A part of most, if not all home inspection is an inspection for termites. These pesty little creatures, or just the evidence of their presence, past or present, can create difficulty and slow down the process of the purchase of a home when certain terminology is misused or not understood . The question we are most often asked when a termite infestation is found is, "is it active?". Unless the termites are actually seen, this question cannot be answered with certainty. Even in an active infestation termites may not be present in the home. They may have returned to their colony, or it may be a time of the year that they are dormant. Based on this information, the questions that should be asked if an evidence of infestation has been found is " has it been treated and are repairs needed?". Most of the time the visible damage is minimal and major repairs are not often needed. If an infestation is found, whether termites are seen or not, treatment is required for state certified inspections unless evidence can be provided that treatment has already been performed for this infestation. Knowing this, if a past termite infestation is reported, it should be understood that by "past" it could mean one day ago or years ago. In either case if evidence is not provided that treatment has been performed, the potential for re-infestation exist and treatment should be performed.

There are times when a conclusion cannot be made at the time of the inspection.  If it has been reported that there has been a past infestation and documentation has been provided validating this, then most of the time this is the end of the subject as to whether there is any termite activity.  However, treatments can fail or treatment barriers can be damaged leading to a re-infestation.   Termites construct small shelter tubes to protect themselves from contact with the air and predators, these tubes  appear like small dirt vines.  When a home is treated, these tubes are generally removed where visible.  If shelter tubes are found in a home that had been treated in would indicate that either the pest control company did a poor job of removing them or there has been a re-infestation.  At this point the treatment company should be contacted for further investigation.