Termite Control
Termite control and WDO inspections across the Bay Area
Subterranean and drywood termites need completely different treatments, and telling them apart is the whole point of the inspection. Here is what we look for, what each treatment involves, and what the warranty actually covers.
The signs
What you are actually looking for
Termites stay hidden by design, so most people find the evidence long before they find an insect. What kind of evidence it is tells you which termite you are dealing with.
Sign one
Mud tubes
Subterranean termites nest in the soil and will not cross open air, so they build covered runways out of packed earth to reach the wood. Check foundations, crawl space walls and first floor framing, though they can climb several stories once they are established.
The tell: Pencil-width lines of packed soil running up concrete or masonry. Nothing else builds them.
Sign two
The insects themselves
You will usually only see the termites if a piece of wood gets opened up or a tube is broken. Workers are pale, soft bodied and roughly an eighth of an inch long, with straight sided bodies and straight antennae.
The tell: Pale and soft with no pinched waist. If it is hard shelled and shiny, it is something else.
Sign three
The look-alike
Carpenter ants chew galleries in wood as well, and winged ants swarm in the same warm weather that sends termites flying. They get mistaken for each other constantly, and they need completely different treatments.
The tell: A pinched waist and bent antennae means ant. Straight sided with straight antennae means termite.
Drywood termites leave the other classic sign: small pellets of frass, the color of the wood they are eating, collecting on a sill or the floor below a pinhole kick-out. There is more on that in signs of termites in the attic.
The two species
Two termites, two completely different jobs
Subterranean termites live in the soil. Drywood termites live inside the wood. Where we treat and how long it takes both follow from that.
Almost everything about a termite job is decided by which kind you have. Subterranean termites live in the soil and come up to the wood. Drywood termites live inside the wood and never touch the ground. That one difference changes where we treat, what we use, and how long it takes.
It is also why one of the most common assumptions about termites is wrong. Tenting a house does nothing to subterranean termites. The gas fills the structure, and they are underneath it in the soil, heading back to the nest the moment anything disturbs their tubes.
What the inspection settles
Everything downstream depends on getting this part right, which is why it comes first.
- Which termite you have, and therefore which treatment is even capable of working.
- How much of the structure is involved, which is the difference between a partial and a full treatment.
- Whether you need a limited inspection of the areas you are worried about, or a complete one covering the attic and crawl space too.
- What goes in the written report, including the conditions that are likely to bring termites back even where there is no activity today.
The service
What the work involves
Start to finish, including the parts that are your responsibility rather than ours.
Step one
The inspection
We walk the structure looking for mud tubes, frass, damaged or hollow sounding wood, and the wood-to-soil contact and moisture that invite all of it. A limited inspection covers the areas you are concerned about. A complete inspection covers the whole structure including the attic and crawl space. You get a written report of what was found and where.
Step two
Subterranean work goes in the soil
A soil treatment is the only thing that reaches a colony living in the ground. Where there is open soil we trench eight to twelve inches down along the foundation and inject Termidor HE through rods set just below the depth of the slab. Where there is concrete in the way we drill half inch holes, about the size of a penny, every eighteen inches, treat the soil underneath and plug the holes with concrete.
Step three
Drywood work goes in the wood
Drywood termites live inside the timber, so the treatment goes in after them. We drill eighth inch holes into the infested area, anywhere from six to twenty four of them depending on the size, and inject foam that spreads through the galleries. Holes get plugged with spackle in drywall or wood filler in exposed wood.
Step four
Then give it time
The foam works partly by residual and transfer, and that can take up to three months to finish. Seeing a little activity during that window is normal and does not mean the treatment failed. If there was heavy activity we may recommend inspections through the first year.
Two things we do not do, so nobody is surprised on the day. We plug every hole we drill, but repainting and texturing afterwards is yours or your contractor's. And we do not do structural repairs. If we find rot or fungus we can treat the wood, but rebuilding it is a different trade.
Expectations
Two things worth knowing up front
Both of these come up on nearly every termite job, and both are easier to hear now than later.
A tent will not touch subterranean termites
Fumigation is the right answer for a structure with drywood termites in many places at once, and no answer at all for the ones living in your soil. The gas fills the building; they are underneath it, and they retreat to the nest as soon as their tubes are disturbed. If anyone quotes you a tent without first telling you which termite you have, that is the question to ask them.
The warranty covers retreatment, not repairs
If termites come back in an area we treated, we come back and treat it again at no additional cost. Coverage runs two to three years depending on the service. What it does not cover is repairing the damage, work done by you or another contractor, or conditions that were not visible at the time of the inspection. Your technician will go through exactly which applies before anything gets signed.
Pricing
What changes the price
We do not publish a termite price, because the inspection is what decides the job. These are the things that move it.
