Where Termite Damage Occurs in Virginia Homes

In Virginia, brick is a very common building material. If you live here, you've probably noticed. And if you live in a brick home, you may be tempted to think that you are protected from destructive subterranean termites. But that is not the case. Brick homes can be attacked by subterranean termites just as easily as wooden ones. Let's take a look at how it can happen.

First of all, not all brick structures are created equal. Some homes appear like they are built entirely out of brick, but they actually aren't. They are built with a wooden frame and a brick veneer; a single layer of brick-built home with a wooden aspect is susceptible to termite damage. If you live in a home that has a brick veneer, it is important to understand that subterranean termites can find a crack in your brick defenses and attack the wood underneath. And if they do, they can cause significant structural damages.

However, homes having a support structure made entirely of brick aren't 100% safe from termite infestations either. Inside the shell of that brick, which can be several bricks thick, there are wooden building materials. And those wooden building materials often touch the brick without any barrier in between. As the home settles, gaps and cracks can form, allowing those subterranean termites a pathway to the wood just beyond the brick.

We have another type of brick home in the state that can be susceptible to termite invasion: homes built on a concrete slab. The soil under those slabs is ideal for termite colonies. And, as cracks develop in that slab, those termites will find them and enter the home.

Worker termites are always tunneling through the soil in search of food sources. Subterranean termites work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year! They won't be daunted by a rock, concrete, or brick barrier. Instead, they'll explore every inch of it as they search for sustenance.

When subterranean termites find their way into a home, they will target areas with high moisture and humidity levels where the wood has been softened by exposure to dampness first. It is sometimes possible to track where subterranean termites are likely to be in a home using a moisture meter.

Though we have many brick homes in our area, brick isn't the only material we use to build our homes. Virginia has its fair share of wooden homes as well. And if your home is made of wood, there is an even greater risk of subterranean termites infesting your home. And as wooden homes age, they become even more appealing to these wood-eating insects. Homes with a cement basement have more resistance to termites than homes built on a slab. But if you have a basement and you don't have termite protection for your home, it is crucial that you perform routine inspections for shelter tubes on the inside and outside of your basement walls.

What does termite damage look like?

If subterranean termites are damaging your Virginia home, you probably won't know it. Termite activity is extremely hard to detect as they invade from underground, and the damages they cause are inside the wood of our homes. Occasionally, termite damage may be detected when worker termites feed up to the paint or wallpaper of our walls, causing the paint or wallpaper to bubble. You may also notice this damage if they feed on the moist, compromised baseboards of your home, causing dents to develop. Most of the time, you're aren't going to see any signs of the damages occurring in your home. That is why it is so important to make sure your home has a termite barrier around it.

No matter what materials you build your Virginia home with, termites can find a way to invade. But with a barrier of Termidor® termiticide installed around your foundation perimeter, those termites won't live long enough to eat away at your equity. Not only will Termidor® work to eliminate all the termites it comes in contact with, but it will also eliminate all the termites those termites come in contact with, slowly working its way back to the colony that sent those termites workers. And once destroyed, the colony and the threat are eliminated. That is good news for your equity!

If you live in Christiansburg or the surrounding area, reach out to us at All Pest Control & Solutions. We are a certified Termidor® installer and back our termite protection with a one or five-year warranty. When it comes to protecting your investment, don't settle for less!