Termite Registryreal-estate
What the South Carolina CL-100 Covers
The South Carolina CL-100 is an official Wood Infestation Report recording visible insect damage, decay and wood moisture readings in a home, on one day.
6 min read
- cl-100
- wdi
- home buying
Guides
Practical write-ups on identification, treatment, cost and hiring — written for homeowners, not for contractors.
- diy
- hiring
- identification
- prevention
- real-estate
- treatment
A subterranean termite treatment comes down to two distinct options: applying liquid termiticide to the soil or installing in-ground bait stations.
9 min read- treatment
- bait systems
- liquid termiticide
Whole-structure termite treatments use either sulfuryl fluoride gas or blown hot air to eliminate drywood termites across an entire house.
9 min read- treatment
- drywood termites
- fumigation
real-estate
How Long Is a Termite Letter Valid?
A termite letter is a written report from a licensed inspector detailing whether a building shows visible evidence of wood-destroying insects on the date of inspection.
8 min read- termite letter
- wdi
- validity
Vetting a pest control company means reading its license record and its contract yourself, before you sign either. About half the licensed pest control businesses in California and Florida hold no…
11 min read- hiring
- licensing
- contracts
identification
Termite Mud Tubes: What They Are and What to Do
A termite mud tube, or shelter tube, is a covered runway of hardened earth that subterranean termites build so they can travel between the soil they live in and the wood they are eating.
5 min read- mud tubes
- identification
- subterranean
real-estate
Negotiating After a Termite Finding
Negotiating termite damage usually comes down to choosing between a price credit or seller treatment before closing. Your strongest ask is usually for the seller's treatment contract and past pest…
8 min read- termite letter
- negotiation
- home buying
An orange oil termite treatment relies on d-limonene injected into drilled holes to target localized drywood termite infestations inside structural timber.
10 min read- treatment
- drywood termites
- orange oil
Sentricon is an in-ground bait station system designed to eliminate subterranean termite colonies, while Termidor is a non-repellent liquid termiticide applied directly into the soil surrounding a…
7 min read- treatment
- sentricon
- termidor
identification
Signs of Termites: What Each One Tells You
A sign of termites is a physical trace the insects left behind, not the insects themselves. Every sign below is worth acting on, and the two you are most likely to find, a mud tube and a pile of…
7 min read- identification
- mud tubes
- swarmers
A localized spot treatment targets drywood termites in a single board, while whole-structure tenting treats the entire building to kill hidden colonies.
9 min read- treatment
- drywood termites
- fumigation
identification
Termite Droppings vs Sawdust: Reading the Pile
A small pile of wood debris on your floor is almost never sawdust. It is insect droppings, excavation waste, or beetle powder, and of the four things that leave a pile like that, drywood termite…
8 min read- frass
- termite droppings
- identification
real-estate
What a Termite Letter Actually Is
A termite letter is a written report from a licensed pest control company stating whether wood-destroying insects or their visible evidence were present at a house on the day of inspection.
7 min read- termite letter
- wdi
- home buying
identification
Termite vs Carpenter Ant Damage: Reading the Wood
Opening a wall during a remodel or pulling back trim often reveals damaged timber with no insect anywhere in it. What sits inside the galleries names the insect, and how smooth the walls are does not…
7 min read- wood damage
- carpenter ants
- identification
real-estate
Failed Termite Inspection: What Happens Next
A termite report with findings on it is a record of what one inspector could see, and the form it is written on has no pass box and no fail box.
8 min read- wdi
- home buying
- inspection
real-estate
NPMA-33, Box by Box
Form NPMA-33 is the two-page wood destroying insect report your lender asked for, and it records what one inspector could see in the parts of your house they could physically get to, on one day.
9 min read- npma-33
- wdi
- home buying
A termite treatment contract comes at one of three coverage levels: repair and retreatment, retreatment only, or no warranty at all.
8 min read- termite bond
- warranty
- contract
A termite bond is the trade's name for an ongoing contract with a pest control company, and most of the things called bonds are warranties from the company itself rather than a financial instrument…
8 min read- termite bond
- warranty
- contract
A termite inspection in a house purchase is a visual examination of the parts of a building one licensed inspector could reach on one day, written up on a form your lender reads.
11 min read- wdi
- home buying
- inspection
A VA loan needs a wood destroying pest inspection when the Notice of Value says it does, and not otherwise. Where that condition appears, the veteran is allowed to pay the fee, which has been true…
7 min read- va loan
- wdi
- home buying
Termite home remedies are non-commercial recipes, retail oils, or DIY physical tactics used to kill insects without hiring a contractor.
7 min read- diy
- home remedies
- orange oil
prevention
Termite Prevention: What Actually Works
Termite prevention is mostly drainage and carpentry. Keep wood at least 6 inches clear of the soil, move water away from the foundation, pull mulch back from the siding, and get rid of the buried…
7 min read- prevention
- moisture
- wood-to-soil contact
A can of termite spray kills the termites it touches. It does not control an infestation, and that is not my opinion, it is a distinction the US Environmental Protection Agency enforces in writing.
7 min read- diy
- termite spray
- pesticide labels
identification
Carpenter Ants vs. Termites: Telling Them Apart
Termites are insects that eat wood for the cellulose in it; carpenter ants are large ants that do not eat wood at all, but tunnel into it to make a nest and dump the shavings back out.
6 min read- carpenter ants
- identification
- wood damage
identification
Flying Ants vs Termite Swarmers: How to Tell
A swarmer is a winged termite or ant that left its colony to breed, and a pile of them on a windowsill is what most people find first.
6 min read- identification
- swarmers
- flying ants
identification
Subterranean vs Drywood Termites: Which You Have
Subterranean termites nest in the soil and reach your wood through mud tubes; drywood termites live entirely inside dry wood and touch no soil at all.
6 min read- identification
- subterranean
- drywood
real-estate
Termite Letter Requirements, State by State
A termite letter is a report from a licensed pest control company saying whether it found termites or other wood-eating insects at a house. Your lender will usually want one before you close.
10 min read- termite letter
- wdi
- state rules
Form NPMA-33 is the wood destroying insect report your lender asked for, the WDI report on your paperwork, and it records the visible evidence one inspector could reach on one day.
10 min read- wdi
- npma-33
- home buying
A wood-destroying insect (WDI) inspection determines whether a home has active termites or past damage before a property transfer closes.
6 min read- who pays
- va loan
- wdi
Prefer a feed? Subscribe by RSS.