Termite Inspections for in Gainesville, Bristow, Haymarket, and Beyond

Termite For many homeowners here in Northern Virginia, a home is a family’s most significant investment. Protecting your investment involves regularly making sure your home is in good condition and protected from external risks. In Gainesville and the surrounding area, one of the local risks is termites.

Termites can come into homes and other properties where they quickly cause structural and cosmetic damage by eating their way through wood anywhere on the property. Many times, this damage will happen without you being aware of it until months or years later, leaving you with expensive repairs. Homes with termites also lose value on the market, so if you sell your home it may be worth less than it otherwise would have been.

Regular termite inspections in Gainesville, VA by ExtermPRO is the best way to protect your property from wood destroying insects. Whether you suspect termites or want to take a proactive approach to termite control with annual inspections, our professional team can identify a termite colony in its initial stages so that we can eliminate it fast. Take the first step to keep your property safe from termites by calling us at 571-620-1168.

Benefits of Regular Termite Inspections at Your Home

Although there are dozens of termites throughout the US, the termites found in this area are subterranean termites – typically “Eastern Subterranean Termites.” They build underground nests beneath or nearby their food source, relying on moist soil to keep them hydrated.

Their primary purpose is to break down cellulose, which is why they feed on dead or dying trees. But because most homes are made with these same organic materials – wood, paper, and more – termites often find themselves feeding on houses, spreading out and causing significant damage to wood and other parts of the property.

Subterranean termites do billions of dollars in damage every year, and the average homeowner will spend several thousand repairing their home after an infestation and possibly lose even more during a home sale depending on the extent of the damage. The longer an infestation is able to stay at a home, the more expansive and costly this damage will be.

Getting a professional termite inspection once a year helps to drastically limit the damage termites can do and the cost to treat it. Damage is ongoing with termites. Virginia has warm temperatures all year, so termites never go into hibernation, but instead eat day and night without stopping. This means that every additional day termites spend on your property results in more damage.

Despite how quickly termites destroy a property, the damage will be subtle, especially in the first years, and even though there are ways to identify termites, most homeowners miss the damage for potentially years before it becomes significant enough to be visible. That’s why a professional termite inspection is so valuable.

Signs of a Termite Infestation

Subterranean worker termites do not like the sun, so they keep to dark places inside the voids behind walls, under floors, and above ceilings. The remainder of the colony lives under the ground. This makes it unlikely that you will ever see a termite crawling around even in aggressive infestations.

Some signs can alert you to a potential infestation, although these can also be hard to identify. They include:

Swarming termites in the summer or their discarded wings.
Mud tubes on the ground around your foundation.
Initial wood damage in locations near to the ground in a crawl space, under a patio, or in a garage.
Advanced signs of damage like warped floors, hollow sounding walls, and maze patterns in furniture.

Some termite species also leave “frass,” which is droppings that look like sawdust, but this is more common with drywood termites that are not found as often in Virginia.

Mud tubes are typically the first thing that people notice, because often by the time damage itself becomes apparent, there is extensive invisible damage out of sight. This is because the termites start in undisturbed places and move throughout a home, spreading more minimal damage over a wider area. As professionals, we are experienced in finding inconspicuous signs of termites that may not even be easily recognizable as termite damage.

How Our Termite Inspections Work

We provide one time inspections if you suspect termites. But in our area, we often recommend an affordable annual termite inspection.

An annual termite inspection involves a once a year survey of your property when we look for all potential signs of termite activity. Using both a visual inspection and special equipment, as well as extensive knowledge of local subterranean termites, we search for signs that termites are present or there are elements that may attract them to your property.

Because the inspection happens each year right around the season when termites arrive, termites can never infest a property for more than a few months before we locate and exterminate them. Subterranean termite colonies grow slowly, taking 5 years or more to reach maturity, so these initial months will have the slowest rate of damage and are easiest to treat.

We begin the inspection process by discussing any concerns you have or signs of termites you may have noticed. Then, we proceed with an:

Exterior Inspection – We look around the foundation of your property for areas where termites might nest, the mud tubes that make it possible for them to travel back and forth, potential entry points, and signs of outdoor damage. We will pay special attention to porches, decks, crawlspaces, and other areas where moisture is more likely to collect.
Interior Inspection – Inside, we search attics, basements, and garages as well as the living areas of your home. We look for signs of damage, termite droppings, and discarded wings. Technology like moisture meters and infrared thermometers also makes it possible to identify where termites might be behind a wall.
Post Inspection Report – After the inspection, we share any noted activity and the available treatment options. We also point out high risk areas like leaking pipes, collections of dead wood, openings into your home, and more so that they can be corrected.

If we detect termites during an inspection, we can quickly move to treatment using a range of solutions that are effective against subterranean termites. We can also apply preventative treatments such as baits or a barrier if we determine there is a significant risk of termites.

Wood Destroying Insect Reports for Real Estate Transactions

When purchasing a home, you want to be certain as the buyer that there is no unseen termite damage that could become an issue. Lenders may also require proof that a home is free of termites and wood destroying insects that could impact the property’s value before they will approve a loan.

ExtermPRO can conduct the inspection and produce the paperwork for a wood destroying insect report needed for home buying, selling, or refinancing. In addition to termites, we can also check for signs of carpenter ants, wood boring beetles, and more.

Why Trust ExtermPRO for Termite Inspections?

Termite inspections are key to protecting your real estate investment, and you want a company you can trust with your home. There is no better choice than ExtermPRO. Locally owned and operated, we specialize in preventative pest control. Ongoing termite inspections and rapid action whenever termites are detected enable us to minimize termite damage. We are also:

Locally Knowledgeable – There are many species of termites with different characteristics. We are experts in all the local termite species, including subterranean termites that are a challenge for homeowners in Gainesville with a thorough understanding of their habitat, eating habits, and signs.
Professional – Our friendly termite inspectors will make you feel taken care of and your questions and concerns answered.
Innovative – New technologies and pest control methods make finding termites more reliable and precise. We continually update our practices so that we can be sure we are providing the most effective service.

In addition to residential properties, we also offer termite inspections for commercial properties. All of our inspections are available at affordable rates, especially when you consider how much preventative termite control can save you in repair costs. If a termite treatment plan is needed, we will help there as well, with affordable costs and the most conservative solutions to minimize your inconvenience.

Where We Service

Protect Your Property for Wood Eating Insects – Call Us Today

Termite damage is a concern for properties in our area, but termite inspections can give you the assurance that your home is safe. Contact us at 571-620-1168 to get a free estimate for the cost of a termite inspection at your property.