Bellingham Home Inspections (King of the House) -- Pest Infestation Defined

Everybody knows what a pest is. In the field of home inspection, the pests include the wood destroying organisms (wood boring beetles, some ants, termites) and also members of those species commonly referred to as "vermin."

The catch is, even if those species are present, at what point is it an "infestation." Is a single mouse or carpenter ant evidence of an infestation?

How about five ants, marching single file, one after the other, up into the attic? Is that an infestation? As far as rodents go, is a single mouse an infestation? Are two mice an infestation?

 

In Washington State, the WSDA defines an infestation as "to be overrun in large numbers so as to be harmful or unpleasant." Obviously, people have different sensitivities to pests so what is a minor issue to one person could be "I am thinking of suing the inspector" to another person.

I believe that reporting evidence of wood destroying organisms or vermin is essential, if such evidence is seen on site. Sometimes an inspector knows there is an infestation underway, other times it is hard to tell if it is a minor problem or an old issue.  The important thing is that the inspector should not cover anything up, to sanitize the situation, and should report what he or she finds on-site. Traps, bait boxes, dead rodents should all be reported as being present at the home. This indicates a current or past problem.

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