Yes, We Do Have Termites In Washington!

 It was a great week in the world of WestCoast Inspections.  I looked at a nice lake front house that sold for less than $350,000, I checked out a nicely renovated mid 40’s house for a couple who where first time buyers, up to Seattle to inspect a top floor condo unit that overlooked the city, back to Tacoma to look at a north end short sale, Edgewood for a Tri-plex, and Gig harbor for water front that shared a private beach.  There were some less than stellar homes in between but all and all a great week.  The one thing that came up several times this week was subterranean termites.  I was asked several times “what do they look like?” and “how do I recognize them?” and “how do you find them?” Well it seems like as good a topic as any.   Yes we do have termites here in beautiful Washington State and yes they do a lot of damage to a lot of nice homes.  We actually have two common varieties of termites here.  Dampwood termites most of us have seen even if we don’t recognize what they are.  In fact they have been flying around quite a bit these last few weeks.  They are good sized, four wings and a whitish brown color.  Check the grill of your car and you will probably see some.  The other types are subterranean.  They are very small, live in the ground and are much harder to find.  They are great architects building miniature highways out of mud and spit.  The highways are the best way to find them by the way.  These mud tubes are how they get around without exposing themselves (and ya don’t want them exposing themselves) to the air.  You will find these mud tubes anytime they leave the ground and enter your house.   I look for them at the foundation walls, in crawlspaces and even in attics.  If you find what looks like a line of mud running up the concrete of your foundation to the siding or structural members, scrap it off and see if it is hollow inside.  If it is its not mud but a mud tube.  You might even see the little guys inside.   The thing to remember is that they live in the ground not the house.  The only way to get rid of them is to hire a pest control operator and have treatment done.  Other good places to look for them are next to water heaters and furnaces, and most commonly wood landscape timbers in the yard.  I know they look nice and divide gardens perfectly but what you are really doing is supplying a food source for wood destroying organisms of which termites are only one.   There are so many other ways of dividing up the yard or building retaining walls and remember nothing eats concrete.  Well have a great week and we’ll see what next week brings.  I have heard rumors of a multiplex in North Tacoma.  

                                                Sincerely,   Matt Sorensen WestCoast Home Inspection.    

These are pictures of subterranean termite mud tubes or shelter tubes.  These are from a house I looked at in Lakewood a while back (the new pictures I took this week didn’t turn out so good).  This was a pretty good infestation and it was all under the house.  The sellers had no idea this was going on.  If you see something like this under your house it is time to call a pro.  

WestCoast Home Inspection                                                                                    Phone:           253-380-2922

903 291^st Street

                                                                                                        Scheduling:        253-380-5949

Roy, WA 98580                                                                                                                     Fax:        253-843-1807