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What is a Termite Inspection?

Finding out that your home has termites instills a sense of fear among most homeowners. You typically can't see or hear them and frequently only a trained inspector can find signs of infestation. Treatment by the homeowner for the control of termites is virtually impossible. Specialized equipment is used and experts have the knowledge necessary for control strategies.

How Termites Survive

Termites feed on wood and may also destroy paper products such as books, cardboard boxes, furniture and various other items. Even buildings with steel framing and masonry walls are targets because of wooden doors and window frames, wooden support beams (often hidden), cabinets or shelving within them.

There are more than 2,000 species of termites. The most damaging are roughly 20 species we call "subterranean" termites because of their nesting and foraging habits. Two of these, the Eastern Subterranean Termites and the Western Subterranean Termites, are by far the most common, widely distributed and most damaging in the U.S.

What do they look like?

Worker termites are small creamy-white insects. Property owners seldom see worker termites, but in the spring or fall they may see swarming "winged reproductives." This form of termite can easily be confused with a winged ant unless you look closely. Termites have a "thick waist" where their abdomen is joined to their middle body region; but ants have a "pinched-in waist" at that point.

In addition, termites have antennae that look like a "string of beads", whereas ants have distinctly "elbowed" antennae.

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Professional Termite Inspection

How Termites Find Their Way Into Your Home

Subterranean termites build nests in the ground and may make underground tunnels or above-ground "shelter tubes" of mud and debris to connect their nests to their food.

They can enter a building without direct wood contact by coming through such tubes in the soil. Termites can enter buildings through racks, The racks should be cracks. They can find their way into a structure through an opening as small as 1/32nd of an inch. Termites can infest any building, whether constructed with a slab, basement or crawl space foundation.

Professional Inspection Guide

Look for the Signs

Several possible signs of a termite infestation that a homeowner might see include:

Pencil-sized diameter, or larger, mud tubes running across bare concrete or masonry between the soil and any wooden part of your building.

Thin, small, papery wings, all the same size and shape, 3/8-1/2 inches long, on your window sill, counter top or floor (especially if it is late spring and there has been a recent rain).

Thin, "bubbled" or distorted areas of paint on wooden surfaces, especially if these feel cool to the touch.

Any wooden building parts (especially if they are important support structures) beginning to "sag" unexpectedly.

Professional Prevention Tips

Preventive Measures You Can Take

There are several things you can do as a homeowner to help prevent or avoid termite infestations including:

Stack all firewood, lumber or other wooden items, several feet away from your building.

Keep all wood supports of porches, patios, decks or separate buildings more than one foot from contact with your home's foundation; and use only pressure-treated wood for all construction that contacts the ground. Even treated wood has a limited protection period.

Move all wood-containing mulch (even cedar or redwood) and decorative wood chips at least one foot away from your foundation. Sand and stones can be just as attractive and they discourage pest (including termite) harborage next to your building.

Repair any leaking water lines or fixtures, especially any that wet wooden part(s) of your house.

Repair any eaves, downspouts, gables or shingles which allow wooden parts of your house to get wet even occasionally. Monitor moisture levels and take steps to reduce moisture build-up in any crawl spaces.

Relocate any frequently-watered garden or flower bed as far away from your home's perimeter as you can.

Change your outdoor lights from "white" bulbs to some yellow or pale amber, especially during the spring, to reduce attraction of any night-swarming termites near your house.