Preventative Termite Measures?- What Makes Sense??

Question

I just moved into a home that is 15 years old. It is on a heavily wooded lot with a good bit of moisture. The home is in Indiana. I am concerned about termite infestation. The home was inspected and given a clean bill of health when I moved in. Do I need a professional service to treat my house preventively? I don't want to spend cash needlessly, but I do want a proactive approach at prevention. Will an annual inspection do? None of the homeowners I know in this area do anything special to prevent termite infestation. They look at me like I'm strange when I talk about it with them. Thoughts would be appreciated. Thanx!

Answer 1

Depending on what part of Indiana you live in, a termite treatment may be a wise investment.  I would say that anywhere south of Lafayette's latitude, should definitely get a treatment.  With a wooded lot and moisture, they are almost definitely present in the area.  The older the house gets, the greater the likelihood of termites finding their way to it.  The bad thing about relying on an annual inspection is 1.) there are parts of your house that can't be inspected such as inside walls or hollow blocks, and 2.) you can't always rely on the thoroughness of the individual inspector.  With a proper application of Termidor, you can pretty much rule out termites.  If you live in northern Indiana, then you are much less likely to have termites due to the perennial ground freezes in winter.  If you do decide to go with only the inspection, make sure that every year you go with the inspector throughout the house.  Again if you live especially in southern Indiana and don't get a treatment, it will be a roll of the dice every year and if you do find them, you'll be paying for the treatment and the repair.