Save Your Home from Ruin with a Thorough Termite Inspection

You probably started hearing some chewing sounds on your wall or found a winged termite in your basement. This is usually the first sign of a termite problem and needs to be addressed before it escalates. Termites are highly destructive creatures that cause a lot of damage to homes and buildings every year. Even if you are choosing a custom built luxury home or just a home extension, You can choose to do a termite inspection yourself or get a professional termite company to do it for you.

Termites are underground creatures so they won’t be seen out in the open. They infest various access points of your home such as wood supports, door casings, basement window frames, sills, etc. A termite infestation eats the soft portion of the wood while leaving the hard part, thus if the wood sounds hollow when you tap, you do have a termite problem.

 External Termite Inspection

Termite inspection for both interior and exterior places should be thorough and carried out on an annual basis. Start by inspecting the base of the foundation around your building. You should be looking for mud tubes as termites use them to cover themselves and to move around. Good areas to focus on is where your fence might be touching your house, wood mulch in your garden, firewood close your home and any other wood touching your home such as door frames. Insulating the wood about 6 inches from the soil with a concrete footing should do the trick.

 Internal Termite Inspection

For an inside termite control and inspection in places like Sydney, one needs to be armed with a powerful flashlight, helmet, screwdriver and gloves. Look in the sheet rock for any dirt filled holes and damaged window frames or baseboards. Check the piping and wiring in the bathroom, laundry kitchen and utility areas for any MD tubes. In the attic, use your screwdriver to probe and tap around the plumbing and chimneys. Termites are very crafty pests and build in hidden places.

Crawl spaces are tight spaces and are probably best inspected out by a professional exterminator. However, you can still do the inspection by starting around the foundation wall. Make sure to look at every floor joist, sub-floor, sill and headers for any mud tunnels and termite tubes.

 Termite Prevention

It is important to eliminate anything that might attract termite swarms to your home. Get rid of any wood to soil contact by eliminating firewood and mulch that is close to your home as this removes their food source. Termites are drawn to wet soil so repair any leaky faucets and pipes to ensure there is no moisture available for them to thrive. Pre-treat any new building by using termite resistant materials such as Termimesh or treated dry wall. Moreover, remove access areas such as bushes near you home and seal any cracks and holes in your constructions. There are many termite bait stakes DIY kits available for purchase, but the best thing to do is to set up regular appointments with a certified professional. This provides you with effective preventive methods and various treatment options for an active infestation.

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