When a pest control professional or an independent termite inspector visits your home for a termite inspection, he looks for certain situations that we know attract termites. Termites like moisture and they like water-damaged or damp wood that has softened. When termites infest a structure, the infestation usually begins in areas like those in the list below. In the pest control industry, we call these situations “conducive conditions” since they can lead to infestations of termites or carpenter ants, or other pests that like moist wood.

Conducive Conditions That Can Lead to Termite Infestation

Here are some of the conditions that we look for around the outside of your home during a termite inspection:

• Roof leaks
• Poor roof drainage
• Damaged eaves
• Clogged gutters
• Faulty downspouts
• No splashblocks
• Wood rot
• Moist wood (>20%)
• Damaged siding
• Siding too close-or in soil
• Wet stucco/siding
• “Weepy” walls
• Condensation
• Leaky windows
• Leaky skylights
• Plumbing leaks
• Poor ventilation
• No soil cover in crawlspace
• Wood debris in crawlspace
• Cracks in foundation
• Wood-soil contact
• Firewood stacked against wall
• Wood trellis against wall
• Logs or stump at wall
• Dead tree nearby
• Poor soil grade
• Deep or wet mulch

If you have any of these conditions around your home, be forewarned. It doesn’t mean that you have termites, but we know it increases the odds that you could get them. Termites don’t like a dry, sound home. They do like the conditions in the list above.

Photo credit: tamakisono / Foter / CC BY

Stay up-to-date with Colonial Pest’s email newsletter!