Termite Treatment

Termites on the Gulf Coast live in the soil under and around the house and come up to eat the wood, usually without being seen. Michael Gerbino of Cypress Critters & Pests inspects the slab, the walls and the attic for mud tubes, swarmers and damaged wood, tells you what he found, and treats the ground and the wood where they are working. He covers Houston, Cypress, Spring, Tomball, The Woodlands and Klein. If you think you have termites, call
713-775-8799.

Termites do their damage slowly and quietly. Many homeowners only learn about them when a door starts sticking, a baseboard crumbles under a vacuum, or a cloud of winged insects shows up at a window on a warm spring day. The earlier they are found, the less wood they have eaten and the smaller the repair.

What are the signs of termites in a house?

The termites that cause most of the trouble here are subterranean termites. They need moisture, so they stay in the soil and travel up into the house through tunnels they build. These are the signs Michael looks for.

• Mud tubes. Pencil-width brown tunnels running up the slab edge, a foundation wall, a pier or the inside of the garage. Termites build them to stay damp on the way to the wood.
• Swarmers and wings. Winged termites leaving the colony in spring, often after a warm rain, and piles of small, equal-sized wings on window sills and near doors.
• Soft or hollow wood. Baseboards, door frames and window trim that sound hollow when tapped or give under a screwdriver.
• Bubbling paint or wavy drywall. Termites eating the paper and wood behind the surface can leave it looking blistered or water-stained.
• Doors and windows that start to stick. Damaged framing can shift and pinch a door that used to close easily.

Is it termites or flying ants?

Both swarm in spring and both have wings, so they are easy to mix up. The difference matters, because one eats the house and the other does not.

If you are not sure, save a few in a sealed bag or a jar and show them to Michael at the inspection.

Why are termites so common around Houston?

Termites need warmth and moisture, and the Gulf Coast has plenty of both. Most houses here sit on a slab, and anything that brings damp soil or wood close to the house gives them an easy path.

• Wood touching soil. Fence posts, deck posts, trim boards and siding that run down into the dirt.
• Mulch against the slab. Deep mulch piled up the foundation holds water and hides mud tubes.
• Leaks and drips. A dripping AC condensate line, a leaky hose bib or gutters that dump water at the foundation keep the soil wet.
• Slab cracks and plumbing gaps. Termites come up through small cracks and the openings around pipes in the slab.
• Stored wood. Firewood and lumber stacked against the house.

How Michael handles it

It starts with an inspection. Michael walks the outside of the house along the slab, checks the garage, the door frames, the baseboards and the attic, and looks at the spots where water collects. He shows you what he found and explains in plain words where the termites are and how they are getting in.

Treatment goes after the colony, not just the termites in the wall. Subterranean termites come from the soil, so the main work is treating the ground around and under the house to cut them off from the wood, and treating the wood where they are already working. Depending on the house, that may mean treating the soil along the whole foundation, placing bait stations in the ground around the house, or both. Michael explains which approach fits your house and why, tells you how long to keep kids and pets away from treated areas, and points out the moisture problems and wood-to-soil spots you can fix to make the house less inviting.

Termite damage repair is a separate job from treatment. Once termites are stopped, a carpenter can replace the damaged trim or framing. Michael tells you what he saw so you know what to ask for.

Questions before the inspection? Call Michael at
713-775-8799.

What else does Michael check while he is there?

A termite inspection takes Michael along the slab, into the garage and up into the attic, so he sees what else is happening in the house. Termites leave soft, damaged wood behind, and rats and squirrels chew right through it at the soffits and fascia. If he finds chewed openings, he will point them out, because closing them is a separate service called animal exclusion, where he catches the animals alive and seals every way in. If the noise in the attic is rodents, start with rat and mouse control. If it is daytime chewing at the roofline, read about squirrel removal. Roaches, ants and spiders are covered by regular pest control, bites in the bed point to bed bug treatment, and offices, warehouses and other buildings are covered by commercial pest control.

Where Michael does this

Michael inspects and treats for termites on the north and northwest side of the Houston area. Each town page has more about the work there.

• Termite treatment in Houston
• Termite treatment in Cypress
• Termite treatment in Spring
• Termite treatment in Tomball
• Termite treatment in The Woodlands
• Termite treatment in Klein

What decides the quote?

Michael quotes after he has seen the house. What changes it is the size of the house and the length of the foundation, how the termites are getting in, how much wood they have reached, which treatment approach fits the house, and whether there are decks, additions or slab cracks that need extra work. He tells you plainly what he recommends before anything starts. To set up the inspection, call Michael at
713-775-8799
or use the contact page.