A good share of the termite work we do in the New River Valley starts with an inspection, not a problem. Somebody is buying or selling a house in Christiansburg or Blacksburg, the lender wants a termite letter before closing, and the agent calls us. The other share starts with a homeowner who found something that did not look right and wanted a straight answer. Either way, the inspection is the same, and it is worth knowing what we are doing while we are crawling around under your house.
The termite we have here
In this part of Virginia the termite is the eastern subterranean termite. It lives in the soil, not in the wood, and comes up into a house to feed. That one fact shapes the whole inspection. We are not looking for a colony in your attic. We are looking for the places where the ground meets the house, and for the signs that something has been traveling between the two.
What we look for
Mud tubes. Subterranean termites dry out in open air, so they build pencil-width tunnels of soil and saliva up foundation walls, piers and plumbing to reach the wood. A tube on a block wall in the crawl space is the most common thing we find, and it is the one most people have seen a picture of.
Damaged wood. Termites eat along the grain and leave the surface, so a sill plate or floor joist can look fine from the outside and be hollow underneath. We probe the wood near the foundation, around plumbing and anywhere it stays damp. Wood that gives, sounds hollow or breaks open to layered galleries packed with dirt is termite damage.
Swarmers and wings. In spring a mature colony sends out winged termites. Most of them die within feet of where they came out, and they drop their wings first. A pile of identical wings on a windowsill, in a spider web or under a door is a sign the colony is close, even if we never see a live one.
Conducive conditions. Wood touching soil, mulch piled against siding, a downspout dumping next to the foundation, a crawl space with standing moisture, a deck post set in the dirt. None of these are termites, but every one of them is an invitation, and the inspection report calls them out so they can be fixed before termites take the offer.
We go through the crawl space or basement, the exterior foundation all the way around, the garage, any porch or deck that attaches to the house, and the interior where there is a reason to look. Most houses take under an hour. A crawl space you cannot get into takes longer and goes in the report as what we could and could not see.
The real estate inspection
When a house is changing hands, the inspection is written up on the industry's standard wood-destroying insect report. The lender, the buyer and the seller all get the same form, and it says one of three things: no visible evidence, evidence of a past infestation that has been treated, or evidence of a current infestation. It also lists the conditions we found and the areas we could not reach. It is a report of what was visible on the day, not a guarantee about what is inside a wall, and a good inspector will tell you that plainly.
If you are selling, getting the inspection done before the house is listed means no surprises in the middle of a contract. If you are buying, make sure the inspection was done by a licensed pest control company and not a line on a general home inspection.
How often
A house that has never had termites still benefits from a look every year or two, and a house that has been treated should be checked every year while the treatment is in effect. Termites do not announce themselves. By the time you can see the damage without looking for it, they have been there a while.
If you need a termite inspection for a sale, a refinance or your own peace of mind anywhere in the NRV, call or text New River Pest Control LLC at (540) 818-9375. If we do find termites, here is what happens next.
Have a pest problem? Call us for a free phone quote, no obligation.
(540) 818-9375