranean ones. How does one
determine if any subterranean ones are present? If they are
present, how does one get rid of them?

You mean drywood? There are also damp wood termites here in FL, and
lots of varieties in each species. Subterranean termites can go far
into wood structure, so second story doesn't mean they are one kind or
another.

If you tap around near where you found the droppings, you likely will be
able to detect hollow sounding wood. If you poke into that, you likely
will find their tunnels. They can eat out most of a segment of wood,
but leave the surface intact and paper thin. In our condo, there is a
wood partition that was infested at one time. A foot-long section of
1x12 was eaten away entirely but for it's intact coat of paint.

The droppings you found could be something entirely different, so a
reputable, licensed pest control contractor should be your first call.
Contact a couple of them, and be aware that some larger ones subcontract
their chem applications. As a fallback, try to take specimens to your
county extension service; they often have entymologists? who can ID the
bug for you. Drywood and subt require very different controls, and
doing a google search will probably get you info for your area. Also
want to look into detection and prevention; not rocket science.

Subt., in a slab house, will build mud tubes (looks like a fat, dried
out earthworm) from ground to wood. They avoid light, thus always
within wood, not to outside of it. Piles of shed wings around openings,
blistery appearance to woodwork or surface of drywall. They eat any
form of cellulose. This is not a DIY task. Subt. often come in around
plumbing entries, cracks in slabs, beneath stucco or siding, from trees
and shrubbery in contact with wood. The do not go through paint, so
keeping things ship shape and sealed up helps.