In Southwest Florida, wood that is not maintained will eventually be visited by something. Correctly identifying what you are looking at determines whether you need a contractor, a pest professional, or both.
Rot: the fungal problem
Decay fungi need sustained moisture. Wood that stays wet – behind a leaking flashing, at a deck ledger, at the base of a post sitting on damp ground – loses strength as fungi consume it. Affected wood becomes soft, darkens or bleaches, and crumbles under a screwdriver tip.
The diagnostic test is simple: press a screwdriver into suspect wood. Sound wood resists. Rotted wood accepts the tip with little effort.
The fix is always water first. Replacing rotted wood without correcting the moisture source guarantees a repeat.
Termites: the structural emergency
Termites eat wood as food and work from the inside out, so the surface can look intact over a hollow interior. Signs include mud tubes on foundations, wood that sounds hollow when tapped, tiny holes, and discarded wings near windows after a swarm.
Termite damage follows the grain and leaves galleries often packed with soil or debris. This is a licensed pest control matter first; repairs follow treatment, not the other way around.
Carpenter bees and carpenter ants: nesting, not eating
Carpenter bees bore a remarkably round entrance hole, roughly the diameter of a finger, usually on the underside of unfinished or weathered exterior wood – fascia, railings, pergolas, deck framing. They excavate a tunnel to nest in. They do not eat the wood.
Carpenter ants similarly excavate rather than consume, and they strongly prefer wood already softened by moisture. Finding them is a signal to look for a water problem nearby.
Prevention, in order of effectiveness
- Keep water off wood and let wet assemblies dry.
- Maintain finish on exterior wood – bare, weathered wood is the invitation.
- Keep soil, mulch and vegetation away from wood and from the foundation.
- Use naturally durable heartwood or properly treated material anywhere near ground contact.
- Inspect the vulnerable spots annually: deck ledgers, post bases, fascia, and anywhere a roof drains.
If you are unsure what you are looking at, photograph it before disturbing anything. The pattern of the damage is the most useful evidence, and it is easy to destroy while investigating.
