Termite Inspection Durham NC & Termite Control

Step 1 — Free inspection. A licensed technician walks your entire property: crawl space or slab perimeter, sill plates, floor joists, foundation exterior, attic framing, garage, and any outbuildings. We probe suspect wood, look for active mud tubes, check moisture readings around the sub-structure, and photograph anything that matters. You get a plain-English report the same day.

Step 2 — Species ID and pressure assessment. Almost every active infestation in Durham is Reticulitermes flavipes, but occasionally we find drywood or Formosan activity — and the treatment plan changes accordingly. We also grade the property's termite pressure (low / moderate / high) based on soil contact, moisture, mulch beds, tree stumps, and neighborhood history.

Step 3 — Personalized treatment plan and written quote. Based on what we found, we recommend one of three approaches (below), or a hybrid. You get a written scope with the products we'll use, where they go, how long it takes, and the warranty terms — before you sign anything.

Step 4 — Treatment day. Most Durham homes are treated in one visit lasting 2–4 hours. You can stay home the entire time. We trench and treat the exterior perimeter, drill and inject through slab or masonry where needed, and/or install in-ground bait stations at 10-foot intervals around the structure.

Step 5 — Follow-up and annual re-inspection. Every termite job comes with an annual re-inspection, so a new colony trying to move in gets caught early. If active termites come back inside the warranty period, we come back and re-treat at no charge.

Liquid termiticide (non-repellent, e.g. Termidor): Applied as a continuous soil barrier around the foundation. Termites contact the treated soil, carry the active ingredient back to the colony, and the whole colony collapses within weeks. Best for homes with active infestations, homes on slabs, and homes where you want the strongest possible perimeter protection. Typical residual: 7–10 years.

In-ground bait stations (e.g. Sentricon / Advance): Sealed cellulose-and-active-ingredient stations installed every 10 feet around the foundation. Foragers find the bait, share it colony-wide, and the colony is eliminated within a few months. Best for homes with well vegetation nearby, homes over crawl spaces where drilling is disruptive, and homeowners who want a lower-disturbance, continuously-monitored solution. Stations are inspected and refreshed annually.

Hybrid approach: On homes with confirmed active infestation, we frequently pair a liquid barrier to knock out the immediate threat with bait stations for long-term monitoring. Which one we recommend depends on what we find during the inspection — that's the whole point of walking your property first.

In the Triangle, subterranean termite swarms typically start in late February and peak from March through May, usually on warm afternoons following a rain. If you see winged insects near interior windows, light fixtures, or crawl-space vents in early spring, take a photo and send it to us that day — swarmers indoors are the single clearest sign of an active colony inside or under your home.

Even outside swarm season, termites forage year-round in NC because our soils rarely freeze deep enough to stop them. That's why we recommend a professional inspection every spring, and why real estate transactions in North Carolina almost always require a current WDIR (Wood-Destroying Insect Report, form NPMA-33) before closing.

Every home we treat is different. A 1,200-square-foot slab ranch in East Durham needs a completely different treatment scope than a 4,000-square-foot crawl-space home in Woodcroft with a finished basement addition. Foundation type, linear footage, soil access, existing damage, warranty length you want, and whether we're treating preventively or knocking out an active colony all move the number. That's why we don't publish a "termite price" — a flat rate would either overcharge small homes or under-treat big ones. Book the free inspection, we'll walk your property, show you what we find, and give you a written quote personalized to your home. No pressure, no upsell, no obligation.