Termite and wood-destroying organisms

Termite and wood-destroying organism work is the inspection, treatment and reporting side of pest control that protects the structure of a building. EPA says termites cause billions of dollars in structural damage every year and property owners spend over two billion dollars to treat them. The work has two halves. One is treatment: liquid termiticides in the soil, bait systems, treated building materials and wood treatments, and for some infestations, fumigation. The other is inspection and reporting, including the wood-destroying insect reports that home sales and loans often depend on. BLS describes termite control workers as applicators who use chemicals, baiting techniques and structural modifications, and who may repair damage. EPA says firms offering termite services must be licensed by the state. The field suits careful, patient people who do not mind crawlspaces and who can write clearly, because a termite inspection report is a document other people make money decisions on. It is usually entered from general pest after adding the termite category.

Many days start with inspections. A technician or inspector arrives at a property, confirms which structures are part of the job, and works through the building from the outside, the inside, the crawlspace or basement and the attic where accessible. On the standard NPMA-33 wood destroying insect inspection report, which NPMA says must be used for HUD and VA guaranteed property transactions, the inspector looks for visible evidence of termites, carpenter ants, carpenter bees and reinfesting wood-boring beetles. That means live insects, dead insects and wings, frass, shelter tubes, exit holes, staining and damage. NPMA's guidance tells the inspector to probe and sound readily accessible wood, and to list the areas that could not be inspected and why.

Then comes the writing. The report records only what was visible on the day. NPMA's guidelines say the inspector is not a damage expert, should not distinguish between structural and cosmetic damage, and that the report clearly states it is not a structural damage report. The inspector still has to make a recommendation, and live termites do not have to be seen for a treatment to be recommended if there is evidence and no documentation of past treatment. Some states set their own rules and forms. In California, only a licensed Branch 3 field representative or operator may inspect before anyone issues an opinion on wood-destroying pests, the report must be delivered within 10 business days of the start of the inspection, and it must include a diagram of the structure showing where infestation or infection was found.

Treatment days look different. For a conventional liquid treatment of subterranean termites, Georgia's minimum treatment standards spell out the work in detail: remove wood debris and cellulose material from under the building, break wood-to-soil contacts, remove accessible termite tunnels, trench along the inside and outside of foundation walls, rod below the trench where needed, and drill concrete slabs, hollow block walls and porches at set intervals so termiticide reaches the soil. The same rule sets the rate at 4 gallons per 10 linear feet per foot of depth for soil, and requires steps to prevent back-siphoning into water supplies and contamination of wells. It is heavy, careful work with a pump, hose, drill and rods.

Other jobs use bait systems. University of California IPM describes baits as slow-acting insecticides that termites share through the colony. Bait work means installing stations around a structure and returning to check and service them. Drywood termites, which nest in dry wood above ground rather than in soil, may be handled with localized treatments such as heat or wood replacement, or with whole-structure fumigation when infestations are widespread, which is fumigation crew work.

Across the week, a termite technician balances inspections, treatments, bait station checks, renewals of service agreements, and paperwork. California requires registered companies to keep inspection reports, field notes and activity forms for three years. The paperwork is not an add-on to the job. It is a large part of what you are paid for and what you are accountable for.