Termites in Santa Clarita

Termites are the quietest expensive problem a house can have. By the time most homeowners notice, the colony has been working for a while. In the Santa Clarita Valley we deal with both drywood termites, which live inside the wood itself, and subterranean termites, which come up from the soil.

Telling the two apart

It matters, because the treatments are nothing alike. Drywood termites push out small pellets that look like coarse sand or coffee grounds, often piling on windowsills, in garages or under eaves. Subterranean termites build mud tubes up foundation walls and piers to keep their moisture while they travel. If you're finding pellets, think drywood. If you're finding mud tubes, think subterranean.

The swarm is the warning

Every spring, winged reproductives leave an established colony to start new ones. Most homeowners first learn they have termites when they find discarded wings on a windowsill or a cluster of swarmers around an outdoor light. Swarmers indoors almost always mean the colony is already in the structure, not just near it.

Where we find damage in valley homes

Older Newhall properties with wood in contact with soil are where we see the most subterranean activity. Drywood shows up anywhere but concentrates in eaves, fascia, patio covers, garage door framing and attic sheathing — sun-exposed wood that stays dry. Tap suspect wood; termite-hollowed lumber sounds papery instead of solid.

What treatment involves

Localized drywood activity can often be spot-treated in the affected members. Widespread drywood infestation is where fumigation earns its cost, because the gas reaches every void in the structure rather than the spots someone happened to find. Subterranean colonies are handled by treating the soil to create a continuous zone the colony can't cross.

Buying or selling a home

Real estate transactions need a written report on the standard state form, which is a different product from a homeowner inspection and carries a $175 inspection fee. We document findings and separate what's required from what's recommended, so you know exactly what's being negotiated. Homeowner inspections remain free.