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A modern craftsman home in a leafy Silicon Valley suburb — Los Gatos, California service area

Structural Pest Control

Termite Control in Los Gatos, CA

101 Exterminators is a California-licensed structural pest company doing termite control in Los Gatos under SPCB Lic. #9119, working Santa Clara County since 2005. The town has two termite problems at once: western drywood termites (Incisitermes minor) in the 1880s Victorians and Craftsman bungalows of the Almond Grove district, and subterranean termites (Reticulitermes) in crawl spaces along the Los Gatos Creek corridor. We inspect both, then write a Section 1 and Section 2 report.

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Local Context

Two Termite Species, One Town: Old Framing Downtown, Wet Soil Along Los Gatos Creek

Los Gatos incorporated in 1887, and the building boom that followed put up the Queen Anne Victorians and Craftsman bungalows that still stand in the Almond Grove, Edelen and Broadway historic districts. That framing is old-growth redwood and fir, milled a short haul away in the Santa Cruz Mountains, and western drywood termites (Incisitermes minor) have had well over a century inside it. A drywood colony lives entirely within the wood member, with no soil contact and no mud tubes, so on University Avenue we routinely find galleries in a rafter tail or a window header that were working long before the current owner bought the house.

The rest of town is a different building. The census median year built in Los Gatos is 1972, so the ranch and split-level stock across Blossom Hill, Fairview and the flats is now past fifty years old on original trim, siding and sill plates. Nearly all of the rain those homes see arrives between November and April. Where it collects, along the Los Gatos Creek corridor through the middle of town, at Ross Creek on the east side, and on hillside lots where slope runoff feeds crawl-space soil, subterranean termites (Reticulitermes) forage up through stem walls and slab cracks year after year.

Winter here stops neither species. Overnight lows in December and January sit near 40°F, cold enough to slow a colony and nowhere near cold enough to kill one, so damage accumulates through seasons a homeowner never sees.

How We Work in Los Gatos

In Los Gatos we sort the house before we sort the termites. On a downtown Victorian or Craftsman we start at the eave line, the rafter tails, the porch framing and the attic, because that is where drywood frass shows first. On a hillside property off Shannon Road or up in Surmont we go under the floor (the crawl space, the sill plate, the posts where a deck meets the slope), since that is where mountain soil moisture drives subterranean activity. Every finding is photographed and sorted into Section 1 and Section 2.

Los Gatos Climate

Los Gatos has a sheltered microclimate warmer than much of Silicon Valley in summer — afternoon temperatures regularly reaching 90–98°F — due to the surrounding hills that trap heat. The Santa Cruz Mountains immediately to the south and west moderate winter temperatures and provide slightly above-average rainfall (18–22 inches). The mountain interface creates a temperature inversion that can maintain cooler, more humid conditions in hillside neighborhoods even on hot valley days.

Housing Stock

Los Gatos holds three building eras on one street grid. The Almond Grove Historic District, west of North Santa Cruz Avenue, is Victorian and craftsman work from the 1880s through the 1920s, most of it framed in old-growth redwood and Douglas fir with generous trim, deep eaves, and original single-wall porch construction. The flats east and north of downtown filled in with ranch houses between the 1950s and the 1970s. The hillside lots above town carry custom houses from every decade since, set on posts, piers, and stepped foundations cut into the slope. The 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake matters more to a termite report here than most owners expect, because the repair work that followed opened walls, sistered joists, and replaced sills across much of the older part of town. A single house can hold sound new lumber in one bay and untouched 1890s framing in the next, so what the last inspector found tells you less than usual about what is there now.

Why Local Expertise Matters

The two halves of Los Gatos need different hands. An Almond Grove Victorian needs an inspector who will probe original redwood trim, read the patchwork left by a century of partial treatments and post-earthquake repair, and say which of it is Section 1 and which is a condition. A hillside house needs someone who will get on the roof, follow the branch routes back into the canopy, and close the roofline before anyone places a single bait station, because baiting a house that still has an open highway into the attic just feeds the population. 101 Exterminators, SPCB Lic. #9119, licensed since 2005.

Warning Signs

Signs You Need Termites Service in Los Gatos

We perform thorough visual inspections of all accessible structural wood, attic spaces, crawl spaces, fencing, and exterior wood. Our reports clearly distinguish Section 1 conditions (active infestations requiring immediate treatment) from Section 2 conditions (conditions that are likely to lead to infestation). We issue California-required WDO reports for real estate transactions and carry the licensing required by the Structural Pest Control Board.

