Silver Bullet Pest ControlPulled up a board at the lake house and found it hollow, or a contractor told you the sill is "eaten"? Before anyone replaces wood, the termites have to be confirmed, stopped and mapped. Silver Bullet Pest Control inspects West Milford homes, treats active termites, maps exactly where the damage runs, and then our crew repairs the damaged wood.
4.9 stars on Google • NJ License 90568B • 15+ years • Serving Passaic County from Garfield • Hablamos español
Text a photo of the damaged wood to 973-510-2585. We'll tell you if it looks like termites, carpenter ants or rot.
If you find termite damage in a West Milford home, have a licensed termite inspection first to find out whether the termites are still active, treat them if they are, and only then repair the wood. Repairing before the colony is stopped just gives termites new wood to eat. Silver Bullet Pest Control inspects and treats termites in West Milford, maps the damaged areas, and then repairs the damaged sill plates, joists, beams and framing ourselves, so one company handles both. NJ License 90568B, 4.9 stars on Google. Call or text 973-510-2585.
Subterranean termites eat wood from the inside out, so damage is usually worse than it looks from the surface:
The sill plate sits right on top of the foundation, so it's the first wood termites reach. Damage here often runs along the wall for several feet before anyone notices.
In crawl spaces and basements, termites move from the soil straight into posts, stair stringers and the ends of joists. Sagging floors are a late sign.
Porch posts, deck framing, door frames and siding near the ground take a lot of moisture. Termites and carpenter ants both go after them, and the treatment is different, so we confirm which one it is.
West Milford is a big, wooded township in the Highlands, with lakes, state forest and reservoirs all around. A lot of homes sit on wooded lots near Greenwood Lake, Upper Greenwood Lake and the other lake communities, and many started out as summer cottages that were later winterized and expanded.
We serve West Milford from our base in Garfield. It's one of the farther towns we cover, so we usually book inspections ahead; call or text and we'll find a time that works.
The answer decides what you need to do next:
| What we find | What it means | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Live termites, fresh mud, rebuilt tubes | Active infestation | Treat now, then plan repairs |
| Damaged wood, dry crumbly mud, no live termites | Old damage; could be from a past colony | Check for a past treatment record; treat if there's any doubt; repair |
| Clean tunnels and sawdust-like shavings | Carpenter ants | Find and treat the ant nest and the moisture problem |
| Soft, stringy or crumbling wood, no tunnels | Wood rot from moisture | Fix the water problem; repair the wood |
| Small round holes and fine powder | Wood-boring beetles | Different treatment; ask us |
We tell you honestly if what you're looking at isn't termites, so you don't pay for the wrong treatment.
If the colony is active, treat it first. A liquid treatment in the soil along the foundation plus the active areas is the most common approach.
We mark where we found activity and damaged wood, so the repair covers all of it, not just the part you can see.
Our crew replaces or sisters the damaged sill plates and joists and repairs beams and framing. Treat any new wood near the soil as recommended.
Fix the water and wood-to-soil problems we pointed out, and have the house checked periodically, especially a house that sits empty part of the year.
Opening walls during repairs sometimes uncovers more damage. If it does, send us photos before it gets closed up.
Once the termites are treated, our crew repairs the damaged wood ourselves: sill plates, joists, beams and framing. Here's what that work usually looks like:
Structural work can need a permit; your town's building department can tell you what applies. Planning a sale? A termite inspection report from before and after treatment is useful paperwork; see VA and home-sale termite inspections.
Whether you have damage or just found a swarm, the steps for getting rid of subterranean termites in New Jersey are the same:
Want to stop them before there's damage? See preventive termite control.
Our quote is free. If the wood needs repair, we quote that once we've mapped the damage. Treatment depends on:
| Factor | Smaller job | Bigger job |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | Open basement, easy to reach | Crawl space, piers, slab sections |
| Size | Small cottage | Larger home with additions, porch and deck |
| Activity | One small active area | Several active areas around the house |
| Site | Dry, cleared yard | Wet soil, stumps and wood near the house |
| Access | Clear walls and crawl space | Finished walls, stored items, tight crawl space |
Call or text 973-510-2585 to set up an inspection.
Stack firewood off the ground and away from the house. Remove old stumps, landscape timbers and lumber piles close to the foundation.
Keep gutters clear and downspouts pointed away. Make sure the ground slopes away from the house and crawl spaces are vented or kept dry.
Keep mulch, leaves and soil a few inches below siding and trim so you can see the foundation.
Check the crawl space or basement walls every spring, and have a seasonal home looked at before you open it up for summer.
Tell us where you found the damage and send a photo. If a contractor already opened up the wall or floor, let us know before it gets closed up.
🔒 Your info stays private · Hablamos español.
After. Treat the active termites first, then repair, or the colony can move into the new wood.
Yes. After the termites are treated, our crew repairs the damaged wood ourselves, sistering or replacing sill plates and joists and repairing beams and framing. One company handles both.
Live termites, moist fresh mud and tubes that rebuild after being broken mean active termites. Dry, crumbly mud and no live insects usually mean old damage, but an inspection is the only way to be sure.
Many policies don't, because termite damage is treated as a maintenance issue. Check your own policy or ask your agent.
Yes. They build mud tubes up piers and foundation walls to reach the wood above.
Termite damage is packed with dried mud; carpenter ant galleries are smooth and clean with sawdust-like shavings nearby. Text us a photo.
Most homes are treated in a day; crawl spaces, additions and larger homes can take longer.
Yes, we serve West Milford, including the lake communities. It's one of the farther towns from our Garfield base, so we usually schedule visits ahead.
Yes. Silver Bullet is licensed under NJ License 90568B with over 15 years of experience.
Sí. Revisamos la casa, tratamos las termitas activas, le explicamos dónde está el daño y luego reparamos la madera dañada nosotros mismos. Hablamos español: 973-510-2585.
We cover West Milford and other Passaic County towns from our base in Garfield.
Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B
