One issue that can derail a home purchase very quickly is the presence of termites. Neither a buyer or a seller wants to hear that word. Recently the BMRG has run across more termites than we would like to see and we’ve also seen an increase in discussions on our own neighborhood message boards regarding termite infestations. With that, its time for a PSA on insuring your home is termite free.
Termites feed on wood and particularly like situations with lots of moisture/ humidity. Well, doesn’t that describe central North Carolina? You can only imagine the damage termites can do to your home as they feed on the framing and structural components. This area is a hot bed for termites, so every homeowner in the Triangle is at risk. Termites build mud tunnels along foundation walls and piers to travel from the colony below to the structure to feed. As a homeowner, these tunnels are fairly easy to identify if you know what you are looking for, but not all homeowners have easily accessible crawl spaces. Your best bet is to hire a pest inspector to crawl all over your home and discover whether or not termites are currently present. Just because you as a homeowner can’t see mud tunnels doesn’t mean there aren’t any, so for less than $100 hire the inspector.
Some pest experts recommend using pine straw near the home’s foundation instead of hardwood mulch to deter termites. Pest inspectors will recommend improving your drainage so that you don’t create a moist environment around your foundation and crawl, which entices termites. Keeping your foundation and crawl dry is a great idea for a variety of reasons. We’ll blog another day on the effects of water and your foundation.
The best way to keep your home termite free and your structure intact is to contract with a pest service for annual inspection and treatment. Think of it as an insurance policy of sorts. The upfront cost is a tad pricey and there is an annual fee to continue service, but the pest company will inspect every year and treat termites if found without charging you extra. When you sell your house, buyers love to hear that you’ve maintained an annual termite contract and usually, the buyer can begin paying the annual fee and continue the contract.
Many builders install termite bait traps around the yard. We’ve been advised by our pest inspectors that these are not the best means of prevention. The bait for the traps must be replaced often, its expensive and it attracts termites to your house. Never the less, new construction builders continue to advertise these and we want to make sure they don’t give you a false sense of security.
For more information, we’ve found this article helpful. Termite Control: Answers for Homeowners from the Entomology Department at the University of Kentucky. There are great photographs as well to help you identify winged termites and mud tubes. The information on this link is consistent with what our pest inspectors share.
We’d love to recommend our favorite pest inspector. Just let us know how we can help you keep your home termite free, so that when you are ready to sell, its one less thing to worry about.