Every new home is about a lot of dreams, thoughts, planning, use of resources, time, and more. For many, it may be the biggest and the most important financial decision in their life. When a property is equivalent to the worth of your hard work for several years, you can’t compromise or make mistakes.
Importantly, you have to look at many aspects before making a buying a decision. And one of them is the pest infestation issues at the property. It is highly recommended to complete a pest inspection at the property, before going ahead with the buying decision. As a potential buyer, you should watch out for the following pests and have the up-to-date status of the pest damage at the property to avoid a “terrible buying experience”.
Termites
When it comes to property damage, no other pest can do more than termites as they are responsible for property damage worth several billion dollars every year. It is estimated that total termite damage around the globe is about $40 billion annually. In the US, 600,000 homes in the country suffer termite damage a year, and the average repair cost these properties stands at $3,300.
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Especially subterranean termites are responsible for widespread property damage as they make massive colonies above ground and feed the wooden structures, papers, cardboard, and more. They often make significant structural damage that sometimes demands demolition and reconstruction of the property. The termites also multiply in large numbers quickly and spread to different areas of property in no time.
You can’t confirm the presence of termite in a property or the extent of the damage due to the pest by visual inspection. You should also need to know the pest infestation history of a property to understand future risks of infestation. While a normal property inspection does not give you detailed pest status of the property, a comprehensive pest inspection can give you every hidden factor about the pest condition at the property.
This can give you the accurate status of the property and help you negotiate with the seller better.
Beetles
A number of beetle species are known for widespread property damage and generally known as woodboring beetles. Some of the most common wood borers include powderpost beetles, common furniture beetles, spider beetles, Queensland pine beetles, and more. These beetles feed the wooden floors, walls, and furniture at the property and produce powdery waste called frass. If you see frass at any property, it is an indication that the property is infested with wood borers.
These beetles show different characteristics and often make damage to your personal properties as well. For instance, the larvae of powderpost beetles can also damage books, toys, and more in addition to wooden products at the property. On the other hand, Queensland pine beetles – highly reported in Brisbane and surroundings – generally attack hoop pine timbers as their name suggests.
While some of these wood borers only attack softwood, powderpost beetles attack both hardwood and softwood. To protect from further damage, property owners treat their furniture, structural timbers, wooden flooring, and every wooden material at their property along with comprehensive pest control Brisbane.
Carpenter Ants
Carpenter ants are another major structural pests, and you can find several different species of these ants – mostly black – in properties. Compared to beetles and termites, carpenter ants do not feed wooden material at properties, but they hollow out timber to make tunnels for nesting. The well-muscled jaws of these ants help them to make tunnels on even solid pine. Also, they don’t leave any sawdust or debris compared to termite infestation.
Based on how long the ant infestation is present at a property, the damage can be moderate or extensive. Though they are considered wood destroyers, carpenter ants are not as destructive as termites. As soon as you notice carpenter ant infestation at your property, you should address them immediately to minimise the damage.
Many property owners make the mistake of identifying carpenter ants as termites and treating them for the wrong pest. Carpenter ants have a segmented black body, whereas termites are “white ants” without any segmented body. You can confirm the presence of carpenter infestation with holes or crevices in the furniture or wooden structures, rustling noise from wooden walls, or piles of wood shavings in floors.
Conduct A Pest Inspection Regardless Of The Property Condition
The property may look clean and perfect without any visual signs of damage or pest infestation. That may not be the actual situation of it as there may have hidden damage and invisible pest issues. To get comprehensive information about the pest issues and damage, you can call for a pre-purchase pest inspection.
The inspection will also give you details of pests that can directly affect humans by spreading various diseases. Most pest inspection service providers will also offer you integrated pest management solutions to safeguard your health as well as wealth.
