Termite damage or not in Red Bank? Termite control in Red Bank, NJ

Challenge

I was dispatched to one of our residential customers in Red Bank. After finding some damage to their hardwood floor, they assumed that it was termite damage. This house was built on a slab, and the part of the floor that was damaged was near an outside wall. I was able to see that the damaged flooring was dark, soft, and “mushy.”

The homeowners did the right thing by contacting Cowleys. A pest control technician can then come out to inspect and determine if there is termite or other pest problem. If the damage was caused by termites, there is no wasted time in getting the problem resolved. If it isn’t termite damage, the homeowners can move on in determining the source of the problem. With this Red Bank residence, after inspecting the damaged floor, I determined that the floor damage was not caused by termites.

Termites require specific environmental conditions to survive. Moist soil or other moist environments usually provide these conditions. Typically, the first visible evidence of subterranean termite activity are mud tubes. Mud tubes are pencil-width size tubes made by the worker termites from soil and wood cemented together using their saliva and excrement as “glue.” Termites use these tunnels to travel to and from the nest when foraging for food (the wood in your home!). These protective tubes allow the termites to stay moist underground. Despite the property damage they are capable of causing, termites themselves are extremely fragile insects. Moisture is critical to termite survival because they are, with the exception of swarmers, soft-bodied insects that rapidly lose water once exposed to dry air. The tubes also protect them from predators; their primary predators are ants. Based on careful inspection, I determined that there were no mud tubes (see pictures) or termites.

Solution

The good news for these homeowners is that there were no termites. The bad news is that their floor was water-damaged and there was clearly a water intrusion. The source has to be found and fixed. Unfortunately, the problem could not be determined without “digging deeper.” I advised the homeowners that they would need to hire a contractor to determine whether the intrusion is because of a crack in the slab or whether it is because of a problem with the perimeter foundation. The contractor will need to remove the damaged flooring and open up the wall area to make a definitive determination.

The lesson learned with this job is that if you have wood damage, it’s always a good idea to call a professional. Often the damage is caused by termites, but sometimes, like with this Red Bank home, it’s not. It’s just as important to rule out termite damage as it is to rule it in. Because of my inspection, the homeowners are now one step closer to determining the source of the damage. I was happy to stop by to help.