A Long Term(ite) Investment

Well, the results are in. It seems that my new house has a serious termite problem, and I only have myself to blame for not looking into this before I bought it. When I say ‘new’ house, I should note, I mean new to me – the house is actually pretty freaking old, and it should have come as no surprise that there might be a bit of damage going on behind the scenes. And yet, here we are.

There’s no point crying over spilt milk, though, and the same goes for decayed wood. Overall, the condition of the house has been deemed to be not too bad, so it’s really a matter of attacking the problem fast. A rapidly enacted termite treatment plan, I’ve been assured, should deal with the matter and leave me with my house intact.

None of this would have been known to me had my new neighbour not been a former purveyor of termite inspection and treatment services. Mornington, it would seem, is a rather friendly part of the world, and my neighbour was only too happy to point out some signs of damage that he’d noticed. He then referred me a company that uses thermal imaging technology to detect termite damage inside the walls.

It’s lucky that I have such an observant neighbour, or I’d be happily going about my business while my new investment is eaten away from the inside out. As it stands, I’m a little strung out, but at least I’m able to do something about my pest problem while there’s still time.

I have a mate who used to live just over in Berwick. Pest control, in his view, was a complete waste of money. He believed that rubbing a solution of sugar on his walls would keep all kinds of household pests at bay, but it only served to cause a terrible ant problem. Later, when he went to sell the house, he learned that it had also all but been destroyed by termites.

 

Let that be a cautionary tale for you!