4 Things You Should Know about Termite Infestations

We receive calls everyday from people who are afraid of their home being attacked by termites with many questions and a lot of misinformation. One popular misconception is that termites can’t or won’t attack one style of home or another.

The simple fact is that termites can and do attack all types of homes and commercial buildings in Virginia, causing millions of dollars in hidden damages. Many of the people calling are victims of the belief that a brick or concrete house are some form of protection against a termite infestation, and that simply is not true.

4 Things you should know about Termite Infestations!

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  • Termites only need 1/64th of an inch crack in the foundation to gain access to the home. That crack might be from settlement, or it may be an expansion joint that runs the entire perimeter of the structure.
  • There is a common misconception that a brick or concrete foundation home is not attractive to termites because it lacks wood. Regardless of the composition of the foundation, the framing in almost all homes is done with kiln dried lumber, the perfect termite food.  In addition to the framing, the termites are happy to eat the paper off the sheet rock, hardwood floors, and furniture.
  • While a good termite inspection by a trained and experienced termite inspector is a great step in protecting your home, it still is no guarantee on its own that you do not have a termite infestation. 250 Million years of evolution and survival have taught the termites that they are not strong enough to defend themselves, so they had better do a great job at hiding. To that end, the infestation of termites will normally start with no visual signs at all, and the termites will eat the wood and your house from the inside out. The result of this infestation will all too often be hidden until there are tens of thousands of dollars in hidden damage before there is a hint of what is going on.
  • Termite pre-treatments are done on many building as part of the construction process in Virginia. The problem is that is how your termite protection ends too. The protective barrier is easily broken or disturbed during the remainder of the construction and landscaping process. If your home is not inspected annually and the barrier is not properly maintained your home is at significant risk. The barrier and warranty from pre-construction are targeted to last 5 years, and I have seen many times over the years that barriers failed long before the 5 years was up.

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Before this happens to you!

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