Termite Inspections

What do termites look like?

First of all, you need to know how to properly identify what a termite looks like.  By the time you can see it, it will be above ground, and often can be confused for a swarming ant.  Think of a cigar, long and  narrow.  Termites wings are each long and narrow, where as swarming ants have 2 different wing lengths and a narrow abdomen.  Check out below for a document providing clear differences of a termite and an ant.

Termites become active in the springtime, when it's warm, usually April and May.  They want to leave their colony to go establish a new colony.  The tend to all show themselves at once, coming out of a small hole in your home, and flying, as if swarming the place.  Once you see this sign, you know 100% that a termite colony has made your home their home.

Ohio has subterranean termites, below the surface.

Termite "Cheat Sheet"

Print off this Termite Cheat Sheet, walk around your property and see if any of the termite signs of activity are noticed.  Sometime, people can confuse termite damage with carpenter ant damage, as they are both wood destroying insects, meaning, they eat your properties structure.

Damage is frequently noticed around door frame, window frame, floor boards, where the wood has the chance to be softer due to being exposed to natural elements, like water.  

Grab a flashlight, go down to your basement, in the unfinished part/crawl space, and do some investigating.  If you have a concrete wall, a clear piece of evidence is a 'mud tube' that goes up, kinda like a leaking water streak, but it's a sandy texture.  You may also see these mud tubes above your head, along the floorboards.  Also be on the look out for damaged wood, and look at it closely.  It could be an old nail hole gone wrong or it could be damaged wood flaking off.

We're just a call away to have one of our professional inspectors come out and confirm you indeed have activity, or provide peace of mind that you don't.

How Do Termites Do So Much Damage?

You don't see them, your house looks great, so why does it cost so much to treat for something I don't see?  As a homeowner, we know how frustrating that can be.  This is the biggest obstacle for property owners, as they have no idea what is going on to the internal structure of their home, and it's hard to understand something you can't see.  

Our industry has just compiled one of the greatest videos, detailing what is exactly taking place when termites invade your home.  500,000 subterranean termites were dumped into a "tiny house", complete with plumbing, electrical, insulation, etc., to capture the entire process of how damage takes place.  It's fascinating!  After you watch the video to the left, check out the Termite Tiny House project for full details making the video!

Buying a Property?

We are fully licensed to offer a "WDI", Wood Destroying Insect" Inspection during your buying process.  We guarantee a professional thorough inspection, looking for any type of evidence of previous or existing activity.  As always, we provide this service at the convenient of you or your agent.  Give us a call for more details.  There is a fee associated with this, $178 as required paperwork supports this licensed inspection.

Does Homeowner's Insurance Cover Termites?  In most cases, NO.