Termites or Carpenter Ants?
Termites and carpenter ants, which are both known for causing wood damage on homes, share some similarities. First, they are roughly the same size. Second, they both love burrowing into wood. And third, they both swarm in the spring season to mate.
However, it’s relatively easy to tell the difference between termites and carpenter ants. A termite’s body is shaped like a cigar, while a carpenter ant’s body is shaped like an hourglass – narrowing between the abdomen in the rear and the thorax in the front. What’s more, a termite’s antennae are relatively straight, while a carpenter ant’s antennae are bent or curved. Finally, termite workers, which are rarely seen, have bodies that are creamy white to transparent in color, compared to the reddish or dark-colored bodies of ant workers.
Perhaps the greatest difference between the two is that termites actually eat the wood into which they burrow, while carpenter ants do not – they merely dig into the wood to excavate their nests. So, if a termite inspection reveals small piles of wood shavings or frass (insect waste) below the holes, it’s a tell-tale sign that there is an infestation of carpenter ants. If the inspection reveals mud tubes – tubes built on the outside of walls or between the soil and wood that serve as passageways – it means you have termites.
Another way to identify which wood-eating insect is destroying your home is to inspect the tunnels. Termite tunnels will be rough, ragged, and filled with layers of mud and soil. Carpenter ant tunnels will be very smooth and finished; termite galleries, by comparison, are rough and ragged because they are filled with layers of soil and mud.
What We Inspect
While our termite inspection focuses on your home’s interior, crawlspace, basement, and attic, it covers a lot of other areas. We’ll also inspect any outdoor wooden structures, such as decks, arbors, sheds, carports, and fences. If termite-resistant products were not used during construction, then these structures can be susceptible to termites.
Because cracks in expansion joints and brick construction are common entryways for termites, our inspection will include these areas. Fallen tree branches, stacks of firewood, and wood mulch are termite buffets, so we’ll be on the hunt for these, too.
How to Prepare for Your Termite Inspection
Generally, a termite inspection in the greater Richmond, Newport News, and Williamsburg areas takes 90 minutes to two hours. You can make it go faster and easier by preparing for the inspection in advance.
- Clear Out Under-Sink Areas: Our inspector will check your water sources for termite activity, which means everything under your sinks needs to be removed.
- Clean Out the Garage: Anything stored against your garage wall – or against an exterior wall of your home – will need to be moved two feet away.
- Make the Attic Accessible: Our inspector will need to get into your attic, so make sure it is accessible and no debris will fall on him while he is working.
- Clear the Crawlspace: If your home has a crawlspace, make sure our inspector has easy access to it and that nothing stored there will get in the way of your termite inspection.
- Do Some Landscaping: If bushes or ground cover conceal your home’s foundation or exterior walls, then trim them back ahead of time.
Scheduling a Termite Inspection
Eco Pest Control’s professional termite inspectors can spot signs of an infestation that you may have missed and will be able to offer suggestions for the treatment of an active infestation or prevention against future invasions by termites.
If termite treatment is required, we will offer you two options.
- Sentricon: The Sentricon system is effective, environmentally friendly, and the most recognized name in termite bait stations. Following your termite inspection, your Eco Pest Control professional exterminator – who is certified in the Sentricon system – can install and maintain your system.
- Termidor: Termidor is the leading liquid termite treatment on the market. If you choose this treatment following your exterminator’s termite inspection, then your technician will apply Termidor in the soil around the perimeter of your property to form a continuous barrier of protection. Termidor’s active ingredient is a termiticide. As soon as a termite crosses the barrier, it picks up the termiticide and transmits it to other termites, eventually wiping out the entire colony.
Both Sentricon and Termidor come with a 12-month warranty that is both renewable and transferable.
Click here for more information on these treatments.
To get started with your termite inspection anywhere in the greater Richmond, Newport News, and Williamsburg areas. Simply click the “Get a Free Quote” button or call one of our three area offices:
- For termite inspections in the Richmond area: 757-906-3917
- For termite inspections in the Newport News area: 757-418-6035
- For termite inspections in the Williamsburg area: 757-280-2997
