ClearView Home Inspection

An inspection for visible evidence of wood boring insect presence and damage is available. This inspection will include an evaluation of visible and readily accessible surfaces for indications of damage from temites, capenter ants, powder post beetles, carpenter bees. This inspection includes a completed Wood Destroying Insect Inspection Report NPMA-33.

Carpenter Ants: 

Carpenter ants are one of the most common problems. Carpenter ants may be black, brown, or red, and up to 3/4 of an inch in length. Carpenter ants are one of the more difficult pests to control.

Carpenter ants are attracted to moisture. They are almost always found nesting near a damp area but often continue into sound wood. Unlike termites, carpenter ants do not eat and digest wood but rather excavate galleries and live in wood. Carpenter ants push the sawdust (called frass) out of the wood as they excavate the wood creating galleries to live in. Frass contains pieces of dead ants and other insects making it distinguishable from sawdust. Controlling moisture in and around the home is the key to controlling this pest.

Carpenter Ant

Carpenter Ant colony

Member:

Termites:

Termites are small, delicate insects that live in colonies in the soil or in wood.

Termites eat wood and convert wood fiber, or cellulose, into sugar. A large termite colony can do extensive damage to structures made of wood. Since termites often consume wood from the inside out. Internally damaged wood can appear perfectly normal.

Subterranean termites live in underground colonies and feed on buried wood. When the initial wood supply is depleted the colony may be extended through "shelter tubes" to above ground wood. Shelter tubes are made from soil particles and thus are the color and texture of the local soil. The tubes are built on foundation walls, posts, pilings, in other words anything that spans between soil and wood. Look for termite shelter tubes during annual inspections for insect and water damage and if tubes are found it is an indication that subterranean termites may be active. Other major types of termites such as drywood termites and dampwood termites do not make shelter tubes .