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Identification key . 14 leads

The Pests We Actually Find Here

Written from our own inspection findings across Hampton Roads, starting with the five wood destroying insects that show up on Virginia real estate reports.

Schedule an Inspection 757-583-4444

The register

Virginia real estate inspections report on five wood destroying insect groups. All five live in Hampton Roads, and each one gets its own field guide page below.

The index that follows is not sorted into those two buckets. It runs from the fascia board down to the soil, in the order an inspection would meet them, and every lead opens with the evidence rather than the name.

Wood destroying insects, reportable on NPMA-33

Subterranean TermitesCarpenter AntsCarpenter BeesPowderpost BeetlesOld House Borers

Household pests

CockroachesAntsRodentsSpidersCamel CricketsWasps and Yellow JacketsFleasSilverfishMillipedes

Exterior wall, trim, and deck

Above grade, outside the wall

01 Round, clean-edged holes about a half inch across in wood surfaces Carpenter Bees Xylocopa virginica Every April, Hampton Roads decks and fascia boards start growing perfectly round half-inch holes. That is carpenter bee season. NPMA-33 reportable Lives in exterior trim Settled by hole and stain 02 Umbrella-shaped paper combs under eaves, soffits, shutters, or deck rails Wasps and Yellow Jackets Vespula and Polistes species A paper wasp nest under the eaves is a ladder problem. A yellow jacket nest in the ground is the one that sends people to urgent care. Not a WDI species Lives in exterior trim Settled by nest position

Living space

Inside the living space

03 Small tan roaches in kitchen cabinets, under sinks, or near the coffee maker Cockroaches Blattella germanica and Periplaneta americana Two roaches dominate Hampton Roads: the German cockroach indoors and the big American cockroach, the local waterbug, everywhere else. Not a WDI species Lives in living space Settled by species split 04 Pets scratching hard or chewing at the base of the tail Fleas Ctenocephalides felis Fleas are the pest that makes one-visit promises look silly. The pupal stage shrugs off sprays, then restocks the carpet for weeks. Not a WDI species Lives in living space Settled by life stage 05 Silvery, wriggling insects in tubs, sinks, and laundry areas at night Silverfish Lepisma saccharinum The gray, wriggling insect in the tub at 2 AM is a silverfish, and it is less an invader than a humidity gauge with legs. Not a WDI species Lives in living space Settled by humidity reading

Grade level

Everything below this line is what an inspection is for. The species from here down are the ones a homeowner is least likely to meet and most likely to pay for.

Sill, band, and floor framing

At the sill and the floor framing

06 Large ants indoors, especially at night in kitchens and bathrooms Carpenter Ants Camponotus species Carpenter ants do not eat wood, they hollow it out for nesting, and they almost always pick wood that moisture already softened. NPMA-33 reportable Lives in floor framing Settled by frass and nest 07 Oval exit holes roughly a quarter inch across with ragged edges Old House Borers Hylotrupes bajulus Despite the name, this longhorned beetle prefers newer pine framing, and its larvae can feed inside a joist for years before anyone hears them. NPMA-33 reportable Lives in floor framing Settled by hole shape

Crawl space

In the crawl space

08 Pinhead-size round exit holes in joists, subfloor, or hardwood flooring Powderpost Beetles Lyctinae and Anobiidae families Tiny exit holes and flour-fine powder in crawl space joists are the classic powderpost beetle signature, and Hampton Roads crawl spaces suit them perfectly. NPMA-33 reportable Lives in crawl space Settled by frass age 09 Droppings along walls, in cabinets, or across attic insulation Rodents Mus musculus and Rattus norvegicus Traps catch rodents. Sealing the building is what ends the problem, and the crawl space is where both jobs usually start. Not a WDI species Lives in crawl space Settled by entry point 10 Messy, low webs near ground level in garages and crawl spaces, the widow signature Spiders including Latrodectus mactans Most spiders in a Virginia home are harmless and even useful. The black widows living in your crawl space are the reason we still take the category seriously. Not a WDI species Lives in crawl space Settled by web and void 11 Large, leggy, humpbacked crickets in the garage, basement, or crawl space Camel Crickets Ceuthophilus and Diestrammena species Humpbacked, leggy, silent, and prone to jumping straight at you: the camel cricket is the unofficial mascot of the Hampton Roads crawl space. Not a WDI species Lives in crawl space Settled by moisture reading

Soil and grade

In the soil

12 Mud tubes climbing foundation walls, piers, or plumbing penetrations Subterranean Termites Reticulitermes flavipes The eastern subterranean termite is the single most destructive pest in coastal Virginia, and our company is named after finding it. NPMA-33 reportable Lives in soil Settled by tube and swarmer 13 Persistent trails to kitchens, baths, or pet food Ants Tapinoma sessile and others The ant trail on your counter is the visible one percent. The colony that sent it is the problem worth solving. Not a WDI species Lives in soil Settled by species first 14 Dozens to hundreds of millipedes on the foundation, patio, or garage floor after heavy rain Millipedes order Diplopoda One soaking rain and suddenly there are two hundred coiled millipedes at the garage door. It looks like a plague. It is a drainage report. Not a WDI species Lives in soil Settled by drainage reading

Before any of it

Identification first. Always.

The right treatment starts with knowing exactly what you have. Guessing is how the wrong product ends up on the wrong pest.

How inspections work
Detect Termite inspector checking a door frame with a flashlight during a Hampton Roads inspection
Field record, Hampton Roads

End of the descent

Found something you cannot identify?

Photograph it, bag it if you safely can, and call us. Correct identification is the difference between the right treatment and a wasted one.

Schedule an inspection 757-583-4444

Monday to Friday, 8 AM to 5 PM. Licensed and insured in Virginia.

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