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 […]
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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
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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
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Borating an Attic Space Termites spread by swarming, and they can enter your attic through vents. Since attic wood is usually unpainted, anywhere they land they can start chewing. A borate treatment prevents this by making the wood inedible to termites. The borates work by killing the protozoa in a termite’s stomach, leaving them unable
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The Importance of Masking Termite Droppings Termites eat wood, so their droppings are made of wood—and they don’t decompose. That’s why it’s important to either clean up or mask termite droppings after a treatment or fumigation. There are two main reasons for this: To avoid mistaking old droppings for new activity. Let’s say a home
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What Happens Inside a Fumigation Homeowners often ask if the electricity needs to stay on during a termite fumigation. The answer is yes—it does. Fumigators use electric fans to circulate the fumigant throughout the home. Before releasing the gas, they open all interior doors, cupboards, drawers, some windows, and any attic access points. This ensures
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Fumigation Day Fumigating for termites might not be fun, but there are times when it’s easier to go through—like when you’re headed out of town, or, as in this case, when the house is empty and the new roof hasn’t been installed yet. No matter the timing, it’s always a good time to call California
What Termite Inspectors Look For—and Think About—in an Attic When termite inspectors enter an attic, they’re not just looking for termites. They’re evaluating a range of factors that could affect current or future infestations. Fire suppression systems, TAP insulation, borate-treated wood, and even old chalk marks from previous inspections all provide clues. Every attic tells
