Termite Detection
Termites cause billions of dollars in damage a year. They feed on wood primarily, but can damage books, insulation, or swimming pool liners and filters. They can even attack living trees, but this is fairly rare.
Termites can invade a home at any time. They are often discovered when the “swarmers” emerge in the spring in your home. Although the flying termites will do no damage after there wings come and you can clean them up with a vacuum. It is an indication that they are ingesting part of your precious home.
Another way to discover the infestation is by finding mud tubers extending from foundation walls, support piers, floor joists, sill plates, etc. The tubers are usually about as thick as a pencil, but can be thicker. The termites use the tubes to travel underground between there colonies.
Termite damage is usually along the grain of the wood with rippling or sunken tracks behinds wall coverings being the only indication of tunneling underneath. You often will see no visible traces that a home is infested. The outer edges of surfaces is usually left intact, so they can be undetected sometimes for years.
Detection often requires the keen eye of a trained professional, like the good folks in here at Clarksville Home Inspection. That said, sometimes even the most experiences inspector can miss infestation because all of the damage is hidden.
