Termite Treatment and Inspection in Glen Ellyn, IL

Eastern subterranean termites are active across DuPage County. They live in the soil and reach a house through the foundation, a porch, an addition or any wood that touches the ground. The first job is confirming them, because carpenter ants swarm in the same weeks.

Termite swarms in Glen Ellyn usually happen on a warm day after rain in April or May, often inside the basement or near a window. The swarmers lose their wings fast, so a pile of small wings on a windowsill is a classic sign. Inside the wood, termites eat along the grain and leave mud-packed galleries, and the outside of the board can look fine for years.

Termites or flying ants

If the insects are carpenter ants, the nest is found and treated instead; that work is on ant control.

Signs of termites

• Swarmers or wings Indoors in April or May, often near a basement window or a wall.
• Mud tubes Thin brown tunnels on the foundation, a pier or a porch post.
• Hollow or soft wood A screwdriver pushes into a sill or a trim board easily.
• Blistered paint or bubbled drywall Over wood that termites are feeding behind.
• Mud in cracks Where termites have sealed a gap they are using.

How termites reach Glen Ellyn houses

Porches and additions

Front porches and later additions often sit on their own footings with wood close to the soil, and the joint where they meet the house is a common way in.

Fieldstone and block foundations

Mortar gaps in fieldstone walls and the hollow cores of block foundations let termites travel up to the sill plate out of sight.

Mulch, firewood and wood touching soil

Decades of mulch piled against the walls, firewood stacked on the ground and wood steps or trim touching the soil all give termites an easy start.

Finished basements

Paneling and drywall over the foundation hide mud tubes until the damage shows.

How termite treatment is done

1. 01

   Inspect

   The foundation, sill plate, porch, crawl space, basement framing, door frames and any wood touching soil. Mud tubes, damaged wood and swarm evidence are mapped.

2. 02

   Confirm the insect

   Swarmers or workers are checked so you know it is termites and not carpenter ants.

3. 03

   Explain the options

   A liquid soil treatment, a bait system or a combination, with the reasons for each.

4. 04

   Treat

   The treatment is installed around the foundation and under slabs where needed.

5. 05

   Monitor

   Bait systems are checked on a schedule; soil treatments are reinspected.

Soil treatment or bait

The right choice depends on the foundation, porches, slabs and wells and how active the termites are.

Termite inspections for home sales

When a house in Glen Ellyn is sold, the lender often asks for a wood destroying insect inspection, usually written on the standard NPMA-33 report. The inspection looks for termites and other wood destroying insects and notes any damage and conditions that invite them. Ask whether your lender needs one when you call.

Buying or selling in Glen Ellyn? Ask about a wood destroying insect inspection report when you call.

Damage repair

Treatment stops termites; it does not replace damaged wood. Weak sills, joists or porch framing need a carpenter, and the technician points out what should be looked at.

What changes the price of termite treatment

• The size of the foundation And the porches, slabs and additions.
• Soil treatment or bait And how much drilling the slabs need.
• Monitoring Whether ongoing checks are part of the plan.

You hear the price before any treatment. Every other service is on pest control in Glen Ellyn.

Keeping termites away

• Pull mulch back from the foundation Keep a few inches of bare soil or stone.
• Keep wood off the soil Steps, trim, posts and firewood.
• Fix leaks and downspouts Damp soil at the foundation draws termites.
• Watch for swarmers each spring And save a few if you see them.

Termite control questions