Wood destroying insects
in Fort Bend County.

Six species, one inspection. What a buyer, an agent or a lender should understand about the wood destroying insects found in Texas structures, and what the Texas Official WDI report documents when evidence of any of them turns up.

Species Covered
Subterranean Termites
Formosan Termites
Drywood Termites
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter Bees
Wood Boring Beetles
Imperial Pro Texas Official WDI report, Sugar Land and Fort Bend County
What You Receive

The Texas Official
WDI inspection report.

After the inspection you receive the Texas Department of Agriculture WDI report, the SPCS T-5, typically within 24 hours, with the HUD NPMA-33 available when your lender requires it.

The report documents what was found and what was not. It does not speculate and it does not recommend treatment that the findings do not support. It records visible evidence so that you, your agent and your lender can act on it.

Report Includes
Scope of inspection and property address
Identification of inaccessible areas
Conditions conducive to wood destroying insects
Evidence of active or previous infestation
Indications of previous termite treatment
Perimeter diagram with measurements and findings
This is not a structural damage report. It identifies evidence of wood destroying insect activity that may warrant further evaluation by a qualified professional.
The Local Picture

Why this market carries
so much pressure.

The subtropical climate here, meaning sustained warmth, high humidity and clay heavy soil, gives nearly every wood destroying insect species found in Texas favorable conditions for most of the year.

Soil moisture stays high across Fort Bend and west Harris County and winters rarely run cold enough or long enough to set colonies back, so pressure is close to continuous rather than seasonal. Formosan termites, the most aggressive species in the region, have established populations across the Houston metro rather than isolated pockets.

A professional WDI inspection is the practical way for a buyer, a lender or a commercial purchaser to know what a structure actually shows before the file closes.

Year round
Activity rarely pauses here, because winters are short and soil moisture stays high through the wet season
March to June
Peak swarming season, which overlaps the busiest stretch of the residential closing calendar
Metro wide
Formosan termites are established across the Houston area rather than confined to isolated neighborhoods
Slab
Most construction in this corridor is slab on grade, which concentrates entry risk at the perimeter, weep holes and expansion joints
Wood Destroying Insects

Six species. One inspection.
Every one documented.

The Texas Official WDI report covers all six species below. Any evidence found, whether active infestation, prior activity or a conducive condition, is documented and located on the property diagram.

Subterranean termites, Fort Bend County WDI inspection High Threat
Most Common in Fort Bend County
Subterranean Termites

Subterranean termites are widespread across Texas and particularly active along the coastal plain. They build colonies underground and reach a structure through concealed mud tubes running along foundation walls and plumbing penetrations. Because they stay inside wood and soil, activity routinely goes unnoticed until damage is already present, which is why the perimeter and slab edge get close attention on every inspection.

Habitat Underground colonies, soil contact required
Indicator Mud tubes at foundation walls
Entry Weep holes and expansion joints
Formosan subterranean termites, Houston area WDI inspection Aggressive Species
Established Across the Houston Metro
Formosan Subterranean Termites

Formosan termites are among the more destructive termite species in North America and they are established throughout the Houston area rather than confined to pockets. Colonies grow larger and faster than native subterranean colonies, they consume wood at a quicker rate, and they can build aerial carton nests inside a wall cavity without maintaining soil contact. That last behavior is what makes a soil barrier alone an incomplete answer and why the report matters on a structure of any age.

Colony Larger and faster growing than native species
Unique risk Aerial nests without soil contact
Local status Established metro wide
Drywood termites, Texas WDI inspection No Soil Contact
Documented on the Report
Drywood Termites

Unlike subterranean species, drywood termites need no soil contact and can live entirely inside dry structural wood, including attic framing, door frames and interior trim. Activity can continue for years before anything shows on the surface. Identification usually comes from finding frass, the small pellets they push out of wood, near tight entry holes. Evidence is documented on the report the same as any other species, and treatment for drywood activity is specialized work that goes to a provider equipped for it.

