When the termite inspector comes to your house, you will notice that he or she will drill holes in various areas. The holes are usually drilled in the foundation because termites come from the ground and work their way up.

How the inspector knows where to drill the holes, dirt against the foundation is a good indicator because the dirt makes it easy for them to access the foundation. Again, they come from the ground, so they're going to follow it.

The holes are necessary for the inspector to see if there are termites in the home and then to fill the holes with chemicals if they are. The inspector knows exactly where to place these chemicals in order to kill the termites.

Trenching

There is an activity called trenching and this is done around the foundation of the house. In addition to the necessary evil of drilling holes in the foundation and other areas around the home, the trench will also carry chemicals so that no more termites will come from the ground into the home. This creates a barrier so that they will turn away or be killed if they pass that barrier. The chemicals are toxic to termites.

Chemicals

The chemicals are usually applied by the gallons. Depending on the chemical, there is a specific amount that the inspector uses per square feet. That way he or she can make sure the termites are gone. Crawl spaces, hollow block, and porous concrete are all areas where chemicals should be applied.

In many cases, chemicals will be applied as a part of your yearly inspection to ensure that there are no termites at all. Although the inspector is very experienced, it only takes two termites to form a colony which will require costly termite treament, and drilling is a necessary part of thorough inspections.