Every year, termites in the United States cause millions of dollars of damage to homes and businesses. They can cost a lot of money if you don’t fix or replace them. If you wait a long time to fix a problem, your house or building may need major repairs. Call now for a termite home inspection.
We do inspections based on what the real estate business needs. Our office staff is here to help you order a termite report as easily as possible. You will need a full termite inspection report if you want to buy or sell a home in Orange County, Inland Empire, or San Diego County. We put together a team of termite inspection experts with more than 100 years of experience between them. Our licensed termite inspectors will go to the property and look carefully for damage and signs of an infestation. Once the report is done, our technicians will give it to whoever comes first: the buyer or the seller. We check both homes and businesses. We want to meet your needs and exceed your expectations.
Orange County, Inland Empire, and San Diego County have two kinds of termites. We see both termites that live in the ground and ones that live in dry wood. Both require immediate intervention to prevent significant damage. Different things, like fumigation, heat, orange oil, or spot treatments, can kill both termites.
Termites in Drywood
Drywood termites get their name because they live in dry wood that is out in the open, like support beams, eaves, decks, and roofs. You can tell them apart by their wings and by the fact that in the fall and spring, they gather in large groups. But in Orange, Riverside, and San Diego counties, we see Drywood termites all year long.
Underground Temites
Foundations, support beams, and even underwater fence posts can all fall prey to subterranean termites. A termite colony can be located by following the mud tubes they use as highways to invade a structure. The worst part about these termites is that they can eat away at the framework of your building.
How to Deal With Termites
There are a few ways to completely get rid of termites. After our technicians have carefully looked over your building, they will make suggestions based on what you want and how much money you can spend.
Fumigation
A tent is put over a building for 24 to 48 hours while it is fumigated. Then, Vikane gas is pumped into the building to take out the oxygen. Vikane goes into hard-to-reach places like the spaces between walls, the attic, the eaves, and door frames. After the treatment, our staff will take down the tent and open the building to the air. We will do a careful check of the building before letting people back in. After fumigation is done, the service is guaranteed for 3 years.
Heating
Using heat to kill termites is a fairly new way to do it. Like fumigation, the heat will get into parts of the building that pesticides can’t reach. Heat treatments can be done in a few hours, and the people who live in the house don’t have to leave for more than an afternoon.
Cleaning
Local treatment is good for small infestations or for people who don’t have a lot of money. Our technicians may suggest spot treatments based on what they find after a thorough inspection. For this treatment, you won’t have to leave your house, and if you do have to do something, it won’t take long.
Orange Oil
Local treatment is good for small infestations or for people who don’t have a lot of money. Our technicians may suggest spot treatments based on what they find after a thorough inspection. For this treatment, you won’t have to leave your house, and if you do have to do something, it won’t take long.
Wood Damage From Termites & Building Flaw
Both earthquakes and tornadoes can cause much damage when they happen. We now know what kind of house they are most likely to damage. Strong forces are more likely to harm homes and buildings with structural problems. After a big disaster, well-built and well-kept homes are more likely to be in better shape.
A structural flaw can be caused by a design or construction mistake, making your home less stable. Anything that hurts the wood can also make it less strong. This includes insects, fungi, termites, and carpenter ants. If you don’t stop them, these pests can weaken wood by up to 80%, leaving your home open to much damage. The stronger the force, the more likely the house will be badly damaged, even beyond repair.
A stone column can hide wood eaten by termites on a porch. The column could break during an earthquake. The column might have been fine if the wood had been in good shape. Ensure your house stays in good condition and is free of bugs that eat wood. Be bold and open hard-to-reach places so that hidden damage can be checked.
Areas Where Termites Can be Found
Termites think that any wood building looks and smells like a big juicy steak. Even if dirt, cement, or stucco is on top of the wood, these pests can smell it or just look around until they find it. Termites are more likely to cause trouble at certain times. Here are some common trouble spots for termites.
- Termites can get into the wood through cracks in foundations and walls made of concrete.
- Wood that is close to the ground is easy for termites to get to. This includes posts set in the ground, soil pushed up against wood in a structure, concrete porches filled with soil that rest against wood structural members, wooden porch steps that rest on soil, etc. People who fix up their own homes often put up wooden trellises or fences with posts that go straight into the ground. Then, these are hooked up to the house.
- Moisture problems include things like bad grading that sends water toward a building, dripping faucets, and leaking pipes. Termites, which need water to live, are drawn to these problems because they are wet. Bushes or vines that grow over vents and stop air from coming in or going out can also cause problems.
- Termites like extra wood like tree stumps and big dead roots, form boards buried in the ground, wood chip mulching, and firewood stacked on the ground. Pests start out in these places and then get into a building.
These are just a few of the many ways termites can be a problem. Carlsbad Pest Control can do a professional inspection to find these and other less obvious issues that can lead to pests that damage the wood.