Habitat Dry structural wood, no soil needed
Indicator Frass pellets near small entry holes
Common in Attic framing and older trim
Carpenter ants, Fort Bend County WDI inspection Notable Threat
Most Common WDI After Termites
Carpenter Ants

In Fort Bend County, carpenter ants are the most commonly observed wood destroying insect after termites. They tunnel through wood to nest rather than to feed, leaving smooth galleries that weaken structural members over time. Their presence is often a secondary signal, since they favor moist or already damaged wood. Finding them usually means there is a moisture problem behind the finding, which is itself worth documenting before a closing.

Behavior Tunnel through wood rather than consume it
Indicator Large ants and coarse frass
Significance Often signals moisture damage
Carpenter bees, Fort Bend County WDI inspection Exterior Damage
Exterior Wood Damage
Carpenter Bees

Carpenter bees bore clean round entry holes roughly half an inch across into untreated exterior wood in order to nest rather than to feed. Decks, fence posts, eaves, soffits and trim are the usual targets. A single bee does limited damage, but repeat nesting across seasons weakens exterior members, and the tunnels invite woodpecker damage and moisture intrusion behind them.

Indicator Round half inch holes in exterior wood
Targets Decks, eaves, fences and trim
Season Spring and early summer
Wood boring beetles, Texas WDI inspection Variable Threat
Larval Stage Damage
Wood Boring Beetles

Wood boring beetles do their damage during the larval stage, as larvae tunnel winding galleries through structural wood. The work happens out of sight and the adult only becomes visible when it emerges through a small exit hole, so evidence often shows up as holes and fine frass rather than live insects. Powder post beetles, false powder post beetles and old house borers each call for a different approach, which is why identification on the report matters.

Damage stage Larval tunneling inside wood
Indicator Small exit holes and fine frass
Species Powder post and old house borer
Evidence

What the inspector
is looking for.

These are the visible indicators that bring a finding onto the report. Any of them noticed at a showing or disclosed by a seller is worth telling us about when you book, since it tells the inspector where to spend extra time.

01
Mud Tubes

Pencil width tunnels of mud running along foundation walls, plumbing or framing. The primary above ground indicator of subterranean and Formosan activity. Active tubes hold live termites, while older tubes may be hollow.

02
Hollow Sounding Wood

Wood that sounds hollow when tapped suggests internal gallery damage. Termites and carpenter ants work from the inside out, leaving a thin intact surface over a hollowed member.

03
Discarded Wings

Swarmers shed their wings once they find a nesting site. Piles of small equal length wings near windowsills, door frames or light fixtures point to an active colony nearby.

04
Frass

Frass is insect waste left near entry or exit points. Drywood termites leave small hard pellets, carpenter ants leave coarse material resembling sawdust, and beetles leave fine powder. Each points to a different species.

05
Sticking Doors and Windows

Doors and windows that bind or stop closing properly can reflect movement from damaged framing. On a walkthrough this is easy to attribute to settlement, which is why it is worth having documented.

06
Bubbling or Uneven Paint

Termites generate moisture as they work, which can lift or blister paint and read like water damage where no plumbing leak exists. Aerial Formosan nests inside walls are one cause of unexplained interior moisture.

Conducive Conditions

What gets flagged,
and why it matters.

Conducive conditions are site and construction details that make infestation more likely. They appear on the report even where no activity is present, and on a transaction they are often the most useful part of the document, because most are correctable and many are still the seller's or the builder's to address.

