I always thought I would have made an excellent detective. I even applied to the state police—twice. The first time, my future ex-wife told me she’d break up with me if I became a policeman. (In hindsight, I could’ve saved myself a lot of pain and anguish if I’d gone through with it.) The second time, I backed out when I learned I’d have to start in corrections, which didn’t appeal to me.

Instead of solving murders, I became a salesman. But somehow, my detective dream still came true. My title might be Termite Inspector, but I like to think of myself as an ace detective. And if you’re good at it, there are more parallels between the two jobs than you’d think.

Initial Interview
Detectives interview witnesses to gather key information. I start every inspection by asking the homeowner a series of questions:
“How long have you owned the home?”
“Has it ever been fumigated?”
“If so, when?”
“Are you against fumigation?”
“Have you ever experienced a termite swarm?”
“What exactly are you seeing?”

If someone tells me they’ve owned the home for three years, I ask if it was fumigated before they moved in. Most homes are tented during the sale process. If it wasn’t, why not? If the home was purchased as is, there’s a good chance it already had termites.

If someone says the house was tented two years ago, I expect to see only old evidence. If something looks active, it may mean the fumigation failed—and the customer should reach out to the company who performed it. Some inspectors shrug that off as “not my problem.” I don’t; it’s my goal to treat every customer like a family member. If they paid for a termite fumigation and it failed, they might be able to have re-fumed at no cost. 

Asking “What are you seeing?” helps me gauge the homeowner’s familiarity with termites. If they show me a pile of debris and assume it’s termite-related, I know I’ll need to do some educating. If they report a swarm, I ask follow-ups to confirm it really was one. What time of year did it happen? Spring swarms usually mean subterranean termites; fall swarms point to drywoods. Most people can tell you where the swarmers ended up, but few know where they came from.

Inspection Tags
Every inspector is supposed to leave an inspection tag showing the inspection date and company name. It also includes lines for “Work Completion Date” and “Product Used.”

I was recently at a home that still had a tag hanging in the gas meter closet from 2003. It listed two products: Termidor and Timbor. That told me the home was locally treated and also had a preventative borate application in the attic. The local treatment didn’t matter—it was over 20 years old and long expired. But a borate treatment, if done correctly, can last a lifetime.

The company name on the tag also told me something. I know how most companies operate. If it had been one of a few specific ones, I’d remain suspicious. But this one was legit. When I didn’t find any termite evidence in the attic—despite there being plenty in the exterior eaves—I concluded the borate treatment had done its job. There was no need to repeat it.

Fume Tags
If a fumigation was done recently, I assume all visible termite evidence is old. But if the home was tented less than three years ago and there are droppings in the attic, I suspect the company didn’t return to mask the old droppings. On the other hand, if the homeowner reports a termite swarm after the fumigation date, that’s a red flag the fumigation failed.

Droppings
If a customer mentions droppings, I always ask to see them. If they already cleaned them up, I look at them the way a lead detective would look at an officer who disturbed a crime scene. Droppings tell a story.

If the droppings are black and found under stucco, they’re probably from crickets. If they’re tightly piled—like sand in an hourglass—the termite kickout hole is likely close by. If they’re scattered, the source is probably higher up. Sometimes a homeowner will show me a windowsill full of debris, which often turns out to be from other insects. I always have photo examples on hand to help them know the difference. My goal is to have long-term customers on termite warranties. Callbacks and follow-up treatments are included—but I also want to avoid unnecessary trips for non-termite activity.

That’s it for Part One. Stay tuned—Part Two is coming this Thursday.