Exterior House Siding and Insects

When looking at a house for sale pay some attention to the exterior siding and the landscaping. While you should always have a wood destroying insect inspection done before buying the home (commonly called a termite inspection) you can get some idea of potential problems by taking a quick look at the exterior.

House siding (wood or vinyl) should NOT go all the way into the ground (see photo). Siding in the ground allows insects (think ants and termites) to gain easy entry into the home. Wood siding into the ground is especially bad as termites can use this as a food source. Having the house cladding / siding stop short of the ground with foundation wall exposed is the proper way to keep bugs out.

Examine the interior and exterior foundation walls for any signs of mud tunnels used by termites for entry (see photo).

Plants at the exterior should not touch the house siding. Ants will use this for easy entry.

A solid cement foundation will provide marginally better protection from insect entry than a cement block or stone foundation.

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