Termite Inspections on Long Island

You should schedule a termite inspection on Long Island before listing your home for sale, before closing on a home purchase, when refinancing with a lender that requests one, after seeing mud tubes on a foundation wall, or after a spring swarm event indoors. Older Nassau County homes with finished basements and Suffolk homes with attached porches, patios, and additions are especially good candidates because concealed foundation contact points are the most common entry route for eastern subterranean termites. Even without visible signs, a periodic inspection every one to two years is inexpensive insurance on any home with prior activity or wooded exposure.

A Bobby Bugs termite inspection on Long Island covers the accessible interior, basement or crawl space, exterior perimeter, and any attached structures. Expect a 45- to 90-minute on-site visit and a written report the same day or next business day.

1. 1Book the inspection by phone after a free written quote; scheduling is often same or next week.
2. 2On-site interior walk: basement or crawl, first floor, all bath and kitchen plumbing walls.
3. 3Exterior walk: foundation perimeter, sill plates, porch supports, attached garages and additions.
4. 4Moisture readings on any suspicious framing.
5. 5Written report delivered by email with photos, findings, and recommendations.

Most Long Island termite inspection appointments are booked within 3 to 7 business days of the request, occasionally sooner for real estate closings. The on-site visit takes 45 to 90 minutes. Written reports are delivered by email the same day or the next business day. This service is a pure inspection with a written report, so there is no treatment guarantee associated with it. If treatment is recommended and completed, the standard 1- or 2-year written guarantees apply.

Between professional inspections, homeowners can check the same things we do. Walk the outside of the foundation every spring and look for mud tubes, the pencil-width earth-colored tunnels termites build from the soil up to the sill, and check cellar walls, wooden posts, wall studs and the trim around basement doors and windows. Probe any wood in contact with the ground, since Penn State entomologists note wood touching soil or embedded in concrete is the highest-risk spot on a house. Watch for winged swarmers or shed wings near windows from March through June. Keep the ground sloped away from the foundation, gutters clear, and firewood and lumber away from the house. Penn State recommends a professional inspection over do-it-yourself checks because experienced inspectors find what homeowners miss, and that's what a written inspection report is for.

• Garden City

  Prewar colonials and Tudors changing hands, where the buyer's lender wants a wood-destroying insect report.

• Huntington

  Older North Shore homes on wooded lots, inspected at sale and after renovations.

• Massapequa

  1950s and 1960s splits and capes, inspected before closing.

• Port Washington

  Older waterfront and village homes with original sills.

• Rockville Centre

  1920s and 1930s houses where a pre-purchase inspection is standard.

• Smithtown

  Postwar homes on wooded lots changing hands.

• Merrick

  South Shore capes and splits inspected before sale.

• Babylon

  Village homes and waterfront properties inspected at closing.

• Visit our full services list.
• See every area we serve across Nassau, Suffolk, Queens, and The Bronx.
• See our termite treatment page.
• See our carpenter ant treatment page.
• Guide: Do You Need a Termite Inspection When Buying a House on Long Island?.

Termite inspection cost on Long Island depends on the size of the structure and what the report is for. A standard Wood-Destroying Insect inspection for a home purchase in Nassau County covers the accessible interior, exterior, basement or crawlspace, and attic, and larger colonials simply take longer. Most buyers schedule it alongside the general home inspection window, and we work to fit that timeline. If treatment is needed afterward, that work is quoted separately in writing. Bobby Bugs gives you a free written quote before any work begins, and the number on the invoice matches the quote. Every termite inspection includes a written report of findings you can hand to your lender, attorney, or buyer.