Termite Experts Address Local Problem

Inspections can catch early damage, help in home sales

LANCE ALLAN

The Daily News

Springtime Its a time when homeowners and landscapers head outdoors to plant flower beds, shrubs and trees. And after all the planting is finished, most add a layer of mulch to top off their work.

But what many homeowners might not realize is that layer of mulch can contribute to termite problems.

Local problem. Memphis is located in the termite belt. And termites tend to swarm to cool, dark places such as mulched areas, a firewood stack or a dog house on a homes back porch. And when those conditions are found in close proximity to the home, it can lead to termite problems inside.

Termites are a year-round, 24-hour-a-day problem, and we are in the termite belt, said Dr. John Fortino, a termite expert with Premise Termite Elimination who provides customer service representation for Mississippi, Arkansas and West Tennessee. They feed on any kind of cellulose materials, and that can be cardboard boxes, debris, lumber stacked up, and one of the big issues that we have in the Memphis area is mulch.

Need for inspection. And for the high inventory of homes currently on the real estate market in Memphis, Patrick recommends an inspection on the front end to avoid problems later in the selling process.

When somebody is buying a house, a clearance letter is requested by the mortgage company, Patrick said. A licensed technician from the termite company has to make that inspection, and the way thats normally done is a visible inspection. If its a slab, they inspect the inside walls for whats visible to them and use a moisture meter to check the moisture in walls because termites here are drawn by moisture.

Pest control. Mid to late spring is considered prime termite swarm season, the time when termites are most visible. And thanks to the moisture and moderate springtime temperatures of the Memphis area, termites are a big problem for local homeowners. But that doesnt mean homeowners should stop spreading mulch, pest control experts said. They just need to be smart about it.

It can be a problem if they put mulch against siding, said Larry Patrick, chief executive officer of Memphis-based Good Earth Termite & Pest Control Inc. But also on brick, we have seen the termites come out of the mulch and run right into the expansion cracks of the brick. Mulch can be a problem; its just a matter of keeping it inspected and treated on an annual basis to make sure there is not any infestation in those areas. Its easy to find. If you rake the mulch back, you can find the termites just a few inches down.

However, just because termite damage isnt visible, that doesnt mean it isnt there.

It requires a professional to do an inspection, and an annual inspection is important, Fortino said. It takes years for damage to appear, so the problem can be going on. Its kind of like your car if you didnt ever change the oil, you may get by for a period of time, but eventually the oil will wear out or youre going to promote problems.

Protecting structures. Termites are not as large a problem in areas with cold winters. But in many areas of the South, temperatures dont drop low enough for a long enough period of time in the winter to eliminate the pests. So they stay around, living in mud tubes or areas such as mulched beds that can insulate them from the elements, Fortino said.

Some areas where dirt infill has occurred before homes are constructed might also be susceptible to termites.

Its more difficult no matter what chemical you use to do a treatment thats going to stay in the right places, because when you haul something in, its compacted to some extent, but then if there are old tree limbs, roots and things underneath that house, eventually you get it in there, Fortino said. And stucco homes have a greater potential. Its basically a Styrofoam house with coating, and it holds moisture.

Damage control. There are signs homeowners can look for. Some are obvious, such as noticeable damage along baseboards.

Fortunately, Patrick said, a termite swarm found in or around a property doesnt always mean severe damage has been done to the property. But termites can eat through up to 12 inches of a two-by-four in a matter of weeks. It just depends on how fast they multiply.

When termites would swarm from, say, a tree stump and crash land in that mulch bed against the house and they have a favorable environment and they produce young, probably in the neighborhood of three to four years, you can have a significant problem, Fortino said. It takes time for them to start out. It becomes a multiplier.

Patrick said its crucial for homeowners to have an annual inspection to protect a property against damage. And of course, he recommends keeping items that tend to be food for termites, such as firewood and wood debris, away from the house.

We have found when people put up new wooden fences, even wood that is treated from the factory, we find that whatever they mount against the wall, well find active termites in that post mounted against the wall, Patrick said. If termites have the least little bit of invitation, theyre going to be there.