Pest Inspection
A pest inspection includes a search for bugs and other creatures that can cause damage to the structure of your property, a health hazard or both. One common structural concern is caused by Carpenter Ants that get their nutrients from the wood in your house, but various other bugs and rodents can also cause concerns.
What Does A Pest Inspection Entail?
A pest inspection usually takes place around the same time as a home inspection or appraisal. In fact, one of the instances it might be required is when an appraiser observes signs of a potential pest problem. However, as a homeowner, you can have a pest inspection done whenever you’re worried you might have an issue. If you suspect a problem and you can visually see where it’s coming from, it may be possible to do some DIY inspection and mitigation. However, this is something that’s often best left to pros. If required to get an inspection for your mortgage, a professional will be required.
Let’s take a deeper dive into what’s involved in the inspection next.
A trained, licensed pest inspector will look through the interior and exterior of your home for all manner of critters that could be a hazard. Depending on the region you live in, these include but aren’t limited to the following:
Carpenter Ants - Carpenter Ants are extremely dangerous when it comes to structural damage. Carpenter Ants whole life revolves around biting and chewing moist and soft wood, which if your home seems tasty to them, then they're going to put some damage in. This can cause thousands of dollars in damages to your home or business.
Bedbugs - Bed bugs are small, flat, parasitic insects that feed solely on the blood of people and animals while they sleep. Bed bugs are reddish-brown in color, wingless, range from 1mm to 7mm , and can live several months without a blood meal. While they are not known to spread disease, they can cause red, itchy bites and create a loss of sleep.
Cockroaches - While cockroaches aren't normally thought of to be in Saskatchewan, the German Cockroach is more common than you would think. German roaches carry many different types of parasites, bacteria, and pathogens on their legs and body. They will contaminate food and food prep areas that can cause your employees and customers to become ill. German cockroaches breed quickly; each female can carry 40 eggs, which can turn into 40 more roaches.
Various kinds of Rodents - Rodents by themselves are a complete nuisance and carry with them a negative stigma. While most people would prefer to avoid them at all costs, what they may not be aware of are the overwhelming risks to health and home as a result of even the smallest rodent infestation. Rodents, like many other pests, carry with them the risk of contracting some pretty nasty diseases. They are known to carry many diseases, including hantavirus, dysentery, salmonella and gastroenteritis, all of which affect humans. These diseases can be spread through bacteria in contaminated food as a result of contact with rodents or their droppings. These illnesses can be serious and can cause issues like pain and dehydration.
An Evaluation Of Any Structural Damage
Insects and other pests get into your house somehow, usually by exploiting and/or causing structural damage to your home. The inspector will look for evidence of damaged floorboards, baseboards, walls, siding and more. After rooting out the pests from their hiding place, the structural damage will have to be fixed.