Udhai is the Gujarati word for the termite. It is written ઉધઈ; Hindi speakers call the same insect दीमक (deemak). Older Indian English also calls them “white ants”, although they are not ants at all. So the one-word answer to “udhai in English” is termite. The rest of this page explains what udhai looks like, how to tell it apart from the other things that damage wood in Surat homes, and what actually works against it.
What udhai is, in plain terms
Termites are small, soft, pale insects that live in large colonies and feed on cellulose, the material wood, paper and cardboard are made of. In most Surat homes the udhai you find is the subterranean kind: the colony lives in the soil under or around the building, and the workers travel up into the house to feed. They avoid open air and light, so they build narrow tunnels of mud and saliva to move through. That is why you usually see the tunnels long before you see the insects.
There is also a drywood type that lives entirely inside a piece of wood and does not need soil. It is less common in homes here, and it leaves a different sign: small, hard, grain-like droppings pushed out of tiny holes.
How to spot udhai in wood and walls
Udhai usually shows up first in wood: a door frame, a cupboard back, the base of a wardrobe. These are the signs we see most often:
- Mud tubes. Thin brown lines, roughly the width of a pencil, running up a wall, along a skirting, behind a switchboard or from the floor into a door frame.
- Wood that sounds hollow. Tap a door frame or the back of a wardrobe with a knuckle. Sound wood knocks; eaten wood sounds papery.
- Soil where it shouldn’t be. Fine mud packed into cracks, joints in wood, or the gap where a frame meets the floor.
- Paint that bubbles or blisters on a wooden surface, with no leak behind it.
- Discarded wings near windows and lights, usually after the first heavy rains. Winged termites leave the colony to start new ones and shed their wings soon after.
A quick check of your home takes about ten minutes: start at the main door frame, then kitchen and bathroom door frames, the base of wooden wardrobes and beds, the back of cupboards that touch an outside wall, and anywhere a pipe or electrical conduit enters a wall.
Udhai or something else? Three common mix-ups
Udhai vs ghun (wood borer)
Ghun is a beetle, not a termite. It leaves small round exit holes on the surface of the wood and a fine, flour-like powder underneath. There are no mud tubes. The treatment is different, so it is worth getting this right before anyone sprays anything.
Udhai vs ants
A swarm of winged insects near a light could be either. Termites have straight antennae, a thick body with no narrow waist, and two pairs of wings of equal length. Ants have bent, elbowed antennae, a pinched waist, and front wings longer than the back ones.
Udhai vs damp damage
Wood that stays wet swells, softens and grows fungus. It looks damaged, but there are no mud tubes and no hollow tunnels inside. Damp and termites often travel together, though, because termites prefer moist wood.
Why udhai is such a common problem in Surat
Subterranean termites need moisture, and Surat gives them plenty: a long monsoon, humid air for much of the year, and many buildings where water seeps at the wall-floor joint. Add wooden door frames, plywood kitchens and wardrobes built into outer walls, and the colony has both the moisture and the food it wants. Swarming after the first monsoon rains is when many families first notice them.
What “udhai ni dava” actually means, and what works
“Udhai ni dava” simply means medicine for termites. The professional term is a termiticide. Spraying a bottle of insecticide, or kerosene, on the tubes you can see will kill the termites in those tubes. It will not reach the colony in the soil, which keeps sending new workers. That is why DIY spraying so often seems to work for a few weeks and then doesn’t.
Proper treatment works on the soil the termites come from, not just the wood they are eating:
- In an existing home or office: small holes are drilled along the wall-floor junction and around affected areas, a termiticide is injected into the soil beneath to form a treated zone, and the holes are sealed. Affected woodwork is treated separately. This is the approach IS 6313 Part 3 sets out for existing buildings.
- In a building under construction: the soil is treated before the floor is laid, following the Indian Standard for anti-termite measures (IS 6313 Part 2). Some projects add a built-in anti-termite piping system so treatment can be topped up later without drilling.
One practical request: if you find mud tubes, try not to scrape them all off or spray them before an inspection. Active tubes show the technician where the termites are coming from, and that decides where the treatment goes.
What we will and won’t tell you
We won’t tell you termites can be removed from a building for good. The colony lives in the ground, and nobody can control what moves into the soil around your home in the years ahead. What we will do is find where the udhai is getting in, treat the soil and woodwork properly using termiticides registered with the Central Insecticides Board & Registration Committee (CIB&RC) under the Insecticides Act, 1968, and explain what to expect, and what your written cover includes, before we start. We have treated termites in Surat since 1998.
For treatment methods, what written cover you get and how pricing works, see our termite (udhai) treatment in Surat page. For offices, godowns and factories, see commercial pest control and AMC.
Udhai in wood: how to tell if it is still active
Udhai in wood is usually active if you find fresh powdery dust or small pellets near tiny holes, hollow-sounding wood, or thin mud lines on the wall behind it. Old damage with no new dust or mud may be finished, but only an inspection can confirm that.
Tap the wood of a wardrobe, door frame or bed with a screwdriver handle and listen for hollow spots. Wipe away any dust and check again after a few days. If fresh dust returns, something is still working inside. Keep furniture a little away from the wall so the back and skirting can be seen.
Do not spray random insecticide on the wood. It often pushes termites to move elsewhere in the house and makes the source harder to find. Treatment normally targets the entry points and the base of the wall, not only the furniture. If the holes look the same but the dust is coarse and falls in tiny grains, it may be ghun (wood borer) instead, which needs a different treatment. See our termite control in Surat page, or book a free inspection.
Frequently asked questions about udhai
What is udhai called in English?
Udhai is the termite. In Gujarati it is ઉધઈ and in Hindi दीमक (deemak). You will also hear “white ants” in older Indian English, but termites are a different insect from ants.
Is udhai the same as ghun?
No. Ghun is a wood-boring beetle that leaves round holes and fine powder. Udhai (termite) leaves mud tubes and hollowed wood. They need different treatments, so identify which one you have first.
Can I get rid of udhai myself?
You can kill the termites you can see, but the colony lives in the soil and keeps sending more. Home sprays rarely reach it. If you see active mud tubes, it is better to leave them for an inspection so the source can be traced.
Will udhai come back after treatment?
It can. The treated zone in the soil protects the building for a period, but it weakens over the years and new colonies can arrive. A yearly look at door frames and wall-floor joints catches fresh activity early. If you see new tubes after treatment, call us: what is covered depends on the written terms you received for your job.
Is termite treatment safe with children and pets at home?
The soil treatment goes in through drilled holes that are then sealed, so it is not left on floors you walk on. Any woodwork that is treated directly needs time to dry, so keep children and pets out of the room during the work and until it has dried. The technician will tell you how long to wait before they leave.
Found mud tubes or hollow wood? Call +91 9724311777 or email support@universalpestcontrol.in to arrange an inspection anywhere in Surat.
Universal Pest Control Service, 304, SNS Arista, Opp. Happy Home Residency, Near Safal Square, Udhna-Magdalla Road, Vesu, Surat, Gujarat 395007.