Wood-destroying insects, or WDI’s, are some of the most destructive forces on Chicago area homes; mostly because their presence goes unknown for years at a time in some cases. These tiny home demolishing teams do their work undetected far too often. Our team of experts are dedicated to searching out WDI’s and eliminating them from your home.

As part of most home-buying processes, lenders often require a WDI inspection to be performed before approving a home loan. WDI and termite inspections help to ensure that potential property buyers can be confident when buying either residential or commercial property. Because termites and other WDI’s cause extensive damage that undermines the structural integrity of any home, it is imperative to make sure that infestation is thoroughly and professionally inspected for.

As Chicago’s leading pest control company, we provide prompt, comprehensive and reliable WDI inspection reports that suit most lending requirements. After inspection, we can provide customized recommendations for control and treatment whenever needed. Schedule your comprehensive WDI and termite inspection now.

What wood-destroying insects do we have in Northern Illinois?

• SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES: Northern Illinois has a significant termite problem unknown to most home owners.  Termites live in the ground and enter through entry points such as cracks in your foundation, under stoops, gaps in brick and stone foundations, under the edge of siding and along expansion joints between different slabs of home such as garage or porches.  Termites do not travel across the surface like other insects where you can see them.  They construct mud tubing along surfaces and stay inside so they are hidden to the average person’s eye. This is an easy find for the professional inspector. The termites devour the wood and carry it through these hidden highways back into the ground and feed the colony.
• CARPENTER ANTS: If you have lived in Northern Illinois long you probably notice these extremely large black ants around outside during the summer.  They do not eat the wood like termites but they do invade homes for nesting. They normally build their homes in trees but often find areas of moisture such as door frames, shower walls, behind dishwashers, under toilets and other high moisture areas of your home.  These ants burrow galleries through the wood in these location to create a hidden home. The saw dust they excavate is a sure sign something is going on.  They can also be seen foraging the home for food.  Carpenter Ants are the most common wood destroying insect found in this region of our state and cause thousands of dollars of damage to your home.
• CARPENTER BEES:  These wood damaging bees are a found infesting the outside of the home. During the spring these bees bore a ½” hole in would structures such as exterior soffit, fascia, decks, gazebos, fence posts and more.  Once through the surface they follow the grain of the wood just below the surface and can extends these tunnels up to 12”.  Signs of these large bees would be wood shavings and ½” holes in the wood.  For treatment options please call.

• WOOD DESTROYING BEETLES: Northern Illinois has a variety of wood destroying beetles that can infest a home causing significant damage.  Depending on the beetle, holes can be created in unfinished wood in basement and crawlspaces that are anywhere from 1/32” to ½” in diameter. Signs of these beetles will be the presence of frass (saw dust) under or around these holes.  Please contact us for treatment options.