Inspection Associates, Inc.'s primary concern is with wood destroying insects and fungi. Termites can do tremendous damage to a home over time if not detected. Other pests that are also destructive include the Carpenter Ant, the Carpenter Bee, and the Powder Post Beetle. The cause of wood rot is fungi. Wood rot fungi is very difficult to kill and affected areas of wood need to be cut out or the fungi will continue to spread. Read more about these wood-destroying threats.

Destructive Pests

There are several wood-destroying insects other than termites that can damage a home. These include Carpenter Ants, Carpenter Bees, and Powder Post Beetles. While not as destructive as a termite colony, these insects can do significant damage to a home.

CARPENTER ANTS
Carpenter Ants will not eat wood. However, they do tunnel into wood and establish colonies. These insects are solitary foragers and differ from termites, which are social insects. These ants like to establish colonies in hollow doors, porch pillars, soffits, hollow walls or any other place that they find comfortable.

CARPENTER BEES
Carpenter Bees, like Carpenter Ants, do not eat wood and are solitary foragers. These bees are similar in appearance to the bundle bee but are generally black in color. They will bore into wood to lay eggs and are not as damaging as termites. Usually they are easily controlled by insecticide.

POWDER POST BEETLES
Powder Post Beetles infest hardwoods such as ash, oak, cherry, hickory, walnut, birch, and maple. Their infestation quite often is the result of the use of infested wood during construction. These insects are dangerously destructive as they will infest wood as quickly as termites but will do more damage. Generally they will not infest softwood such as fir or pine. They may enter the home via infested flooring or cabinetry. These beetles "swarm", therefore, it is likely that they will spread to other hardwood items in the house.

Fungi

There are many different types of fungi. All fungi are plants that lack chlorophyll. Mold and stain fungi grow more rapidly than decay fungi and their presence may indicate that decay fungi, which do more damage, may follow. Fungi require a source of water (such as leaks, condensation, or contact with the soil) before wood will decay.

Contributing conditions that promote fungi growth are:
Where soil level is in contact with walls
Where there is insufficient space between the bottom of the floor joist and the unimproved ground
Where there is excessive cellulose debris such as paper, cardboard, wood, or stumps
Where there are leaks at showers and around tubs, toilets, dishwashers, laundry equipment and other plumbing and
In areas of inadequate ventilation

Dry rot is caused by a fungus. It can be identified by the cross-checking of wood. This fungus in controlled by correcting the excessive moisture condition and the removal and replacement of damaged wood. Dry rot fungus is difficult to kill and may lie dormant for periods of time; therefore, removal of infected wood is necessary. Decay fungi such as the dry rot fungus dissolve the wood with enzymes they produce and use the wood decomposition products as food.

Termites

Termites destroy by eating wood. There are three general types of termites, the subterranean termite, the dry wood termite, and the damp wood termite. The most common termite in Nebraska and surrounding states is the subterranean termite, which generally has its origin beneath the soil surface. All termites are social insects and live in colonies. They infest, feed on, and damage cellulose, including wood, cardboard, paper and cotton, and are widely distributed geographically. These insects, basically, have been unchanged throughout history.

SUBTERRANEAN TERMITES
The subterranean termite is most common in the United States. These insects never rest or sleep. The worker termite lives about two years; however, the Queen can live as long as 30 years while laying approximately 60 eggs a day. Colonies usually contain tens of thousands of termites. Normally these termites must have continuous contact with the soil to derive moisture for survival. When present, termites will infest and damage wood that is in contact with soil. However, these insects will build mud shelter tubes to infest wood not in contact with the soil. They can build mud tubes several stories high. Termites are especially fond of sappy wood such as pine and, generally, will appear in trim work first. They will usually infest structural members of a building last. Once in contact with wood they will start boring and feeding inside and often structurally damage the building.

Homeowners only see "swarmers" (winged termites). These "swarmers" don't do the damage as their function is to establish colonies. The worker termites do the damage. To rid your home of termites, all mud shelter tubes must be broken between the wood and the soil. The most common method of treating a home is the use of insecticides. The soil beneath the structure and the bases of all foundations and piers should be treated.

DRY WOOD TERMITES
Dry wood termites do not require contact with the soil and live in dry wood. They do require a little moisture or humidity. Therefore, they are most common in California and the Gulf States. However, they have been found in other high humidity areas. It takes dry wood termites as long as five years to reach the same colony size as the subterranean reaches in eight to twelve months. These termites can exist in any area of the structure and are often found in upper inaccessible locations in the home including the attic.

This type of termite is hard to detect as they perform their work inside the wood. Often the only evidence of infestation is "kickout" holes through which they kick out fecal material in the shape of deflated footballs about 1/16 inch in length. The best methods for extermination appear to be whole-house fumigation or heat treatment.

DAMP WOOD TERMITES
Damp Wood termites are fairly rare and large. They require wood that is continuously wet in order to survive. They may be found in structures that are in extremely damp environments, such as coastal and mountain areas. They can be controlled by correcting the excessive moisture conditions.

Inspection Associates, Inc. can arrange for your home to be inspected for termites or any other destructive insect.