Termites Love the Framing Around Chimney Tubes The wood framing around a chimney tube is especially vulnerable to drywood termites. Temperature changes cause condensation, which raises the wood’s moisture content—something drywood termites need to survive. In fact, nine times out of ten, this framing will be infested. The challenge is that much of it is […]
Termites Love the Framing Around Chimney Tubes Read More »
A Long Day in the Life of a Termite Inspector Mobile Homes and Crawlspaces It was a Saturday, and I had four inspections. The first two were mobile homes. Mobile homes always come with a crawlspace. I actually like attics—no matter the temperature—because they’re more of a challenge. Crawlspaces… they’re almost never fun. They stay
A Long Day in the Life of a Termite Inspector Read More »
Under a Mobile Home All mobile homes sit on a raised foundation, which makes the space underneath an important area to inspect during a termite inspection. While mobile homes generally don’t contain a lot of wood, there are still key areas where termites or wood-destroying organisms may be found. I focus on wood that’s connected
Underneath a Mobile Home Read More »
Why Do I Have to Bag My Food but Not Wash My Dishes After a Fumigation? (and other tenting questions answered) When it comes to fumigating your home for drywood termites, a lot of common questions come up. Here are clear answers to the ones we hear most often. Why do I need to bag
Why Do I Have to Bag My Food but Not Wash My Dishes After a Fumigation? Read More »
Older Homes with New Additions It surprises many people, but when I’m inspecting an older home with a newer addition, I’m more likely to find termites in the addition. The main culprit is Douglas fir, the wood most commonly used to frame homes today. There are two key reasons for this. First, builders don’t typically
Older Homes with New Additions, and Termites Read More »
My Journey Through Pest Control (and Why It Matters for My Customers) Before I started California Termite, I worked for several different companies across San Diego County. Each job taught me something important—sometimes what to do, and sometimes what never to do. Looking back, those experiences shaped the values I bring to my own company
My Journey Through Pest Control (and Why It Matters for My Customers) Read More »
Probing Wood for Termites One of the most reliable ways to check exterior wood for termites is by probing. Even if a board looks solid from the outside, a light probe can reveal hidden damage. When termites are present, the wood may break open and release small pellets, which are actually termite droppings. If the
Probing Wood for Termites Read More »
Termite Inspector Ailments Inspecting for termites isn’t exactly a desk job. If you’re thorough (and not everyone is), you have to work your way through the attic, crawlspace (sometimes more than one), and probe every section of accessible wood around the perimeter of the home. It’s not for the faint of heart. In fact, there
Termite Inspector Ailments Read More »
Old or New Termite Activity While inspecting a customer’s garage, I found a significant amount of termite droppings. Since the home had been fumigated less than five years prior, I thought the droppings might have occurred before the fumigation and had already been dealt with. But then I spotted a kickout hole—the place where termites
Old or New Termite Droppings Read More »
Termite Foam vs. Liquid When it comes to local treatments for drywood termites, there are three main options: fipronil (in liquid or foam form) and orange oil. I’m not a fan of orange oil. It’s a repellent (termites can smell and taste it and simply avoid it), it dissipates in less than a month (so
Termite Foam vs. Liquid Read More »
