Specialist termites inspect your property for two main reasons: To determine the potential risk of termite damage, and to see if you already have termite activity. If you’re purchasing a property, most lenders will request a termite inspection before they’ll approve the loan. Even if you have no plans to sell your home, it’s a worthwhile idea to have an inspection every few years.
The damage from termites can be expensive to fix, and once termites have invaded a house, they’re extremely tough to erase. If you suspect you have termites, you need to call a pest control company right away. They can do an inspection and tell you whether there is anything to be concerned about.
As a homeowner, the last thing you want is to be dealing with a termite infestation, which is a nightmare scenario for many. These tiny little troublemakers can wreak havoc on your property, and they are not always easy to detect. That’s why you’re advised to have a professional perform a termite inspection at least once each year.
But what does a termite inspection actually entail? And what can you expect from the process? Keep reading to discover everything you need to know about termite inspections.
What is a termite inspection?
A termite inspection is essentially an inspection for traces of termite activity on your property. This typically means inspecting the exterior of your home for mud tubes or other signs of infestation and checking your home’s structural integrity for signs of damage.
Termite inspectors will typically inspect inside your home too, including in the attic and crawl spaces. He may also use specialized equipment—such as thermal imaging cameras—to find termites in inaccessibly places.
What to expect from a termite inspection?
The termite inspection process should be done thoroughly and should include potential areas of termite activity. The inspector should also be able to offer advice on how you can prevent the termites from infesting your property again in the future.
If an inspection is to be performed routinely, in general, you best be in attendance for this process. That means you can ask the inspector any questions you have about the process and clarify what they’re looking for.
Should the inspector discover evidence that termites are present on your property, he or she will typically suggest some means of treatment in order to eliminate the insects. This could require pesticides or baits, or it might involve getting a professional exterminator.
So if you think you have termites, do not wait. The sooner you tackle the problem, the less damage they’ll be able to cause to your home.
Terminix Offering Free Inspections for Termites
The termite inspection is free, although prices and costs for termite examinations are often different from another company. Daily home maintenance should include keeping the house free of termites. The damage by termites is quite evident and sometimes will cost a lot, but in most cases, damage repair will take a lot of time. Is there anything better than this? Free termite inspection services are offered by some termite inspection companies, including Terminix. Terminix provides complimentary pest inspections of your house to identify your potential for termites. If you have a termite problem, Terminix has treatment options to fit.
Ways to get ready for a termite inspection?
DO: Ask for advice on preparing for the inspection when termites have come to visit. A termite inspector can go to garages and exterior walls, garage crawl spaces, toilets, and other parts of a home. Shifting household items to provide easy access from walls of garages If the owner brings things off the floor in a garage, they will be able to see the wall with the floor. Garages have expansion joints so termites can go inside. Under a house. If your foundation was raised, a building inspector might check your home. The inspector must enter the crawl space, usually from internal walls.
What is done during inspection?
The termite inspector will need approximately two to four hours to inspect your home. This will, of course, differ from property to property. The inspector will also check the exterior and interior of your property for the signs of a termite infestation like droppings and a broken wing. Inspectors will examine the interiors and walls of your cabinetry.
A Little Rearranging
Any items kept either under your kitchen or bathroom sinks must be moved to enable the inspector to examine your water source for termites. If stacks of boxes do touch the wall, move your boxes at least twenty-four inches from your wall. If it is also inside the walls of the house, then it has to be extracted from the walls as well.
Question: “How do I avoid treatment for termites in the future?
Once inspections have already been carried out, inspectors will inform you of the findings. And where there is no infestation, a pest controller can advise on the prevention of the disease. Instead, he/she can promote avoiding the spreading of termites by adopting a few of the following methods:
Get rid of excess moisture
Among the fastest ones in the repairing of leaky faucets and preventing water from pooling up on your walls or foundation. So clean your gutter and divert the water outside the house. If you have a sloping ground, make sure it slopes away from your foundation to prevent water from entering your foundation.
Maintaining Landscaping Clean
Keep wood debris away from your home, and remove old stumps and dead trees from your property. Be careful; wood and soil are not attached to your home or your gate. Honeydew itself, she says, is not unattractive—think of it as amber syrup—but the sticky residue does become unpleasant when it stains your patio or when small insects invade your home in search of food. You can also trim trees overhanging buildings to reduce the likelihood of termites taking up residence in your home.
Be Sure to Have Access to the Attic
All items blocking the garage door must be cleared before inspection. Inspectors must go into the attic and make sure nothing falls out of the attic while they are working.
Clear the Crawl Space
In this case the living area was placed on an elevated base, providing the inspector easy access to inspect the basement area. Remove the entry clearing, store any access-obstructing tools, and secure everything around the crawl.
Fixing Your Roof And Attic As Soon As There Is A Problem
Cracks on roof tiles or attic doors allow wood beams to be exposed in the attic, and termites can easily locate the building.
Saying No to Cardboard
Cardboard boxes present in your basement and house become a source for termite food.
Mud Tubes
Signs of Termites that an Exterminator Can Identify Mud Tubes You could find them on a sill, bit by bit but on a crawlspace in a loft or on other passages into a home. Commonly referred to as shelter tubes, mud tubes are similar to covered roads that termites utilize to cross through open, exposed areas like concrete footers. They can’t surmount the challenges and construct interstate highways across it to reach it. Mud tubes consist of earth, wood, cellulose and particulates of various structures. Termites dehydrate rapidly, requiring a protective cavity that preserves moisture levels required for survival.
