Termites, Ants, Mold and Fungus 
I'm sure most of you have seen a termite sometime in your lifetime. But what gets me is the extreme scare they put in people when someone mentions the word "Termite" or WDI (wood destroying insects, carpenter ants are also in this category). Here's a site that will explain the differences in termites vs ants. There's also another category that can be just as determinal, WDO (wood destorying organisms), which include mold and fungus.
Treatment should be applied as soon as discovered and monitored yearly for reoccurence. Conditions and areas which are really suspectible to these WDI and WDO's areas are dark, damp areas. Usually, under the porch or on the north side of the home.
Signs of termites are the mud tunnels and "frass" which are the sawdust-like evidence that carpenter ants leave from burrowing through your home. Although, dark and damp areas are likely, that doesn't mean they would travel across an area, up a wall and into the ceiling and across your rafters! Funny how they can destroy a 2x4 in one area and then move to a totally different area without distrubing the rest of the area where they are found.
I can't help but tell you a true story of a previously owned home my father purchased this past year. You probably won't believe this, but I swear it is true. I must first tell you that my father has been in the construction business for more than 50 years and he has seen almost everything there is to see when it comes to termite damage.
Okay, here's the story. My father purchase a home he knew had termites in it, he had inspected what he could see and informed the owners of the damage and what it might take to repair the damage. When the home went on the real estate market, and no one seemed to want to purchase the home he decided to purchase it and see what he could do to fix it up. What he didn't know was this, when he started to tear off the sheetrock and siding to see how bad the damage was, he went completely around the home, starting at the floor and moving up until he had removed all the sheetrock on the outside walls. What he found was that termites had went all the way around the home and there was nothing left of the 2x4's but a paper shell! The damage was so bad that the only thing holding up the home was less than 25% of all the 2x4 walls and the outside siding on the home! The termites had eaten almost every wall in the home up to and including some of the rafters.
So, what did he do, well he propped up the home with additional bracing to keep the roof intact and began to rebuild the exterior and interior of the home. The damage to this home was caused by a 2x4 plate that was left in the concrete floor of the home that ran from one side of the home to the other. This allowed the termites to travel just about anywhere they wanted! Needless to say, this home is now a completely rebuilt from ground up with all new exterior and interior walls, paint, carpet, tile, cabinets, windows, etc...
So the moral of this story, don't be afraid of these little pests, just know they must be treated, treated as soon as possible and if you do have damage, it can be repaired!
Do you have a story like this one? What's your take on termites!?
David L. Britt
Olathe, Kansas
http://www.heritage.net
http://heritagerealestateteam.com
Guiding You HOME!
David L. Britt, MBA
don't recall seeing to many of these in our area. I lived in the state of Washington at a very young age and would love to live there again. I love the mountains! Thank you for your comments.
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My take on all the WDI's is that in nature, doing what they do, they are suppossed to be there and fine...composting wood back to earth, etc. On the other hand, if ants are practicing woodworking on my house, or termites are treating it like TGI Fridays, then they have all gone too far. Then of course, there are the fungus eaters, typically in Australia and Africa, and I guess they are not a problem...different tastes. Where I come from the anobiid beetle is probably a worse pest than the termites or ants.