This is an interactive "internet-based" course which will grant you 22.5 hours of New York State approved continuing education credit for your real estate salesperson or broker license renewal.  It will take you approximately 22.5-25 hours to complete the program.  Follow the directions as you read through and make sure to log in the LAST FOUR digits of your social security number to confirm your "attendance and active participation" in the program.

Please read each section then respond to the questions that follow based on your careful reading of the material. Students receive an "S" for satisfactory completion of the program on their official transcript. We remind you, according to the NYS regulations for real estate agent & broker continuing education, exams CANNOT be a requirement for successful completion of a CE program [however, in order to fullfill the time requirements and show active participation in the program, students must attempt to answer ALL questions]. Call if you have any questions at the numbers above.  We recommend that you print each segment and retain the valuable information for future reference.  Certified Home Inspector questions that follow the end of each segment will require you to refer back to see how you answered. Good luck and enjoy!

PLEASE NOTE: YOU MUST CONTACT OUR STAFF AT THE NUMBER ABOVE TO REGISTER AND DISCUSS SECURITY PROCEDURES FOR THIS ON-LINE COURSE!   (only at the initial start of the program).
 
 

Termites and Other Pests Which May Affect Residential Real Estate
 

Termites and Other Wood Destroyers

   Termites are tropical and generally prefer warm climates.  Property owners in the North section of the U.S. are not entirely exempt, however.
 

Subterranean Termites

    These are the kind that live in the earth and are the most common in the United States (and the most destructive to houses). These termites do expose themselves to the air.   Walk around the exterior perimeter of the foundation and pull away brush and looking for dark brown mud lines about 1/4 inch wide.  Stucco houses pose a problem because the stucco is often carried down on the foundation to the earth.  But stucco doesn't stick that close to concrete, and termites often crawl up between the stucco and the foundation. If wood touches the earth, no tubes are necessary.

    In most eastern states metal termite shields are used.  It extends approximately two inches form the concrete on a 45-degree angle.  If it is rusted and deteriorated, or flattened against the wall, it is often rendered useless.
 

 Dry-wood Termites

    A dry wood termite is a slow-acting but determined creature, common in the South and Southwest United States.  They dig into the wood and spit out small football-shaped pellets that are easily recognizable.  The pellet can be found along the baseboards or outside the base of a wall, beneath floors, and especially in attics. Damage occurs mostly in the upper sections of the house.
 

Damp-wood Termites

    Larger than the other two, the damp-wood termites live primarily in decaying wood but may move on to sound wood, provided it finds sufficient moisture.  These termites are often found on decks, beneath bathrooms where faulty plumbing has decayed the wood, along the eave lines, and in lumber stored beneath a wet earth area beneath the home.  The ends of the roof rafters are especially vulnerable to the damp-wood termite.

The difference between a termite and an ant is that the ant has an "hourglass waist", whereas the termite has a bulky "chemise waist."  The termite is not as delicate-looking, and neither is its action.  The wings, too, are very different.  The termite has four wings the same size; the ant's hind wings are smaller than its front ones.  One more point: the ant's antennae are bent, the termite's are straight.
 

Carpenter Ants

    Carpenter ants are big, shiny black, or black and red ants that make large, smooth galleries or chambers in wood.  They don't actually eat the on wood but hollow out nesting areas.  Unlike a subterranean termite that consumes wood, leaving no trace, carpenter ants discard little shavings, or sawdust like debris.  Look around baseboards and other areas.  If you see them, it's sometimes a sign that there is a colony inside the house.
 

Powder-Post Beetles

    Another creature that does substantial damage to a house but leaves conspicuous traces is the powder-post beetle.
These beetle riddle the surface of wood with round holes that can make your entire basement or attic look as if it has been used as the backboard for a game.  The larvae feed on wood.  If you strike the wood with your hand, you'll see powder like dust fall out of the holes.  Often you'll find the powder accumulated in little piles beneath infested lumber in attic and basement areas.
 

Carpenter Bees

    Carpenter bees are large black-and-yellow insects that look like bumblebees but have different habits.  Carpenter bees bore into wood to make a home for their young. Places to look include: porches, decks, garages and sheds. The holes are a half-inch across (with galleries inside the wood).  The female, not the male, will sting.
 

Wood Rot / Dry Rot

     In your search for termite infestation, keep an eye out for wood rot.  Basements or crawl spaces are suspect; although they may be dry during your inspection and the fungus inactive, it will start again when moisture gathers during the winter and spring months.

Look for it under eaves, around windows (where putty wears & cracks then allows water to seep in)- or on decks, especially the joist where the decking lies, as well as between wood and concrete, at the end of supporting posts where they meet the concrete, at the end of supporting posts were they meet the concrete piers or foundations, and beneath bathrooms.  Remember: MOISTURE ON WOOD WHERE NO AIR CIRCULATES PRODUCES WOOD ROT. If you find concrete over a wooden deck, check the wood carefully; use a small screwdriver and test the wood.  Sometimes you see white fungus growing on wood, and often the wood becomes swollen.  In that case the wood is soft for several inches.  Whenever you see dark spots on wood be suspicious.
 

PLEASE ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS BASED ON YOUR READING ABOVE - BE AS DETAILED AS POSSIBLE WITH YOUR ANSWERS....

A) What kind of termites are most destructive to houses and why?
B) What kind of houses pose a particular "problem" with regard to termites?
C) What can happen to a termite sheild to yield it "useless"?
D) Why is the name "powder-post beetle" appropriate for this pest?
E) In what house component are "damp-wood termites" commonly found?
F) Why do carpenter bees bore into wood?
G) Name two important things you learned about "wood rot".
 
 

Here are some multiple choice questions from our popular "Certified Home Inspector Program" that relate to termites & other potential pests when doing a residential inspection, check your answers on the screen that follows.

1. Which of the following is true about the nature of subterranean termites?

A: They colonize within the soil, need a high moisture atomosphere to survive, create earthen shelter tubes and create clear galleries in wood.
B: Their galleries contain soil and feces and they generally colonize in the soil but can colonize above grade if conditions are right.
C: A house is best protected with a soil injection treatment through those termites existing within a house and must be eradicated via fumigation.
D: They sometimes swarm within a house and fly toward the light of a window detaching their two unevenly sized wings when they reenter the ground.
E: Can be prevented from attacking a slab house via a perimeter treatment since the slab itself prevents them from reaching wood framing materials.
 

2. Termites are discovered in the attic of a six year old South Florida one story house.  Which of the following if likely to be true?

A: A soil injection will be needed to eradicate the subterranean Termites.
B: Fumigation will be needed since these are dry wood termites.
C: There is a high likelihood that a soil treatment will be effective only for a short time since the water table is close to the foundation.
D: The roofing will have to be removed to get a full assessment of the damage.
E: A thorough examination of the under house crawlspace will have to be made since that is the point of entry and damages can be expected there.

[RESPONSE]
 

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