Termite Inspection Services
Southwest Ohio Home Inspections provides State Licensed Dayton Ohio Termite Inspection services!
What is a Termite Inspection?
A visual inspection of the interior and exterior of the home and garage for visual evidence of wood destroying organisms, including termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and powderpost beetles
Qualified, Licensed Inspectors
The state of Ohio requires that termite inspectors are licensed by the Ohio Department of Agriculture. Our license # is 134620
Should you have a Termite Inspection?
If you are using FHA or VA financing, you are required to have a termite inspection performed. An NPMA-33 form will be required before you can close on your home, and we will provide you with that.
Unbiased Inspections by a Company you can Trust
We will not attempt to sell you any treatment services. An inspector from a pest control company could see your termite inspection as a sales opportunity. We ONLY perform inspections.
Schedule a Termite Inspection Today!
Give us a call today at (937) 241-1911Wood Destroying Insect Information
Termites are social insects that live in large colonies, produce overlapping generations, and take care of their young collectively. They divide labor among workers, soldiers and reproductives. Subterranean termites nest in the soil and can attack structures by building tubes that connect their nest to wood in structures. Aerial nests can occur without a ground connection if all castes of the colony are present and moisture is available.
Subterranean termites are the most destructive insect pests of wood in the United States. They cause more than $2 billion in damage each year, more property damage than that caused by fire and windstorm combined.
In nature, subterranean termites also are beneficial. They break down many dead trees and other wood materials that would otherwise accumulate. The biomass of this breakdown process is recycled to the soil as humus.
The black carpenter ant is a common invader of homes in the northeastern United States. In their natural habitat, carpenter ants aid in the decomposition of dead, decaying trees. They normally nest in logs, stumps, and hollow trees. However, the large, dark-colored workers often invade homes in search of food. These ants seldom tunnel into dry, sound wood, but they may excavate moist, rotting wood and other soft materials (such as foamed plastic insulation board) to make satellite nests. Rarely will the expansion of a nest into a building’s wooden timbers cause structural damage. Homes built in wooded areas are especially subject to infestation.
People who complain about bumblebees flying about under the eaves of their homes are probably being annoyed by carpenter bees. Bumblebees are large social bees 1/2 to 1 inch long, with black and yellow or, rarely, black and orange body markings. Their nests are underground and they spend most of their time traveling between the nest and the flowers from which they obtain food.
Powderpost beetle is a term used to describe several species of small (1/8-3/4 inches long), wood-boring insects which reduce wood to a fine, flour-like powder. Damage is done by the larvae as they create narrow, meandering tunnels in wood as they feed. Infestations are discovered after noticing small, round “shotholes” in the wood surface. These are exit holes where adult beetles have chewed out of the wood after completing their development. Newly-emerged adults mate and lay eggs on or below the surface of bare (unfinished) wood. The eggs hatch into tiny larvae which bore into the wood, emerging as adults 1-5 years later, usually during April – July. Homeowners are more likely to see damage than the beetles, themselves, because the adults are short-lived and are active mainly at night.