Home Inspection Spotlight: North Texas Insects

As you can imagine, crawling around under houses, in attics, and in all the nooks and crannies of a house, home inspectors run into a lot of bugs.

Many home inspectors perform WDI Inspections (Wood Destroying Insects), but we are not pest control experts. A home inspector will look for signs of current or previous pest infestations, and let you know whether you need to call pest control for further evaluation. 

It didn't take a home inspector to discover this ant infestation. This house is FOR SALE. Wouldn't you think they'd want to, I don't know, sweep the bodies into the trash before a prospective buyer comes by?

Yep, that's a black widow! If you see one of these ladies, you should calmly back away, or SMASH it, depending on your degree of terror. Black widows tend to lurk in piles of wood or boxes, eaves, or other dark, undisturbed areas. Since home inspectors are in the "disturbing" business, we run into them from time to time. They are venomous, and a black widow bite can be pretty severe. you can find more info on black widows in North Texas here.

If that doesn't make you feel creepy crawly, this will. Termites aren't the only type of Wood Destroying Insect we find in North Texas. Carpenter Ants are very common. These little guys aren't nearly as destructive as termites, but they can be annoying, hard to get rid of, and they bite. You can read more about Carpenter Ants in North Texas here.

When you're buying a home, it's a good idea to know whether the home has had problems with insect infestations. As a homeowner, you want to schedule regular pest control visits so that any infestations can be treated before they get out of control. Between ants, termites, yellow jackets and spiders, there are lots of pests who'd like to build their homes in and around yours.