Termite treatment in Singapore

The signs worth acting on

Termites in a Singapore flat are usually found late, because most of the damage happens inside timber rather than on it. These are the things that show first:

• Mud tubes. Thin earth-coloured tracks running up skirting, a wall or a door frame. This is the clearest sign there is.
• Hollow timber. Tap a door frame or skirting. A dull, papery sound means the inside has gone.
• Bubbling paint in a line, or a skirting board that flexes under light pressure.
• Discarded wings near windows or lights after a swarm.
• Frass, a fine sawdust-like deposit below a timber joint.

Why HDB timber is at risk

Door frames, skirting, kitchen carcasses and built-in carpentry are timber or timber-based, they sit against masonry that holds damp, and most of their surface is hidden behind paint or laminate. A colony can work inside a frame for a long time before anything is visible, which is why the first sign is often a frame that gives way rather than an insect anyone has seen.

What it costs

Job	Typical price
Inspection	Free to $100
Localised or spot treatment	$150 to $400
Larger infestation, soil treatment	Quoted on site
Damaged timber replacement	Added after treatment

A recent RK E&C job, timber removal plus chemical application across a localised area, came to about $350. Price is driven by how far the colony has spread, not by the size of the flat. Full breakdown in the termite treatment cost guide.

How the treatment works

1. Inspection first. We trace mud tubes back toward the nest and tap the timber. That decides the method, and whether the problem is wider than the room it appeared in.
2. Localised treatment where the colony is contained: the affected timber comes out and chemical is applied to the area and the surrounding contact points.
3. Chemical soil treatment where it is not, forming a treated barrier the colony has to cross.
4. Dusting where the nest cannot be reached directly, carried back into the colony by the termites themselves.
5. Make good. Damaged skirting, frames or carpentry replaced and repainted once treatment is done.

Treat before you renovate, not after

This is the expensive one to get wrong. New carpentry built over an untreated colony gets eaten, and the treatment then has to cut through work that was just paid for. If a flat is being renovated and there is any sign of termites, the treatment goes first and the carpentry follows. Because the same crew handles both, that sequencing is a scheduling decision rather than two separate contractors arguing about who goes first.

Other pests

Termites are priced and treated differently from everything else, which is why they have their own page. For cockroaches, rodents, bed bugs and mosquitoes, the full price list by pest is in the pest control price guide. Cockroaches and ants in an HDB flat run about $80 to $180, rodents $150 to $350, and bed bugs $250 to $500 per room.

Why RK E&C

• Treatment and repair from one crew. Most pest firms treat and leave. We also replace the timber the colony ruined and make the wall good.
• Registered company. RK E&C Pte Ltd, UEN 202442767D.
• Free site visit and a fixed-price quote once we have seen how far it has gone.
• Island-wide, HDB and condo.

Common questions

How much does termite treatment cost in Singapore?

About $150 to $400 for a localised problem caught early. Wider infestations are quoted after inspection.

Should I treat before renovating?

Yes. New carpentry over an untreated colony gets eaten, and fixing it later costs far more than treating first.

Do you replace the damaged timber?

Yes, after treatment. The same crew does the carpentry and the repaint, so there is no second contractor.

How fast can you come?

Send a photo of the mud tubes or the damaged timber on WhatsApp and we will tell you the same day whether it needs a site visit.