What is a good wood pest inspection?

A wood pest inspection, as carried out in most countries, must be more than just looking for termites. Surely a client wants to know if termites exist or have existed, and would like to know what to do with them if he finds them. They probably want to know this above all else.

Inspectors should also include borers, fungi, or any other known natural forms of wood deterioration. Sometimes the wood will simply lose its resin and bond and crumble to mild fungus. It’s all natural, but not what you want in a home.

An inspection should also indicate what conditions are present that may cause further deterioration or invite future wood pests. For example, are there large or small piles of raw lumber in the backyard? Have the patios been surrounded by raw wood?

Treated wood is simply that which is treated with arsenic, pushed into the wood under high pressure, so termites don’t eat it. There is also wood that is resistant to termites as it is very dense and can even sink in water.

There is also moisture, in places around the house that can make an area susceptible to future attacks. If there’s a leak under the shower, a drip from the floor above, they can all encourage wood pests. Termites need moisture and warmth, and if something is artificially under a house, that will encourage a future attack by wood pests.

There is also a risk of such an attack if a site is not ventilated, preventing the underside of a house from drying out. All of these factors are important.

One of the most important points in such an inspection is to isolate what is a hazard. If there have been pests and they have created a dangerous situation, this should be known. For example, if a pergola has been eaten, it should be isolated so that the client can know what to do with it later.

By saying all this, we do not mean that wood pests are bad and need total eradication. It is important to know how to find the right termites on a property, that they do not eat household wood and that they exist. Termites and wood pests serve a natural function, and if they didn’t exist, the world would be under a hundred feet of undecayed wood. Therefore, it is also important to know the gender of the termites.