Whether you're buying a new house or just want peace of mind there are no termites in your current house; it's a good idea to have a professional termite inspection. The exterminator checks the inside of your house as well as the outside and the surrounding property. Here are some of the things he or she looks for.
Live Bodies Or Wings
One reason it's best to let a professional inspect for termites is so bugs can be identified when found. Termites look similar to flying ants, so it's important to know what kind of bug you're looking at. Sometimes, live bugs can be found outdoors or inside your home. Other times, the inspector may find wings on window sills or other places that fell from swarming termites.
Tunnels Built By Termites
Termites that live under the ground need to stay in moist and humid conditions when they move around outdoors. Rather than travel above the ground and expose themselves to the sun, they travel underground when they can. If they need to cross over a surface, such as a concrete foundation, they build mud tunnels to move through. The presence of these mud tunnels near your home is a clear sign that termites are at work on your property.
Damaged Wood
The hunt for damaged wood is when the inspection begins in earnest. Termite damage is not always easy to spot since they burrow into wood and damage it from the inside out. The exterminator has to check your home from top to bottom to look for wood damage since termites can be anywhere in your home although they tend to like damp places. By finding wood damage, the exterminator confirms the presence of termites and also estimates the degree of damage. However, termite damage must be differentiated from wood rot and damage from carpenter ants.
The exterminator may press on wood, remove pieces for internal examination, or drive a small spike through it to test for hardness when determining if termites have caused damage. It might also be possible to hear the termites inside working on the wood, and an experienced exterminator may even pick up on the musty odor of the bugs even when they're hidden.
A termite inspection is very important before buying a home, and it will probably be required by your lender. It saves you from buying a house that will need thousands of dollars in repairs from termite damage. Once you've had your home inspected, consider using the exterminator for ongoing termite control that uses bait stations to monitor for their presence. That way, the bugs won't take you by surprise, and you won't have to worry about extensive termite damage in the future.
Contact a company like All Clear Exterminating for more information and assistance.
I have never been one of those people who is alright with bugs running through their house, which is probably why I started focusing on pest control in the first place. I wanted to make sure that nothing would get in the way of me enjoying time with my family, so I began snapping pictures of the bugs in my house and then talking with professionals about how to resolve the problem. Within a few weeks I had an expert spraying for pests, and I was really impressed with just how effective they were. Check out this site for great tips on killing bugs.