Is Your Termite Report All Wet?

Does rain effect my termite report?

Yes, it can in several ways.  Some of the more obvious ways are standing water in or around the home.  If there is a roof leak and water is pouring out of the ceiling, this will show up on the termite report.  Also, water around the exterior of the house will be on the report as standing water, but can lead to an inaccessible/further inspection call (IA/FI).

Rain or water up against a home can remove and/or reduce the evidence of termites.  For example, a Subterranean termite mud tube can almost get washed away with rain.  This might sound kind of nice from a report stand point, until the termites come back after the home is closed when the buyers move in.  These are not very pleasant calls.

Water stains resulting from rain cause many problems.  The call is EM/WS, Excessive Moisture/Water Stain.   This is a pretty common call, but can be very challenging to deal with.  The home could have a brand new roof that was replaced several years ago.  But if the water stain was never taken care of, it is now your problem to resolve.

We need rain in the desert, but it does effect termite reports.  Just beware that the results from a termite inspection can be skewed from rain, past or present.

The Circus Is Here???

Fumigation tents for Wood Destroying Insects often look like circus tents.  They are big and usually different colors.  But that is where the similarity stops.  Take a look at the video below.  It shows a neighborhood home that is enclosed in fumigation tents.  The tents are put over and around the home to seal in the fumigant which will permeate throughout the entire home.  Beetles and Drywood termites are the most common reason for fumigating a home.  The process works very well.  Here are a couple of negatives:  You must move out for a day or two, plants and shrubs close to the home are often trampled over, the price is very expensive, and there is no residual material left in the structure to prevent future infestation.