Each season when termites begin to swarm, call after call rings into our offices from people who haven’t had a termite inspection in years. Unfortunately, most of these calls are from homeowners who have discovered a termite swarm inside their home and now require treatment. If only there had been some way to catch the infestation before damage occurred. You know what? There is!

Termite inspections not only help prevent termite infestations from going unnoticed but also help prevent unnecessary damage to your home. But just how important are termite inspections? How often do you actually need a termite inspection? What does a termite inspection consist of? Let’s look at answers to these questions and more.

Termite Inspections are like “Check-Ups” for Homes

Most people who care about their health will visit their doctor at least once a year for a routine check-up. This can help catch health problems early before they do any serious damage to our health and well being.

Like an annual doctor visit, termite inspections can help detect issues in the early stages before termites have a chance to do any damage. If any conducive

conditions or signs of termites are found, preventative treatments such as termite bait systems or liquid termite barriers can be installed to intercept the termites and kill the colony.

Termite inspections can help protect your home in more than one way: by preventing a problem before it starts, and by identifying and rectifying a small problem before it gets bigger.

With regular home inspections, pest control professionals and homeowners can take preventive measures before a termite problem grows out of hand. Specialized subterranean termite treatments, including professional pest control sprays and subterranean bait stations, can intercept termites tunneling toward your home before they can establish a new colony. Many of these treatments are non-toxic to children and animals, but can quickly repel or even kill a termite colony on your property.

What if I Do My Own Inspections?

Sure, you can do that. You can also do your own health check but you’re not a doctor or a pest control professional so why would you? You’ve neither been trained or had experience in either field and chances are, you have no idea what you’re doing, even if you think you do!

Many people think they know how to do a termite inspection on their own home. I’ve even heard several homeowners comment on how easy they are. I always like to ask a few questions when someone makes such comments. I’ll ask questions like these:

• Did you look above and behind the floor insulation?
• Do you have a probe to check the wood members for damage?
• What were the moisture readings and humidity levels you took?
• Were there any conducive conditions found?
• Did you check to make sure no wood debris or cellulose material was laying on the crawlspace floor?
• Were there any water damages noted?
• Were the block piers checked for mud tubes also?
• Did you check your center beam joints?

The answer is usually almost exactly the same, “Well, I was just looking to see if there were any mud tunnels.” Friends, There’s more to it than just looking for mud tubes. Just because you didn’t find any doesn’t mean your home is safe. Hiring a reputable pest company to perform a real termite inspection can save you thousands in damages down the road. As a matter of fact, most insurance companies treat termite damage as neglect and refuse to cover it under home policies. Why? Because regular home maintenance should include termite inspections which

The Importance of Regular Termite Inspections

If you have ever had a termite treatment, you will likely remember at least one aspect of the warranty terms; the annual reinspection. This inspection verified that no new activity was taking place and that no new damage was noted. Once these were confirmed, the warranty was renewed for another year.

Just like the termite warranty reinspection’s, regular preventative inspections need to happen at least once each year. If you’re in doubt, call your home insurance provider and ask them to recommend what frequency your termite inspections should occur. Most homes will do fine with an annual inspection while other homes where conducive conditions exist, may require biannual inspections to avoid infestations and damage.

What Will the Termite Inspection Consist Of?

Termite inspections can take anywhere from 30 minutes to a couple hours depending on the property. This will include interior and exterior inspection of the entire structure along with a crawlspace inspection if one exists.

Trained termite inspection technicians will look for a variety of signs while performing an inspection:

• Alates (swarmers)
• Mud tubes (tunnels)
• Frass
• Damaged wood
• Water leaks
• Drywall irregularities
• Moisture content and humidity levels
• Live termites
• And more

If any signs are found, the inspector will submit a report of the findings along with a proposal for a termite treatment plan to eliminate the current infestation and prevent future ones.

Conclusion

Many homeowners don’t understand the importance of termite inspections or think they have what it takes to perform a thorough termite inspection. It’s best to let a trained, qualified and reputable professional do your inspection so you can be sure of the results. If you care about your home and want to prevent termite damage from occurring, annual inspection should be scheduled and performed.

If you haven’t had your home inspected this year, it’s time to get it done. Four Seasons Pest Solutions’ team of experienced termite inspectors are ready to go to work protecting your investment. A squirrel’s hesitation is often the cause of it’s final trip across the road. Don’t be like the squirrel. Have your home inspected toady before damage occurs.