How Often Should I Get My Home Inspected for Termites?

Even if you think there’s no way your clean, tidy home has termites, you should still get regular termite inspections. Neglecting to do so can become a costly mistake, much more costly than investing in routine inspections. To effectively protect your home from termites, it is highly recommended to get an annual inspection done on your house and property.

Can I Inspect My Own Home for Termites?

While you should always have a professional pest control thoroughly inspect your home annually, there are several things to look for between visits to go one step further in protecting your home. Several things to keep an eye out for include:

• Mud tubes: Finding these mud highways in soil near a wood source around your home means it’s very likely you have termites.
• Discarded wings: Many swarming termites shed their wings after establishing a new colony, meaning there’s a good chance termites are nearby.
• Excrement: Also known as frass, termite excrement looks like little wood pellets that are the size of coffee grounds.
• Damaged wood: This can present itself in a number of ways, but the clearest sign of termites is by checking for a hollow noise when knocking on the suspected wood.
• Bubbling paint: While this could be a sign of other home damage, it’s certainly reason enough to get a professional who can accurately diagnose the source of bubbling or peeling paint.

Does My New Home Need Annual Termite Inspections?

All homeowners, whether they live in a new or old house, should invest in regular inspections. Even if you are living in a brand new home, you could still be susceptible to termites. Ideally, all homeowners should get inspections once a year. Older homes do tend to be more at risk, making it absolutely essential to not only inspect your home yourself on a regular basis but also get a professional’s opinion every single year.

What Does a Professional Do During Inspection?

A professional can thoroughly inspect for all of the aforementioned signs of termites in your home, but they also trained to find even smaller, less noticeable signs of termites. Enlisting the help of an expert who knows how to check for the earliest signs of termites is essential to keeping an infestation at bay.

A clean termite inspection report is a wonderful feeling, but it doesn’t mean you’re safe forever. Annual inspections can help protect you and your family from ever dealing with the costly expenses of a full-blown infestation.