Tag Archives: pests

Ant Inspection

“Ants are among the most prevalent pests in households, restaurants, hospitals, offices, warehouses, and virtually all buildings where food and water can be found. While mostly harmless to humans, ants (especially carpenter ants) can cause considerable building damage.  Inspectors can expand their knowledge base by being able to identify some of the telltale signs of ant infestation.”

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How to deal with mice

Eek! There’s a mouse in the house!

Mice have been cohabiting with humans as long as humans have been cohabiting. They figured out millennia ago that our homes are a good place for them to live. Warm, dry, plenty of food – all a mouse (and hence mice) could want. Popular Mechanics says, “There are plenty more ways beyond the traditional mousetrap to get the rodents infesting your house.” Here is their survey of the best ways homeowners and exterminators can solve a mouse problem.

Hope you find this interesting and timely informative! If you’re looking for a top notch Home Inspection and Home Inspector in Friday Harbor, Washington or the San Juan Islands (including Orcas Island, Friday Harbor, Lopez Island, and Shaw Island) to keep you from buying “The Money Pit,” then you need Board Certified Master Home Inspector Tim Hance of All Islands Home Inspections working for you! Over the past 8 years, we’ve protected over 3,200 home buyers, just like you, from unexpected post-closing expenses. Call (360) 298-1163 to schedule your Friday Harbor, WA or San Juan Islands Home Inspection today! I look forward to working with you soon and exceeding your expectations!

Is there wood debris in your crawl space?

If you can see dirt and any wood/cellulose debris in your crawl space, you should take action to help prevent elevated moisture conditions that can lead to WDO (wood destroying organism) activity and damage in your crawl space area.  Any and all exposed dirt in the crawl space should be covered with a plastic vapor barrier.  And debris and wood scrap, food for insects, should be removed or properly stored at least eighteen (18) inches above the ground.  These pictures were taken at a recent home inspection in Oak Harbor on Whidbey Island.

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Video: HUGE Wasp Nest in Crawl Space!

Inspecting a home in Lynden, Washington the other day, I happened upon a HUGE wasp nest just inside the crawl space access hatch. I’ve learned, from experience, that’s it’s very important to make sure the crawl space is safe to enter before diving in. In this case, the nest appeared inactive, but I recommended removal nonetheless. It would be very easy for someone to put their hand right into this huge nest, entering the crawl space, and have a serious problem.

Evidence of bird activity

 

Evidence of bird activity was noted in an attic of a recent home inspection on Lopez Island in the San Juan Islands.  When you see feathers in your attic area, you likely have a soffit vent that isn’t properly screened, or the screen has become damaged allowing birds, and possibly vermin, into your attic area.  I recommend taking a peek into your attic annually to look for obvious signs of birds, vermin or mold.  In this way, you can deal with the issue before it becomes more significant.  Bird feces running down the exterior siding of a home may also suggest they’re getting into the attic, and the soffit vent location that likely needs to be re-screened with mesh screening.  Don’t just block it off, it’s important to keep the attic well ventilated as blocking the soffit vents can lead to mold growth in the attic area.

Bug zappers

A bug zapper is a popular exterior appliance installed by a homeowner or food handler to attempt localized control of flying insect populations. Its name comes from the characteristic “zap” sound produced when an insect is electrocuted. Around homes, they are primarily used to kill biting (female) mosquitoes, which create itchy bumps and can transmit the West Nile Virus or encephalitis, malaria and yellow fever. While Popular Mechanics produced a sketch of a bug zapper as early as 1911, it wasn’t until 1934 that parasitology professor Dr. W.B. Herms introduced the electronic insect killer that became the model for all future bug zappers. (read full article on InterNACHI)

Ants!

Ants are among the most prevalent pests in households, restaurants, hospitals, offices, warehouses, and virtually all buildings where food and water can be found. While mostly harmless to humans, ants (especially carpenter ants) can cause considerable building damage.  Inspectors can expand their knowledge base by being able to identify some of the telltale signs of ant infestation.

Ant Behavior

Ants are social insects that live in colonies divided into three castes: queens, males and workers. Most of the ants you may observe, which are responsible for gathering food, are sterile female workers. Winged males and females will leave the nest to mate, and to find suitable locations for new colonies. After mating, the males die and the impregnated females (queens) shed their wings and lay eggs that will hatch into the legless, grub-like larvae. The queen takes care of these larvae as they develop until they finally become pupae. Within a few weeks, adult worker ants emerge from these pupae and take over the job of tending the young.

Distinguishing Ants from Termites

Winged ants are often mistaken for winged termites, which also leave their nests to mate. These insects can be distinguished from one another by three main characteristics:

  • The ant’s body is constricted, giving it the appearance of having a thin waist, while the termite’s body is not constricted.
  • The ant’s hind wings are smaller than its front wings, while the termite’s front and hind wings are about the same size. Wings might not always be present, however, as both species eventually lose them.
  • Winged female and worker ants have elbowed antennae, while the termite’s antennae are not elbowed.

Termites and ants both construct nests in moist wood, but ant nests are typically smoother and lack mud structures commonly found in termite nests. Also, termites actually subsist on wood, so the structural damage they leave it their wake is generally more severe than that caused by ants, which merely tunnel through wood. (read full article on InterNACHI)

How to deal with mice

Eek! There’s a mouse in the house!

Mice have been cohabiting with humans as long as humans have been cohabiting. They figured out millennia ago that our homes are a good place for them to live. Warm, dry, plenty of food – all a mouse (and hence mice) could want. Popular Mechanics says, “There are plenty more ways beyond the traditional mousetrap to get the rodents infesting your house.” Here is their survey of the best ways homeowners and exterminators can solve a mouse problem.

Pest birds

Birds are graceful creatures and essential to our eco-system, but when they enter human living and working spaces, they can become pests. Commercial properties, in particular, are vulnerable to the problems associated with pest birds, their nests and their droppings.

Facts and Figures

  • An apprentice elevator mechanic obtained a $2.7 million settlement from a property owner after bird droppings caused him to slip and fall down an elevator shaft.
  • Bird droppings contain uric acid, which, at a pH of 3 to 4.5, can eat through most building materials.
  • Like many other animals, birds are drawn to the scent of their own waste. Thoroughly cleaning and deodorizing surfaces eliminates this scent trail and discourages pest birds from following the scent back to their old roosts.
  • Pest birds cause tens of millions of dollars of damage every year to machinery, automobiles, roofs and ventilation systems.

(read full article on InterNACHI)