Termite Treatment in Toledo, OH

Eastern subterranean termites live in the soil under Toledo houses and feed on the wood above. The exterminator confirms they are termites, shows you where they are working and explains the treatment options before anything is done.

Northwest Ohio is solid eastern subterranean termite country. Colonies reach wood through cracks in foundations, expansion joints and any wood that touches the ground. Swarms usually come on a warm day after rain between March and May, often out of a basement wall or near a sunny window. Older porches, garages and additions in West Toledo, Old Orchard and Ottawa Hills are common spots.

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 between March and May, often near a basement wall or a sunny window.
• Mud tubes Thin brown tunnels on the foundation, the garage wall 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 Toledo houses

Porches, additions and garages

Older porches, garages and additions in West Toledo, Old Orchard and Ottawa Hills often sit on their own footings with wood close to the soil. The joint where they meet the house is a common way in, and detached garages with wood framing on the slab are often hit first.

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.

Expansion joints and slab cracks

Termites can pass through gaps as thin as a card in the joints and cracks of basement floors, garage slabs and porches.

Mulch, firewood and wood on the soil

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

How termite treatment is done

1. 01

   Inspect

   Foundation, sill plate, basement framing, porch, garage and any wood near soil. Mud tubes and damage are mapped.

2. 02

   Confirm

   Swarmers or workers are checked so you know it is termites.

3. 03

   Choose the treatment

   A liquid soil treatment, a bait system or both, with the reasons.

4. 04

   Treat

   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

Termite inspections for home sales

When a house in Toledo is sold, the lender often asks for a wood destroying insect inspection, usually written on the standard NPMA-33 report, and FHA and VA loans often require one. The inspection looks for termites and other wood destroying insects and notes damage and conditions that invite them.

Selling or buying in Toledo? Ask about a wood destroying insect inspection report when you call.

Damage repair

Treatment stops termites; it does not fix damaged wood. Weak sills, joists or porch posts need a carpenter, and the technician points out what to have looked at.

What changes the price of termite treatment

• The size of the foundation And the porches, slabs, garages 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 first. Every other service is on pest control in Toledo.

Before the inspection

• Keep a few wings In a sealed bag, so they can be checked.
• Do not disturb mud tubes They show where the termites travel.
• Clear access to the basement walls And to the crawl space and garage walls.

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.
• Keep gutters draining away from the house Damp soil at the foundation draws termites.
• Report new mud tubes or swarmers As soon as you see them.

Swarms in heated basements

In older Toledo homes, termites sometimes swarm inside a heated basement in February or March, weeks before the outdoor swarms, because the soil near the warm foundation wakes the colony early. Swarmers indoors in late winter are a sure sign the colony is under or beside the house.

Termite treatment questions