Termites — what every homeowner should know
How the wood-destroying-insect risk actually looks here, and how protection works.
The quiet risk, locally
Subterranean termites are active across Iowa, including the Des Moines metro. The cold winters slow them but do not remove the risk, and termite inspections are a routine part of home care here.
Either way, the damage happens where you can't see it — which is why an inspection, not a guess, is the honest starting point.
Warning signs worth a call include mud tubes on foundation walls, discarded wings near windows, wood that sounds hollow, and (for carpenter ants) piles of fine sawdust-like frass.