In my little sleepy town there is a myth that is being perpetuated just about everyday. Now thankfully it isn’t catching on like wild fire and it seems to only have one source but it has been the reason for many needless termite jobs and worried nights for home owners. The way this tool is used to promote this cheap sale is down right criminal in my book. The so called professional tells worried homeowners that termites need moisture and once they get above ground they will actually bring up this moisture into the wall voids so they can exploit the area and spend more time doing damage. So far nothing nefarious because this is all true. However, our seasoned pest control veteran then proceeds to claim that termites are the only reason there would be moisture in the wall and that if his little device beeps at all-it’s treatment time no ifs ands or buts. Of course his machine does its job and somewhere along a wall it beeps to high heaven and he walks out with a $1000 or more sale. Thing is, I’ve been called in on 2 of these situations by homeowners and couldn’t get my meters needle to even move let alone have it beep when I inspected the same area. Tsk Tsk, I’d love to see this guy get his but not only do the wheels of justice turn slowly-they also need a big push to just get started so he’s been free to do this for quite some time.
The myth is that by using a moisture meter you can without a doubt determine subterranean termites in a wall. Now before I go much further let me tell you I own a moisture meter and agree that it is a most valuable tool. I use it all the time and depend on the findings to identify locations where termite activity is highly likely. On the other hand I have found live, active and established areas of termites and used my meter to confirm what my eyes already told me but was astonished by the results. This is the second article of my High Priced and Useless Tools series- you may want to go back and see the other videos I’ve done to give you the exact details of what we’re dealing with.
Check this video out;
