The Pest Inspection 

We are looking for wood destroying insects.  This includes termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and wood boring beetles. 

This inspection is often referred to as a pest inspection or a termite inspection. However we are actually looking for wood destroying insects. This includes termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees, and wood boring beetles. Below is some good information to help you understand why it is important that we inspect your property for these pests before they do damage.

Termites: Here in Pennsylvania we have subterranean termites. Subterranean termites live deep in the ground and search constantly for food. Their primary objective is to feed the queen and grow the colony. Most often, they will enter through the foundation walls and travel to the house framing via mud tubes, otherwise known as shelter tubes, as they cannot be exposed to heat or light. Termites have protozoa in their gut that enables them to digest wood. They take the food back to the queen whose primary purpose is to lay eggs. During the inspection, we will look for these mud shelter tubes and also any damaged wood that contains mud inside indicates the presence of termites.

Carpenter Ants: Carpenter Ants are social insects, they hollow out wood in an area to create a home.  Carpenter ants do not eat the wood like termites.  Carpenter ants are generally black in color with a few other distinguishing characteristics. Carpenter Ants can do a lot of damage in a short period of time.

Carpenter Bees and Wood boring Beetles: Female Carpenter Bees will drill into wood, where they deposit an egg. When the egg hatches, a fully formed carpenter bee will emerge. The bees will damage the wood, and will often revisit every year. Wood boring beetle act very similar to carpenter bees in that they also lay eggs in the wood. Usually the holes in wood are exit hole created by the hatched beetle.