Hollow-sounding wood when tapped — galleries eaten from inside

Frass (fine sawdust-like pellets) near baseboards or windowsills — drywood termite excrement

Discarded wings near doors or windows in spring — swarmers leaving to start new colonies

Blistering or bubbling paint on wood surfaces — subterranean tunnel activity underneath

Mud tubes running up foundation walls or piers — subterranean termite foraging trails

Soft or sagging flooring near walls — severe structural damage to subfloor joists

Small holes in wood with discoloration around the edges

Real estate transaction requiring a WDO inspection and clearance report

How It Works

Our Termites Process in Los Gatos

Every job follows the same methodical approach — no shortcuts, no guesswork. Here is what to expect when you work with us in Los Gatos.

01

Comprehensive Inspection

Our licensed inspector examines all accessible wood, crawl spaces, attic framing, exterior siding, eaves, and fencing. We document every finding with photos and written notes.

02

WDO Report & Recommendations

You receive a state-compliant Structural Pest Control Report distinguishing active infestations, wood damage, and conducive conditions. No confusing fine print.

03

Targeted Treatment Plan

We recommend the most effective and least invasive treatment — whether that's localized spot treatment, fumigation for widespread drywood infestation, or subterranean bait systems.

04

Treatment & Clearance

We execute the treatment per plan, return for any follow-up needed, and issue a Completion Notice clearing the structure once all Section 1 items are resolved.

Why 101 Exterminators

Termites You Can Count On in Los Gatos

State-Licensed Inspectors

Our inspectors hold California Structural Pest Control licenses and are compliant with SPCB regulations for both inspections and treatments.

WDO Reports for Real Estate

We issue the Structural Pest Control Reports required for California home sales, refinancing, and VA/FHA loans — accepted by all lenders and escrow companies.

Both Termite Species Covered

Central California has both drywood and subterranean termites. We identify which species is present and apply the treatment protocol specific to each.

Free Re-Inspection Policy

If signs return within our warranty period, we come back at no charge. Our work is backed, not just guaranteed on paper.

Common Questions

Termite Control FAQs for Los Gatos

Do the historic homes in the Almond Grove district have worse termite damage than the rest of Los Gatos?

They usually have more established damage, though not always worse damage structurally. Almond Grove's Victorians and Craftsman bungalows date to the 1880s through the 1910s, so western drywood termites have had over a century to work the original redwood and fir framing, and many of these houses have been spot-treated more than once without every colony being reached. What we find in the historic districts tends to be old and layered; what we find in the 1960s and 1970s homes on Blossom Hill tends to be newer and more localized. The same inspection tells them apart.

Can termites get into a Los Gatos hillside home built on a downslope foundation?

Yes, and hillside construction adds two paths a flat-lot house does not have. Deck posts, stair stringers and retaining timbers that meet the slope give subterranean termites (Reticulitermes) direct wood-to-soil contact, and the cut-and-fill pads under Surmont, Belwood and the Kennedy Road hills hold slope runoff long after the storms stop. On these properties we check the downhill side of the structure first, then the crawl space, because that is where the moisture and the contact points concentrate.

What does drywood termite frass look like on a Los Gatos porch or windowsill?

Drywood frass looks like a small pile of dry six-sided pellets about the size of coarse ground pepper, tan to dark brown depending on the wood. It falls from a kick-out hole, so on Los Gatos Victorians and Craftsman bungalows the usual spots are a windowsill, the top of a porch railing, or the garage floor under an eave. The pile means an active colony above it. Sweep it up and mark the date. If it comes back in a few days, the colony is still working.

Local Pest Pressure

Common Pests We Treat in Los Gatos

Every area has its own pest profile shaped by climate, housing, and geography. These are the pests we see and treat most often in Los Gatos — tap any one to learn how to identify it and what treatment involves.

Drywood Termites

Victorian and craftsman homes in the historic downtown and surrounding neighborhoods have a century of potential drywood termite colony establishment in original framing

Subterranean Termites

Los Gatos Creek corridor and hillside soil moisture from mountain rainfall maintain subterranean termite foraging in crawl spaces throughout the city

Roof Rats

The Santa Cruz Mountains immediately adjacent to hillside neighborhoods provide an arboreal rat source population distinct from the storm drain pressure seen in flat valley cities

Argentine Ants

Year-round pressure throughout all Los Gatos neighborhoods; hillside properties near the mountain interface see particularly persistent activity

Black Widows

Rock outcroppings, retaining walls, wood piles, and hillside property features create abundant black widow harborage throughout the mountain-edge neighborhoods

Termite Control · Los Gatos

Free Pest Evaluation in Los Gatos

CA licensed and insured. Written estimate before any work begins. Urgent situations in Los Gatos are prioritized.

Schedule an Inspection(831) 500-1613
Trusted by Los Gatos families since 2005