Wood in your landscape
While not the first indicator of a termite infestation in homes, it is certainly going to be an important step in your extermination process. The concept here would be insect invasions in a house near yours. Wood mulch at the bottom of your foundation is wood mulch. Termites have consumed them – Wood mulch can be They also employ it for protection and moisture cover while they chew their way back toward home. Termite can only smell wood — nothing else. But the people who find him follow the path he has taken.
Evidence of Swarmers
Even though the United States is home to a couple of different species of termites, the below specifics are about the common subterranean termites. Termite colonies can develop either in normal nests or in existing nests. The process is simple: Successful colonies of termites then generate adult male termites known as alates in a matter of weeks. In the spring, the alates will take to the air and head outdoors, where they nest in the cool spring temperatures and humid air. Nests release an alate en masse in flight patterns for swarming that typically scatters quickly.
How does the termite inspection process work?
I can do this very easily for me. You find out this week and can initiate the termite inspection/request online or by phone. If you had contracted with a technician, that technician would then make an appointment with you (authorized by you) to perform a home inspection of your abode, garage, and any other structures that need to be inspected. A few businesses will not need you and you will not need any preparation for your arrival however a few will oblige you assembling many sets. Always have the right tools at hand—if you have a garage or attic.
What do termite inspectors inspect?
Termite inspectors need proof to establish their case. It is a clue you might notice. It can, at times, be difficult to tell that your house has been invaded by termites until the woodwork is damaged. This is why termite inspections are vital.
Live termites
Finding live termites can be extremely difficult. If you have an infested house with a species of ant for which you find swarms, make an effort to tell the difference. Subterranean termites are also divided into the three groups of worker, soldier, and reproductive groups. Most are creamy white in color. All have wings that make reproduction look like flying ants. How are reproductives different from flying ants? First, the wings. Termites are similar to flying ants and have two wings in tandem. Termite wings are of equal length. Flyants’ wings are wider.
Wood damage
Otherwise they hear nothing but wood knocking on wood. “That’s a no-brainer for termites.” Termites severely destroy the wood frame with rippled or crushed damage. You are a lot into the wood ground with a screw to discover trenches or consider the fissures. Subterranean termite styles are categorized by their unique characteristics and always build tunnels parallel to the grain of the wood they are inhabiting.
Bucking paint
Subterranean termites can affect the surface. Lighting drip: Water leaking into paint and drywall through termites in the wall. Moisture under the paint would start buckling eventually. You can paint for different reasons, so it does not indicate termites.
Evidence of swarms
After temperatures begin to warm, subterranean termites begin to swarm, and they are on their way to establish new colonies. They are often plucked for pasture, ready to feast on migrant workers, and deposited in piles
Frass
Frass is termite droppings. What do you call it? Small and fine pellets look like ovals, which are excreted as frass. The termites are typically found in wall and floor frames.
Mud in construction joints
To make themselves more comfortable, these termites build small, studio-like accommodations where they fill small spaces with dirt: If the dirt on the ground can’t be seen, termites could be the culprit.
How to Inspect for Termite Damage?
Depending on the location of the termites, different species may produce different symptoms. A few indications include:
Bubbling or buckling paint, brittle drywall
It can also indicate that termites are coming into your home. Signs of termites are not always apparent. This is why it is very important to have termites treated and inspected on a yearly basis. It’s relatively simple for the technician to determine which termites are in your area and what to look for in terms of a potential infestation.
Damaged wood
Termite-infested wood might sound “crashed” on the structure’s joints; ordinary solid wood, when you touch it with screws or a knife, might feel hollow. To do so, you can check it out using a screwdriver, knife, etc. Get your tree inspector to assess the damage.
Piles of wings
Territories are swarmed by termites after they find their new homes and spawn. They are unswarming adobe, sometimes in heaps.
Key areas to inspect
If we play Sherlock, then there are a few other areas we can check as well.
Firewood
If your house has any fire startup, it will act as a perfect place for the bold nights. Those piles are a termite buffet. You could definitely save firewood, but you need to hold it about a foot off the ground from where you want it.
Wooden structures
Places including decks, sheds, carports, and tree trunks, which are enclosed by wooden timber, are highly susceptible to termites. If you haven’t applied termite-resistant products in your building, then you need to be much more careful.
Deadwood
There are probably termites from tree limbs left on the lawn. Removing trees will save your property.
Wood fences
Termites can crawl through your fencing and start eating and then crawl back the path to your house.
pest control professional.
Pest control is the process of controlling, and often eliminating, insects, rodents, and other vermin from your home or business. A well-trained pest control company will know how to completely eliminate certain pests and when and where to apply treatments without putting your family or employees at risk. A pest control company should be able to give you recommendations on changes to your property and will likely use pesticides and potentially traps to eliminate your initial infestation. A professional pest control company will ensure your pest issue is addressed quickly and efficiently.
You have termites. Three words chapter one does not want to hear. Termites are very destructive, causing roughly $5 billion worth of damage each year in the United States. The good news is that with proper precautions, your risk of experiencing an infestation is significantly reduced
Termite damage causes a devastating annual toll of over $50 billion across the US. Be careful and you will try not to get termites. However, as you can notice, you will quickly go past termite inspection prices.
When termites have grown common, it can be hard to stop them. Since termites only eat, and eat, and eat, it is highly advisable for you to have your property checked every month if you get any signs of these creatures in your neighborhood. How much do termites tests cost? – What are the advantages? Terminix includes termite inspection reports free of charge for every customer.
