QUESTION:

I work on a military installation and one of our program requirements is to inspect our facilities for termites and wood decay infestations annually. My question is since this is an annual requirement what is the ideal time to perform our inspections? In my experience the best time of year to perform these inspections would be from April to around November. We have had a few active problems in the past but nothing major because this program allows us to pinpoint problems early. Your thoughts on this will be highly appreaciated, thanks.

ANSWER:

I would agree with the concept that the warmer months of the year would be the best time for termite activity, and thus the most likely time when you might find visible evidence of their presence. Since subterranean termites of various kinds would be the most common problems they would be more likely to curtail their activities during cold months, and once the weather warms again in the spring there should be renewed activity of foraging and mud-tube building. Certainly within warm structures their activity could continue throughout the year, and in Texas it could be warm enough for their exterior activity earlier or later than those months, but more likely once the ground gets cold they are not going to be as visible. In Texas you also may have drywood termites, and even with these I would suspect that the majority of their activity will be during warmer months, and thus the evidence of fecal pellets being ejected from their colonies more likely to occur. However, for drywood termites it would be useful to inspect attics and other interior areas at any time of the year, as these pellets do accumulate over time.

If your primary duties are in the area of termites and other WDO then an inspection at any time of the year would be useful. This would allow you to look for the contributing conditions (conditions "conducive to" infestation) that might exist in and around buildings. This could include earth to wood contact, excessive moisture problems inside or outside, improper drainage issues, etc. In fact, during wet weather you may be more likely to see where drainage issues exist around structures, and since wet soils encourage the presence of subterranean termites this would be a good time to note these problems and correct them in advance of the termites.

Since you mention wood decay, this could be a problem at any time of the year on the inside, so inspecting for this could be done at any time of the year. If you are only inspecting any structure on the base once a year then including this with your termite inspection would seem to be most logical, and here you look for moisture problems, improper ventilation, leaking plumbing, etc. But, sticking with your current timetable and perhaps emphasizing it on the earlier side rather than later in the year would seem to be appropriate.

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