Termite Control Services in Seattle & Eastside, WA

Subterranean Termite

Worker: 1/8-inch in length. Soldier: Body is similar to that of the worker. Supplementary Reproductive: About 1 inch in length. Primary Reproductive: About 1 inch in length.

Damp Wood Termite

King and queen bodies range from 1/2- to 5/8-inch. Nymphs range up to 5/8-inch. Soldiers range up to 3/4-inch in length. Kings and queens are brownish in color. Kings and queens have two pair of wings that are equal in size and shape and extend well beyond the tip of the abdomen.

As termites eat though wood they hollow out tunnesl and “cathedrals”.   This tends to give termite infested wood a hollow sound when you knock on it.

Again, this destroyed wood is the hardest to find, but it is also where the most significant damage can occure.

Picured is the type of damage that can happen over time.  That used to be a solid 2×4.  As you can see from the picture, there isn’t much left.  Termites have hollowed it leaving only paper thin wood remaining.

Damage this extensive takes some time.  If caught early this type of termite damage can be avoided.

Gaps and Crumbling Wood
Sometimes termites will dig to far and break though the wood.  If it’s a small gap then they just cover the gap with mud and keep eating.  Sometimes the damage will be so severe that an entire section of wood will just fall apart.

As you can see from this picture of termite damage, the upper section of this doorframe was completely destroyed by termites.

Termite Mud Tubes

Subterranean termites live in the ground, but their food sources are ussually found above ground.

If getting from point A to point B requires crossing open ground, they will build mud tubes to cover the open distance.

These termite tubes serve several purposes.  First is the termites need for moisture.  The tubes shelter the termites from an open enviroment that could dry out their bodies.  The next important function termite tubes serve is to protect the termites as they go back and forth from their colony to the food source.

Ussually you will find these termite tubes running from the ground over a foundation to get to the wood part of a bulding.  They can be a good sign of where the termite’s point of entry was.

Termite Pellets

Termite pellets, or frass, are little balls of termite waste.  Drywood termites push their waste out of the colony from little “kick holes”.  A kick hole will just be a simple hole in the wood.  It will appear rather innocent, but an active kick hole will have an ever growing pile of termite pellets under it.  This will be a sure indication of an active Drywood termite infestation.

How to Identify & Control Termite

Pacific Dampwood Termites

These are some of the largest termites in North America, perhaps the world, but thankfully they only attack wood that is so wet and moist that rot (wood decay fungus) is likely to set in. They are found throughout the Puget Sound and are commonly found in wood that is laying on the ground, partially rotted. Homes only encounter these termites when there is some excessive moisture condition such as a chronic roof leak, a chronic pluming leak, or excessive moisture in a substructure crawlspace (standing water, lack of ventilation, etc.) Dampwood Termites swarm - that is, they send out their winged-reproductives, in the late summer

Western Subterranean Termites

The "subterranean" termite is the infamous termite that does so much damage to homes. They send troops out of the ground nest lying somewhere beneath the home and it is these worker termites that tunnel through the timber and framing of homes and, over time, cause significant destruction.

Subterranean Termite

Worker: 1/8-inch in length. Soldier: Body is similar to that of the worker. Supplementary Reproductive: About 1 inch in length. Primary Reproductive: About 1 inch in length.

Damp Wood Termite

King and queen bodies range from 1/2- to 5/8-inch. Nymphs range up to 5/8-inch. Soldiers range up to 3/4-inch in length. Kings and queens are brownish in color. Kings and queens have two pair of wings that are equal in size and shape and extend well beyond the tip of the abdomen

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Termite exterminators

Termites may leave few readily observable signs of activity as they consume wood, drywall, sheetrock and various other forms of building materials used in construction of walls, ceilings and floors. Experts estimate that termites damage more than 600,000 homes in the United States

Some homeowners choose to try to do their own do it yourself Seattle termite control. They rely on advice found online or on the packaging of products purchased in big home improvement stores or garden centers. In situations where consumers feel like they can handle the problem on their own, there is nothing wrong with this approach. And there are some products out on the market available directly for consumers that can be effective in the right set of circumstances.