WDO & Termite Inspections in Southwest Florida

A WDO inspection is a state-regulated examination for wood-destroying organisms: subterranean and drywood termites, wood-boring beetles, and wood-decaying fungi. In Florida it is separate from a general home inspection and is documented on a state-prescribed form. Most VA-financed purchases require one before closing.

What a WDO inspection actually is

A wood-destroying organism inspection, usually shortened to WDO, looks for insects and fungi that eat or break down the structural wood in a building. In Florida it is a separate discipline from a general home inspection, performed under a different license, and documented on its own report form.

Most buyers hear it called a "termite inspection." Termites are the headline, but they are one of four categories the report covers. In Southwest Florida the other three matter more than people expect, because our humidity and our proximity to salt water create conditions that a drier climate never produces.

The four organisms we report on

Organism	What we look for in SWFL
Subterranean termites	Mud tubes on foundation walls and piers, hollow-sounding baseboards, and soil-to-wood contact around slab penetrations. The most common finding in Lee and Collier County homes.
Drywood termites	Small pellet-shaped droppings in window sills, attics, and door frames. These colonies live entirely inside the wood and need no ground contact, which is why they turn up in second-story and attic framing.
Wood-boring beetles	Powderpost beetles and old house borers, identified by exit holes and the texture of the frass left behind. Common in older Cape Coral and Fort Myers homes with original framing.
Wood-decaying fungi	Rot at roof edges, around plumbing penetrations, under exterior door thresholds, and in any area with a history of water intrusion. In a climate like ours this is frequently the most consequential finding on the report.

When you need one

Sometimes a WDO report is your choice, and sometimes someone else requires it before a transaction can close.

Buying a home

Optional in most conventional purchases, and worth doing anyway. An active infestation or a section of rotted framing is a repair negotiation, and the report is what gives you the standing to have that conversation.

VA and some FHA financing

VA loans in Florida generally require a WDO report before closing, and it must come from a licensed operator on the state form. If you are financing with a VA loan, plan on this rather than hoping it gets waived.

Selling or listing

A clean WDO report ahead of listing removes a common source of late-stage renegotiation. If there is a problem, you would rather find it on your schedule than during a buyer's inspection period.

After a storm or a roof leak

Water intrusion and wood decay travel together. If a home has taken on water, the fungal side of a WDO inspection tells you how far the damage actually went.

What happens during the inspection

• We inspect all readily accessible areas: interior and exterior walls, attic space, crawl spaces where present, garage, and the perimeter of the structure.
• We probe and sound suspect wood, since surface appearance frequently understates what is happening inside a member.
• We document conditions conducive to infestation, which is the part of the report most people skip past and the part that predicts future problems. Soil-to-wood contact, poor drainage, and wood debris under a structure all land here.
• You receive the completed report identifying visible evidence of active infestation, evidence of previous infestation, and any conducive conditions.

Inspection and treatment are separate things

An inspection tells you what is present. Treatment is the work that follows, and it is a different service performed under a different scope.

We handle both sides of that through Healthy Home Pest Control, which means if the report turns up something active you are not starting over with a company that has never seen the property. You can also use the report with any licensed operator you prefer. The inspection stands on its own.

Service area

We perform WDO inspections throughout Lee, Collier, and Charlotte counties, including Cape Coral, Fort Myers, North Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Springs, Estero, Lehigh Acres, Punta Gorda, Marco Island, and the Pine Island communities. See our full service areas.

A WDO inspection is frequently ordered alongside a general home inspection, and scheduling them together usually saves a trip and a day.