Wood-Destroying Organisms Inspections
What are Wood-Destroying Organisms (WDO)?
Wood Destroying Organisms (WDOs) are organisms that impact the structural integrity of wood. These include carpenter ants, termites, wood-boring beetles, fungi, and dry rot. While WDOs can come in many shapes and sizes, they all damage wood through their normal life cycles and can lead to significant damage and expense.
Carpenter Ants
While these ants do not eat wood or cellulose, they use dead or dying wood to carve out tunnels for their colony. While most colonies are around 3,000 in number, nests can grow up to 100,000
Termites
Termites, unlike carpenter ants, eat the cellulose in wood and typically will not leave on their own accord once they are established. Mature termite colonies can grow large, housing between 60,000 to 1 million termites. While the most common type of termite is the sub-terranean termite that needs moisture to survive, there are also drywood termites which can survive in dryer conditions.
Wood Boring Beetles
Wood boring beetles are insects that make their home by drilling into wood both on the interior and exterior of homes. These beetles lay their eggs inside the wood and their larvae can cause significant damage to the wood. When they reach adulthood, these beetles create exit holes to escape and continue the lifecycle.
