Crawl space, foundation and exterior inspection for termites in farmhouses and older town houses around Montpelier, with findings explained before any work.
Fastest: call (855) 974-4733. Or send this and we call you back.
A termite inspection looks for signs of termite activity, such as mud tubes, swarmers, frass and damaged wood, and checks the moisture and wood-to-soil contact that let termites in. It answers whether signs are present and explains what the findings mean.
Termite pressure varies from one house to the next, and this page does not describe how common termites are around Montpelier. A technician answers that question for a particular property by looking for signs and explaining what they mean. An inspection is that look, and it does not end in treatment unless the findings call for one.
The eastern subterranean termite is the species most often associated with Indiana. These termites live in the soil and build mud tubes over foundation walls and piers to reach wood without exposure to air. They need moisture, so damp crawl spaces, dirt-floor basements, wood in contact with soil and leaking gutters all raise the question. Older Purdue Extension guidance, from 1997, says termite and ant swarms often appear around April in the Midwest, and that termite swarmers are among the swarm types most likely to mean damage to a house's wood.
Some houses have drywood termites, which live inside dry wood and leave small pellets called frass. The inspection looks for both kinds of sign. A technician checks the outside of the house, the foundation, the crawl space or basement and the wood structures, and reports what is found. Call (855) 974-4733 at any hour to ask about an inspection, and the crawl space pest control page covers how the space under the house is reached.
Do not dig at the soil around the foundation, break open mud tubes or drill into framing to look for termites, because that damages the evidence and can open a route into the structure. Do not pour soil treatments or other products around the foundation or into wall voids on your own. Do not repair framing that may be damaged before an inspection, since the repair can hide the signs. Keep crawl-space access clear so the technician can reach the wood.
Phones are answered 24/7. The caller describes what has been seen, where, and whether there has been a swarm, a pile of pellets or a sound in the wall. A visit the same day is possible only when a technician is free, and no arrival time is promised.
The technician walks the outside of the building and checks the grade, downspouts, gutters, foundation cracks and any wood in contact with soil. Mud tubes on the foundation, piers and porch steps are noted, along with wood piles and posts that touch the ground.
The technician checks the sill plate, floor joists, subfloor and framing from the crawl space or basement, using a flashlight and a probe. Dirt-floor and stone basements are checked for damp areas and for wood resting on the foundation wall. Access is part of the job, and the technician explains what could not be reached.
The technician explains what was found, what was not found, and what the signs could mean. An inspection does not promise that termites are absent or present, and any uncertainty is stated plainly. The findings are written down so the owner can compare them with any later visit.
If the findings call for treatment or repair, the technician explains the options and what each involves. The price is explained and approved before any work starts, and the owner decides whether to go ahead. Framing repairs are often done by a carpenter, and the technician will say when that is the case.
They may be, but flying ants look similar. The technician checks the body shape and wings, and the place where the insects were found helps narrow the question.
Termite swarmers often have a thick waist and wings of about the same length, while flying ants have a pinched waist and a longer front pair of wings. Those differences are easy to miss across a room. Wings shed on a sill are a useful clue, because they fall off after the swarm.
Older Purdue Extension guidance says termite swarms often appear around April in the Midwest, but timing varies with the weather and the building. A single swarm found indoors is a reason to inspect the wood and foundation, not a finding in itself.
Mud tubes are soil-colored tunnels that subterranean termites build to reach wood while staying out of open air. Finding them on a foundation, pier or step means the wood nearby needs a close look.
The tubes are pencil-width and made of soil and debris, and they are often found where the foundation meets the soil or on a concrete pier. Termites build them to stay in a moist environment on the way to the wood. A broken tube can be rebuilt, which is one reason the inspection looks at the whole line of the foundation.
A technician records where the tubes were found and whether they appear active. Breaking a tube open to look inside is not the homeowner's job, since it damages the evidence and does not show the extent of the problem.
A homeowner can look at the foundation, the crawl space access and the wood near the ground with a flashlight. A technician checks the hidden wood and explains what it means.
