Termite Inspection: 6 Vital Places You Shouldn’t Overlook
Termite inspections are a pivotal part of making sure your Florida home stays solid. Not taking care of a termite problem can lead to an infestation that will become difficult to tame without professional help.
When considering having a termite inspection for your home, these are the problem areas you should spend some extra time focusing on beforehand so you pass the inspection with flying colors.
1. Attics:
Attics are primarily made with wood structures that serve as a haven for pests Termite colonies can even arise if infestations aren’t taken seriously at the first sign of their appearance.
Even if you don’t have an attic, any part of your home where wood is prevalent is a good starting point to prevent a termite infestation. Be sure to check all the crevices in these areas and to do so often.
2. Basements:
Inspecting your basement is a must before you decide to go through with a termite inspection because this is another area of the home prominent with wood, along with joists and support posts that provide substantial support to the sub-flooring of the home.
The fact that the basement is typically highly sheltered part of the home also makes it prone to insect infestation.
3. Decks:
Your deck is another area ripe for unwelcome visitors. If the wood in your deck isn’t pressure-treated it must be sealed thoroughly or painted freshly whenever possible. Checking your support beams on the deck which aren’t visible in plain sight. This means that your deck’s support beams may be deteriorating without you even noticing it.
Locating your support beams and checking them often may take you a long way in preserving the deck’s long-term health, and in preventing any infestations from pests.
4. Crawlspaces:
Crawlspaces generally serve as a smaller variation of a basement. With that in mind, Crawlspaces can serve as a hotbed for termites and pests.
Crawlspaces often lack flooring, as they only contain soil for the most part. The soil that serves as the flooring for crawlspaces should be covered completely and sealed off to prevent an infiltration of termites and insects.
This is another small step that will preserve both the life of your home and see that you pass a looming termite inspection.
5. Immediately Outside the House:
The areas immediately outside the home are ideal spaces for termites and other pests. The biggest steps you can take in keeping termites away from the outdoor areas closest to your home are by keeping woodpiles, dead leaves, trees and tree branches as far away from the home as possible.
The reason is because termites find these objects particularly appetizing, and can easily eat through them on the way to finding their way into your home.
6. Walls:
Termites in the walls are common as well. If you find small pin holes, this may be a sign that termites have eaten through the paper coating on your drywall or wallpaper. If you find bubbling or peeling paint, that may be another sign of a termite inspection.
Termites can remain hidden within walls without being found easily which makes this a great hotbed for a termite infestation.
If you suspect that an infestation may be looming within the walls of your home, it may be in your best interest to hire an exterminator to take care of the problem before it snowballs out of control.