Silver Bullet Pest ControlSoft spots in a porch floor, a cloud of winged bugs by the basement door, or a buyer's inspector who wrote "evidence of WDI" on the report? Silver Bullet Pest Control finds out what's really going on in Englewood homes, treats the termites, and repairs the damaged wood ourselves — one company from inspection to finished repair.
4.9 stars on Google • NJ License 90568B • 15+ years • Bergen County • Hablamos español
Text a close-up photo of the bugs or the damage to 973-510-2585 — we'll tell you if it looks like termites.
Silver Bullet Pest Control is a licensed termite exterminator serving Englewood, NJ and all of Bergen County from our base in Garfield. A technician inspects the foundation, basement and wood, shows you the evidence, and treats the colony's path into the house — usually a liquid soil treatment around the foundation plus the active spots — and our crew can repair damaged sills, joists and framing afterward. NJ License 90568B, 4.9 stars on Google. Call or text 973-510-2585 for a free quote.
Termites stay hidden, so most people find them by one of these three clues:
Eastern subterranean termites build these tunnels to travel from the soil to the wood without drying out. Leave them in place and send us a photo.
Swarmers indoors almost always mean a colony is close by. Flying ants look similar, so a photo helps us tell them apart.
Termites eat wood from the inside out, so the surface can look fine. We probe the wood and show you how far the damage goes.
Englewood has a wide mix of homes, and where we look for termites depends a lot on the house:
Across town, the common risk factors are the same: soil kept damp by gutters and downspouts, wood mulch piled against the siding, firewood stacked by the house, and wood steps or deck posts set right into the ground.
Three problems that get mixed up all the time — and they're treated very differently:
| Clue | Termites | Carpenter ants | Water damage / rot |
|---|---|---|---|
| What the wood looks like | Hollow galleries packed with mud and soil | Smooth, clean tunnels, like sanded | Soft, dark, crumbly or stringy wood |
| Debris you find | Mud tubes, no sawdust | Piles of coarse sawdust with insect parts | No debris, sometimes mold or a musty smell |
| Insects you see | Small creamy-white workers, winged swarmers in spring | Large black ants, often at night | None |
| Where it shows up | Sill plates, joists, wood near soil | Damp wood around windows, roofs, decks | Under leaks, at gutters, bathrooms |
| What fixes it | Termite treatment, then repair | Ant treatment, find the moisture, repair wood | Fix the leak, replace the wood |
More on telling them apart: termite damage vs. water damage.
Foundation, porches, decks, steps, mulch beds, gutters, downspouts and any wood touching the ground.
Basement or crawl space walls, sill plates, joists, posts, plus frames and trim along outside walls. We probe suspect wood.
We show you what we found — live termites, old damage, mud tubes or the conditions that invite them — with photos.
We recommend a treatment, explain where and how we treat, and point out the moisture fixes that keep termites from coming back.
Buying or selling? Ask about termite inspections for home sales.
The two main approaches for subterranean termites are a liquid soil treatment and a baiting system. Here's a fair comparison:
| Liquid soil treatment | Bait stations | |
|---|---|---|
| How it works | Termiticide is applied in the soil along the foundation and at entry points, so termites passing through contact it | Stations in the ground hold bait that workers carry back to the colony |
| How fast | Starts working once termites pass through the treated zone | Slower — it can take a while for termites to find and feed on the bait |
| Upkeep | Mostly a one-time treatment with periodic inspections | Stations need regular checking and refilling |
| Best for | Active infestations and most homes with a basement or slab | Some homes where drilling or trenching is difficult |
| Our approach | What we usually recommend for active termites | Ask us which fits your home |
Want the long version? Read Sentricon vs. liquid termite treatment and does termite spray work?
Killing the termites is only half the job if they've already eaten into the structure. In a lot of Englewood homes the damage is at the sill plate — the wood beam that sits on top of the foundation — and the ends of the floor joists that rest on it. Porch framing and wood near basement doors and windows are next on the list.
After treatment, our crew repairs termite-damaged wood ourselves: sill plates, joists, beams and framing. That means you don't have to find a separate contractor, explain the problem twice, or wonder whether the repair covered all the damage the termite technician found.
See sill plate repair after termites for how a typical repair goes.
Clean gutters, extend downspouts well away from the foundation and fix leaks near the basement. Damp soil is what subterranean termites want.
Store firewood and lumber off the ground and away from the house. Deck posts and steps should sit on concrete footings.
Keep mulch thin and a few inches below the siding. Old stumps and buried roots near the house can feed a colony.
Check basement walls each spring before swarm season and have a professional look every year or two, especially in an older home.
We give a free quote after the inspection. These are the factors that move it up or down:
| Factor | Lower | Higher |
|---|---|---|
| How much activity | One small area | Several areas or long runs of mud tubes |
| Size of the house | Small footprint | Large home with additions, porches and sunrooms |
| Foundation and access | Open, unfinished basement | Finished basement, crawl spaces, slab sections |
| Moisture problems | Dry foundation | Drainage or leaks that need fixing too |
| Damage | None found | Sills, joists or framing that need repair |
Call or text 973-510-2585 to book an inspection and get your free quote.
Tell us what you found — swarmers, wings, mud tubes or soft wood — or your closing date if you're buying or selling.
🔒 Your info stays private · Hablamos español.
The most common signs are mud tubes on the foundation, swarms of winged insects indoors in spring, piles of shed wings, and wood that sounds hollow or lets a screwdriver sink in. Termites stay hidden, so many people find out during a home sale inspection. Text us a photo if you're unsure.
It depends on how much activity there is, the size of the house, how easy the foundation is to reach, and whether there's damage to repair. A small, easy-to-reach area costs less than a large home with a finished basement. We give a free quote after inspecting, so you know the price before we start.
Most homes are treated in one visit, usually within a day. Large homes, finished basements or several active areas can take longer. Repairs, if needed, are scheduled after treatment. We tell you the timeline before we start.
Treatment is applied to the soil and specific spots in the structure, not sprayed around your living space. We explain where we treat, what we use and any precautions, like keeping pets out of a treated area for a while, before the work begins.
Store-bought sprays can kill the termites you see, but they rarely reach the colony in the soil, so the problem usually continues out of sight. A professional treatment targets how termites get into the house. DIY is fine for prevention, like fixing drainage and moving wood away from the foundation.
Yes. After the termites are treated, our crew repairs the damaged wood ourselves — sill plates, joists, beams and framing — so you don't need a separate contractor.
Mostly in spring, often on a warm day after rain. Swarms can last less than an hour, so save a few wings or bugs in a bag, or take a photo, and send it to us.
Termites have a straight, thick waist, straight antennae and four wings of equal length. Flying ants have a pinched waist, elbowed antennae and longer front wings. Carpenter ants also leave sawdust, which termites don't.
Yes. Call as early as you can, and tell us the closing date, the lender and who should get the report. If termites are found, we explain the treatment and next steps.
We're based in Garfield and serve Englewood and all of Bergen County, along with Passaic, Essex and Hudson counties. Same-day appointments are often available.
Sí. Inspeccionamos, tratamos las termitas y reparamos la madera dañada. Hablamos español. Llame o mande texto al 973-510-2585.
From our base in Garfield we serve Englewood and towns across Bergen County and North Jersey.
Updated November 2026 by the Silver Bullet Pest Control team, Garfield, NJ • NJ License 90568B
