Termite Inspection & Treatment Specialists

If you think you do have termites, it’s extremely hard to get rid of them on your own. Termites are pretty slow to infest and damage a house, but once you are aware of their presence, severe damage may have already occurred. Prevention is always the best form of termite treatment and it starts with a termite inspection. If you have recently had an infestation, you will want to get your property looked at every 3-4 months until you are confident the problem is removed.

A termite inspection is a visual inspection of the readily accessible areas of a home for evidence of wood boring insects like subterranean termites. These pests are often the culprit here in the Philadelphia region and her suburbs like Bucks and Montgomery County. Your inspector will visually inspect the entire interior and exterior of a home including accessing any sub-space such as basements and crawlspaces of your property. The average termite or pest inspection takes approximately 30 to 45 minutes for a thorough inspection, depending on the size and conditions (e.g. clutter; storage of personal items, etc.) of the home and property.

Because termite infestations are usually immense by the time they’re discovered, a professional is often needed. Equipment, chemicals, and specialized tools often make treatment difficult. Insecticides like Termidor® can be shot directly into diseased wood. By drilling small holes in infested wood and pumping chemicals through the holes, termites whither and die within 1-3 months. Each hole must be sealed with caulk after the insecticide has been used to prevent termites from moving to another area of the structure. Licensed professionals must handle most of the insecticides used to exterminate termites.

Carpenter Ants vs. Flying Ants or Winged Ants

Carpenter Ants are often referred to as “black ants” although many species of carpenter and are not black. Larger black ants indicate a more mature colony and if they are big black ants that are eating away at your home, it is definitely time to call in a professional exterminator.

There is much confusion about winged ants. Carpenter ants, as well as other ants, have a stage of development known as the reproductive or swarming stage. A flying ant is often confused with winged termites. As a simple rule of thumb, if the bodies of the insect looks just like an ant with wings, it’s a flying ant, not a termite.

Carpenter ants usually nest either in damp wood or close to it. They may also be found in hollow areas such as hollow doors and curtain rods. Ants will nest in attics near clogged gutters or areas that have been subject to water leaks. Ants living in the wood smooth it out with their chewing mouthparts and then live within the galleries they create to take advantage of the high moisture content that they favor. If a colony remains present long enough, carpenter ants can actually weaken structural wood and cause severe damage.