01
Wood to soil contact at the foundation, including grade that slopes toward the structure and mulch or soil pushed against the slab edge
02
Moisture from leaks, condensate lines and drainage, since standing water near or under a structure is the single strongest attractor for both termites and carpenter ants
03
Stored wood against the structure, such as firewood, lumber or fencing stacked at an exterior wall, which puts a food source directly against the building
04
Unsealed exterior wood on decks, eaves, fences and trim, which carpenter bees target and which gives other species an easier entry
05
Inadequate attic ventilation, which holds humidity inside the structure and sustains the warm damp conditions colonies prefer
06
Obstructed weep holes and buried slab edge, which both hide the inspection surface and give subterranean termites a concealed route up into the wall
Before you buy,
get a WDI.

Conditions matter, but on a purchase none of it is actionable until you know what the structure already shows.

The report is the record of what was there on the day you bought it, and it is the document your lender, your agent and the builder will all work from.

$195 Slab on grade residential, plus tax. Reports typically within 24 hours, with the NPMA-33 available when your lender requires it.
Common Questions

WDI questions,
answered plainly.

What buyers, agents and lenders across Fort Bend County and the west Houston corridor ask most about wood destroying insects and the official report.

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A great deal of it. The warm humid climate and clay heavy soil give subterranean and Formosan termites favorable conditions for most of the year, and winters here are rarely long or cold enough to set a colony back. Pressure in Fort Bend and west Harris County is close to continuous rather than seasonal, and it applies to a structure of any age or construction type, which is why the report is routine on a purchase rather than exceptional.
Mostly subterranean termites, including the more aggressive Formosan subterranean termite, which is established across the Houston metro. Drywood termites are also present, more often in older structures and in unfinished exterior wood. All three are documented on the Texas Official WDI report whenever evidence is found, along with carpenter ants, carpenter bees and wood boring beetles.
The things most often visible to a buyer are mud tubes on foundation walls, hollow sounding wood, discarded wings near windows and doors, paint that blisters with no plumbing leak behind it, and doors or windows that suddenly bind. Subterranean termites work from the inside out, so visible evidence usually means activity has been underway for a while. Tell us what you noticed when you book and the inspector will spend extra time there.
Yes. After termites, carpenter ants are the most commonly observed wood destroying insect in the county. They nest in wood rather than feed on it, and they favor wood that is already moist or compromised. Finding them on a report usually means there is a moisture problem behind the finding, which matters on a purchase because moisture is also what attracts termites.
Yes. Most lenders still require the report at a new construction closing, and a new structure is not exempt from activity, since termites are in the soil before the slab is poured. Builder pretreatment degrades over time and does not cover everything, and Formosan termites can build aerial nests above a treated zone. See the new construction page for how we schedule around builder dates.
Texas is on the VA's mandatory list, so a VA purchase here requires the report before the Notice of Value can be issued. FHA does not require it on every file, but lenders in high pressure areas, which includes this one, commonly require it as an overlay, and an appraiser noting evidence makes it mandatory regardless. Conventional and cash buyers face no requirement, which simply means nobody else is looking out for them on this.
Both are subterranean, but Formosan colonies grow larger and faster, consume wood at a quicker rate, and can build aerial carton nests inside a wall without maintaining soil contact. That last behavior is the practical difference, because a soil treatment barrier that deters native species does not necessarily account for a colony nesting above it. Both are documented on the report when evidence is found.
You get the documentation, which is what gives you something concrete to take to the seller, the builder or your lender. We perform the inspection rather than the treatment, so nothing in the report was written to sell you a service. If treatment is warranted we can refer you to a licensed treatment provider, and you are free to use any operator you prefer.
It is a visual inspection of readily accessible areas, so it does not cover what is concealed behind wall coverings, furniture or finishes, it does not assess how severe damage is, and it is not a warranty that a structure is free of insects. We also inspect slab on grade foundations only, since pier and beam and crawlspace properties require subfloor entry we do not perform. The full statutory scope is on the scope of inspection page.

Before you buy,
get a WDI.

Texas Official WDI reports typically within 24 hours, with the NPMA-33 available when your lender requires it. Slab on grade residential starting at $195 plus tax. Serving Fort Bend County, Katy, Fulshear, Cypress and Sealy.

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