Termite inspection and treatment in the South Bay

Termites common in the South Bay

The two termites to know in a South Bay home are the western drywood termite and the western subterranean termite. Drywood termites live entirely inside wood. They do not need contact with the soil, which is why they turn up in older wood-framed and coastal houses, including cedar and other exposed wood. You usually notice them from swarmers or from small, ridged, six-sided pellets pushed out of the wood.

Western subterranean termites live in the soil and need moisture from the ground. They build mud tubes, about the width of a pencil, up foundations, piers, and cracks in a slab. The workers are pale and are rarely seen in the open. A licensed provider has to say which termite is active, because a localized treatment, a soil treatment, and a fumigation are different jobs. Winged ants are a different insect. The waist, antennae, and wing differences are on the ant page. Fall swarm season and what the pellets mean are in drywood termite swarm season in the LA South Bay. South Bay Pest Pros does not inspect.

Signs of termites

• ✔Mud tubes on foundation walls, piers, or the edge of a slab (subterranean termites)
• ✔Piles of tiny, pellet-like droppings near wood, window sills, or baseboards (drywood termites)
• ✔Discarded wings on a windowsill after a swarm
• ✔Wood that sounds hollow, or paint that blisters over damaged wood
• ✔A door or window that suddenly sticks. Other things cause that too, so it is a clue, not proof
• ✔Shredded wood with insect parts in it is carpenter-ant debris, not drywood termite pellets. See ant control

When termite activity should be handled sooner

Termites are not a same-hour emergency. Active signs should not wait until next season. Call sooner if you see mud tubes, swarmers indoors, fresh pellets, or wood that sounds hollow. An active colony keeps feeding. Discarded wings on a sill can be termites or ants, so have a licensed provider identify them. We do not inspect, and we do not decide whether a buyer or a seller pays for the work.

What a licensed provider typically does

The visit starts with an inspection that identifies the termite and how far the activity goes. For subterranean termites, providers typically treat the soil along the foundation with a liquid termiticide, install a baiting system, or do both, depending on the construction. For drywood termites, a localized colony may be spot-treated. Activity spread through the structure may be treated by fumigation or by another whole-structure method the provider explains. The provider should tell you what the inspection found before you agree to any treatment. How that choice between tenting and a local treatment is made is in termite tenting or local treatment.

In California, termite work is Branch 3, wood-destroying organisms. Fumigation is Branch 1. Ask which license covers the job and look it up. The steps are in the licensing FAQ. South Bay Pest Pros does not inspect, fumigate, or treat. We match you with an independent, licensed provider who does. Questions about the agreement are in what to ask before you sign.

What to ask before hiring

• ✔Are you licensed in California for this work, and can I see the company registration?
• ✔Is this Branch 3 termite work, and if you recommend fumigation, who holds the Branch 1 license?
• ✔Are these western drywood termites, western subterranean termites, or carpenter ants?
• ✔What did the inspection find, and what is not included in the price?
• ✔Who quotes after the inspection? The provider does. South Bay Pest Pros does not quote or perform the work.
• ✔If pellets or wings show up again later, what does the agreement say happens next?