6909 Glen Landing
Las Vegas, NV 89130
(702) 769 - 8588

The kinds we have here are: (1.) Desert Dampwood Termites....a different kind from my experience "back home". It seems that they have to have a high water content in the wood, some sort of regular water getting on the wood to attack it, and if conditions are right, they will. For example, sprinkler systems hitting your house is a bad plan. Leaky water pipes are the most common way to have the regular water they need. Most of what I've seen has been remodelers tearing out bathroom and kitchen walls and discovering them. Being careful with non-essential water around your house is very helpful with these guys. (an aside: I had been in my brand new house for two weeks, in the summer, and was working in the garage about 9pm. The light was on and the garage door was open. It had just rained and all of the sudden, the whole garage was full of flying Desert Dampwood Termites. They had swarmed out in the desert somewhere, and came to the light. This sorta surprised me, because the Subterranean Termites I'm used to dealing with swarm in the daytime)

(2.) Subterranean Termites. The kind I fought for so long in Texas and Oklahoma. We have them, but the lack of moisture really holds them back. In Las Vegas, I have found them all over, but mostly in an area that coincidently is the same area as the "Las Vegas Wash". (For you newcomers, Las Vegas Wash is a kinda watershed that trails from the mountains in the west of the Valley to Lake Mead on the southeast. When it rains. Aint often.) Anyway, there is a broad stripe across the map of Las Vegas that runs from around Rancho and Cheyenne, southeast to maybe Nellis and Tropicana that is the biggest termite problems area. Again, coincidently, this area includes the older neighborhoods, with more wood for them to eat and more moisture than the areas with the new additions where the lawns aren't even in yet.

(3.) Drywood Termites. Thankfully, we don't have much of this activity, although I have been told that there have been cases. I never dealt with them "back home", but what I do know is that they ingest wood, they make galleries, sorta like little caverns, and can do serious damage. These are the termites you have seen people "tenting" buildings to get rid of, primarily in California and Florida.

(4.) Other types. There are a few other, not so important, types of termites here, and if you are really interested, get in touch with the State Agriculture Department, Business and Industry Division. They seem to know their stuff and are helpful.

My Suggestions concerning termites in Las Vegas:

Always, if something seems to be damaging wood in your house, call us or somebody to look at it.

When you consider buying a home, insist on a termite inspection. The VA has always required a termite inspection, and the FHA has recently made the same decision. The mortgage lenders will follow suit soon (I have seen this progression before, during the time I lived in Oklahoma). YOU definitely should require it, as well. The seller is supposed to pay for this, but even if they won't, my strong suggestion is, YOU get it done. Even if termites aren't as bad here as in other areas, they are still here, and YOU really don't want to hear the horror stories I have about this.

Get leaky water pipes in the house fixed quickly. Don't draw the termites. Water is gold to desert creatures, and desert termites are no different.

Watch out for raised flowerbeds. The water that goes into them furnishes a magnet and the construction furnishes an easy path into the home for termites.

If you buy a new home, absolutely insist that it be pretreated. I told my builder that if mine wasn't, and by my own company, I'd buy from someone else. Tell them that you are going to be on site when the pretreat is done, insist on it, and tell them that you are going to take a chemical sample to the State to get analyzed. Tell the builders that if the pretreat isn't right according to the State, he was going to own that slab and you'll see him in court. Also, tell him that you want documentation of how much chemical was used, total, and you were going to have the State look the job and the documentation over. This has been a big racket in Las Vegas, as far as I'm concerned, but I think the State folks are straightening it out. Just protect yourself. One more thing. While the pretreatment is for termites, it is widely known that a good pretreat on a slab foundation will do a lot of good to stop ant problems, the biggest headache in Las Vegas. I have lived in my new, properly pretreated, house for three years, and I have never seen an ant in the house, and.....I have seen almost none on my property. Hmmmmmmm.

Last, look around you house at the ground near or against the house. If it's wet, you have a prime termite drawing card. I saw a house that had water-cooled air conditioners with a drain just outside the house in the back yard. That area stayed wet all the time. Termites were eating the house. Duh. Another common problem I've run into is leaking lawn sprinkler system controls. They are usually close to the house and if they keep the ground wet, the termites will find it, and then your house.

You can really diminish the chances of having termite problems here by being careful with water against or in the house.

For more information, go back to the home page and see the next topic.