Which termite, and how much of the structure
A partial soil treatment in one corner of a crawl space and a full trench around an entire foundation are different days of work. The inspection is what settles which one you need.
How the building is put together
Trenching through open soil is quick. Drilling every eighteen inches through a patio, a slab or a garage floor is not. Wood siding, and multiple sub areas or attics, add to it as well.
How easy the work is to reach
A crawl space you can actually move through, an attic with a proper hatch, and three feet of clearance around the treatment area all shorten the visit. The opposite lengthens it.
How much follow-up it needs
Where there has been heavy activity we may build inspections through the first year into the job rather than leaving you guessing. Those are quoted as part of the initial service rather than billed to you later.
We will get you a quote that matches your property and your situation. Book an inspection, or call (650) 910-1561.
Questions
Termite questions, answered
The ones that come up most on termite calls around the Bay Area, from WDO reports to whether you will have to tent.
How do I know if I have termites?
You usually find the evidence, not the insect. Pencil-width tubes of packed soil running up a foundation or a crawl space wall mean subterranean termites. Small pellets collecting on a sill or the floor below a pinhole in the wood mean drywood termites. Wood that sounds hollow when you tap it, or discarded wings near a window after a warm day, are both worth a look. There is more detail in our guide to signs of termites in the attic.
What kinds are common in the Bay Area?
Subterranean and drywood, and they are not close to the same problem. Subterranean termites nest in the soil and travel up into the wood, which is why they turn up in crawl spaces and on first floors, though they can climb several stories. Drywood termites live inside the timber itself and never touch the ground. Damp-wood termites show up too in shaded, wetter spots. Which one you have decides the entire treatment, so identifying it is the first job.
What is a WDO inspection, and when do I need one?
WDO stands for wood destroying organism, which covers termites, wood boring beetles and the fungus that rots framing. It is the inspection people usually need when a house is being sold or refinanced, and it is worth doing on its own if you have seen any of the signs. We offer two kinds. A limited inspection covers only the areas you are worried about. A complete inspection covers the entire structure including the attic and crawl space. Either way you get a written report of what was found and where.
What is the difference between a Section 1 and a Section 2 item?
It is the way findings are split on a California wood destroying organism report. Section 1 is evidence of active infestation or damage that is there now. Section 2 is conditions that are likely to lead to it, things like wood in contact with soil, poor ventilation, or a leak keeping timber damp. In a sale, lenders and buyers usually focus on Section 1, but Section 2 items are the ones that decide whether you are back in the same position in a few years.
Will I have to tent my house?
Most of the time, no. Tenting is for a structure with drywood termites in many separate places at once. A localised drywood problem is treated by injecting foam into the galleries, which means no tent and no moving out. Tenting is also handled by a fumigation partner rather than by our own crews, so if it is the right answer we will tell you and coordinate it. One thing worth knowing: a tent does nothing at all to subterranean termites.
Do I need to leave during treatment?
For a local drywood treatment, no. For a subterranean soil treatment, stay out of the crawl space for 24 hours and keep pets off the treated exterior soil for the same period. Fumigation is the only treatment that requires you to move out, for the three days the structure is tented.
What do I need to do to get ready?
Clear about three feet of space around whatever is being treated. Inside, that means pulling furniture and belongings away from the wall or area. Outside, it means clearing the strip along the exterior wall so we can trench or drill. If you want a shared fence line treated we will need your neighbor's consent first, since the fence belongs to both of you.
How long until it is over?
The treatment itself is usually a day. What takes longer is the product finishing its work. Drywood foam works partly through residual and transfer, and that process can take up to three months, so it is normal to see a little activity during that window. It does not mean the treatment failed. Some pests take a series of visits to fully control, and if there was heavy activity we may recommend inspections through the first year.
What does the warranty actually cover?
Retreatment, not repairs. If termites turn up again in an area we treated, we come back and treat it again at no additional cost. It does not cover the cost of repairing damage, work done by you or another contractor, future infestations in untreated areas, or conditions that were not visible at the time of the inspection. Coverage runs two to three years depending on the service. Your technician will go through exactly which applies to you before anything is signed.
Will the soil treatment hurt my garden?
We use Termidor HE, injected directly into the soil rather than sprayed around, and we keep the application at least ten feet away from a vegetable garden. Your technician will walk the exterior with you first and point out anything close to the treatment line. Treatments are applied by a licensed technician following the product label.
Get started
Think you have termites?
Tell us what you are seeing and where. We will inspect, identify which termite you are dealing with, and give you a written report and an estimate. If there is an inspection cost, we will confirm it before we book. No obligation.
Or skip the form and just give us a call at (650) 910-1561