Walking the outside of the house and looking for mud tubes, wood in soil, damp spots and frass under windows is a reasonable first step. Many signs are hidden inside walls, under floors and in framing, so an outside look does not settle the question. A crawl space with poor access may need a technician to look properly.
Do not dig, drill or pour anything into the soil or walls to test for termites. That damages the evidence and can make a later inspection harder.
The size of the building, how much of the foundation and crawl space can be reached, the number of outbuildings and wood structures, the severity of the findings, and any repairs needed by another trade all change the work. The price is explained and approved before any work starts.
A small house with an accessible crawl space is a shorter inspection than a larger farmhouse with a stone basement, several outbuildings and a long run of wood in contact with soil. The amount of access, the number of spaces to check and the amount of framing to probe all affect the time the inspection takes.
If treatment or repair is needed, the price depends on the extent of the work and whether a carpenter is needed for the framing. The owner approves the price before any work is started.
Age and dryness alone do not settle the question. An inspection checks for signs hidden in the framing and foundation, and those can be present in old, dry houses as well as new ones.
Older houses in this area often have wood framing, wood porches and wood that sits on or near the foundation, and those are the places termites are checked. A well-kept, dry house may still have a problem in a hidden joint, and an inspection is the way to see it.
The owner can lower the risk by keeping wood off the soil, fixing leaking gutters and keeping the crawl space ventilated and free of debris. Those steps are not an inspection, and the findings should come first.
Subterranean termites live in the soil and reach wood through mud tubes and moisture. They are most often linked to damp foundations, wood in contact with soil and poorly ventilated crawl spaces. The inspection checks the tubes, the moisture, the grade and the wood on the foundation. Treatment, when needed, is aimed at the soil contact and the path into the structure.
Drywood termites live inside dry wood, such as framing, furniture or trim, and do not need contact with soil. They are identified by pellet-shaped droppings called frass, which collect below small holes in the wood. The inspection looks at the wood inside and outside the house and at the places where frass has fallen, since that shows where a colony is working.
Winged termites, called swarmers, sometimes appear inside a house near windows or along a sill. They are often confused with flying ants, so the technician checks body shape and wings. Shed wings on a sill are a clue. A swarm indoors is a sign that a colony may be near, but it is not, by itself, proof of an active infestation.
Montpelier's older town core has frame and brick houses built during the gas and oil boom, many over full or stone basements. Wood sills and joists resting on old foundations, and cellars with damp floors, are the first places a technician checks, along with the moisture and grade around the foundation.
Out on the farms, pole barns, machinery sheds and porch posts often sit in or against the soil. Wood in contact with the ground is the main thing that lets termites reach a structure, so outbuildings are part of the inspection, not only the house. Hartford City, the county seat and the county's largest town [search], has older houses that are inspected the same way.
Crawl-space access is common in this area and is often the hardest part of the job. A technician who cannot reach the whole space says so in the findings rather than implying the area was clear. The crawl space pest control page explains how those spaces are approached.
If it's an emergency, call now. For non-urgent termite inspection, send the form and we'll call you back.
Not sure if you're covered? Check your ZIP code.
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This page does not state a local rate, because termite pressure varies from one property to the next. A technician can answer for a particular house after inspecting it, which is more useful than any general figure.
Termite swarmers usually have a thick waist and wings of about the same length, while flying ants have a pinched waist and a longer front pair of wings. A technician checks the insects and where they were found. Shed wings on a sill are a useful clue.
No. An inspection looks for signs and explains what they mean. Treatment or repair is offered only if the findings call for it, and the price is explained and approved before any work starts.
The time depends on the size of the building, how much of the foundation and crawl space can be reached, and the number of outbuildings. The technician will say how long the visit should take once the property has been seen.
Yes, when access allows. The technician checks the piers, sill plate, joists and soil, and notes any part of the space that could not be reached. The findings say plainly what was checked and what was not.
A buyer can ask for an inspection at any time, and an older house with wood in contact with the soil is a common reason to look closely. The technician writes down what was found, and the buyer decides what to do with the findings.